Ann Hovey
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Ann Hovey (August 29, 1911 – August 25, 2007) was an American chorus girl and minor film actress of the 1930s, primarily in B-movies.


Life and career

Born Ann Jacques Hovey in Mount Vernon, Indiana, Hovey was born into a wealthy and prominent family. A descendant of Alvin Peterson Hovey, a Union Army officer during the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
and the
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of
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from 1888 to 1891, Hovey's mother had been a part of the
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high society scene until marrying Hovey's father, a prominent banker. At the age of seven, Hovey was involved in an automobile accident which caused temporary loss of sight in her left eye. Eventually the injury healed and her sight in the eye returned. She attended "Indiana High School", and after graduation she pursued a career as a chorus girl. On a minor contract with
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
, Hovey began appearing in films in 1933, her first being as an uncredited chorus girl in '' 42nd Street'' with
Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...
and Warner Baxter, which would be Ginger Rogers' breakthrough movie. Hovey's first credited role was in the 1933 film ''Private Detective'', starring
William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, known primarily for his film career. Under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the ''The Thin Man (film), Thin M ...
. She appeared in six films that year, two of which were credited. In 1934 she appeared in three films, one of which was credited, but was selected as one of thirteen girls to be "
WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...
", the last year that "WAMPAS" made those selections. In 1935, Hovey appeared in only one film, '' Circus Shadows'', but was still receiving attention due to her "WAMPAS Baby Star" title. Dark haired and pretty, Hovey eventually caught the attention of studios after appearing in several films as a chorus girl and in minor acting roles, and in 1936 she signed a contract with RKO. That year she appeared in only one film, but it would be her most memorable, placing her in a supporting role to cowboy film star Tom Keene and Joan Barclay in the
western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
'' The Glory Trail''. She would have roles in five films in 1937, three of which were credited; then, in 1938 she would have a minor role in '' Flirting with Fate'', which would be her last. That year she married William Crowell of the Crowell Publishing Company, and retired from acting.


Later years and death

She and Crowell later divorced, and she married Robert Husey, a press agent, to whom she would remain married until his death. During the mid-1990s, when informed that she was being sought after by fans of her films, Hovey commented, "I'm surprised. I never thought I was any good." She and Husey had moved to
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, where she was residing at the time of her death, only four days shy of her 96th birthday, on August 25, 2007.


Partial filmography

*'' 42nd Street'' (1933) (uncredited) *''
Gold Diggers of 1933 ''Gold Diggers of 1933'' is an American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). The film's numbers were staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It starr ...
'' (1933) (uncredited) *'' Wild Boys of the Road'' (1933) *'' Easy to Love'' (1934) (uncredited) *'' Kiss and Make-Up'' (1934) *'' Young and Beautiful'' (1934) * '' Circus Shadows'' (1935) *'' Annapolis Salute'' (1937) *''
Danger Patrol ''Danger Patrol'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Lew Landers from a screenplay by Sy Bartlett based on a story by Helen Vreeland and Hilda Vincent. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it was released on December 3, 1937, ...
'' (1937) *'' Flirting with Fate'' (1938)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hovey, Ann 1911 births 2007 deaths People from Mount Vernon, Indiana Actresses from Indiana American film actresses Warner Bros. contract players 20th-century American actresses Place of death missing 21st-century American women