Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel

9. Happy Vagabonds

99 9 HappyVagabonds When Ann Dvorak walked out on her contract in July 1932, she may have done irrevocable damage to her relationship with Warner Bros., but she also embarked on an incredible journey that exceeded even her wildest dreams. The couple was absent from Hollywood for over eight months and spent the majority of the time roaming around Europe, journeying as far as Africa. Ann would travel abroad many times during the course of her life, but none of the subsequent trips would hold the wonder and romance this first one did. The memory of her honeymoon with Leslie Fenton proved to be a strong one and remained with her long after her career and marriage were over. While Ann was gone, the Great Depression would finally affect the film industry, causing the studios to make dramatic cuts in their payrolls, a further indicator that her foul cries of salary were ill timed. Additionally, the Hays Office began to grow sharper teeth, and Hollywood would soon see the content of its films severely sanitized. Ann was not around to see her paycheck slashed during this period, but she also lost the opportunity to appear in additional pre-Code films, which were winding down in production by the time she returned. This was probably all of little importance to Ann Dvorak, who was now half a world away from Hollywood. The couple arrived on White Star Line’s SS Olympic passenger ship in Southampton on July 28 and immediately traveled to London, where they checked into the historic Savoy Hotel. Leslie Fenton was not expected in Germany for the filming of F.P.1 until late fall, so they had plenty of time to explore the continent. Within days of arriving in England, rumors started circulating that Ann had been approached by the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, which was coproducing F.P.1 with the German production company UFA, and offered a two-picture deal. She reportedly would be receiving £300 a week, roughly $1,500 and a substantial increase Ann Dvorak 100 over what she was making at Warner Bros.1 There was some validity to the speculation, which Ann confirmed when she wrote to her mother, “They wanted me to play the lead in Les’ picture. I’d have loved it—but even if my contract is jeopardized already, I wouldn’t take it.”2 Ann may have been on the other side of the world and thrilled to finally be fulfilling her childhood dream of traveling to Europe, but the future of her career still loomed over her. Ann and Leslie relax at a European cafe. Happy Vagabonds 101 The couple stayed in England for a few weeks and then moved on to France. When rumors of Ann’s impending employment persisted, Warner Bros. finally felt compelled to take action and a cable was sent to Robert Schless, the studio’s foreign department head in Paris, reading, “Understand Ann Dvorak on continent seeking engagement. Please advise local producers she is under contract to us.” Schless made sure word got out that Ann Dvorak was spoken for and alerted his bosses, “No producer in Paris is making other than French talker, and unless Miss Dvorak speaks good French, there will be no market here for her services .”3 Ann did in fact speak good French, and as intriguing as an appearance in a foreign-language film may have been, Ann remained a mere tourist in Europe, which was fine with her. She was absorbing every bit of her surroundings and was especially taken with France’s most famous locale, commenting, “I think the whole attraction of Europe lies in its color and variety—the oldness of things and traditions that a newcomer is always conscious of. I am, anyway. Paris is the city. It is unbelievably beautiful.”4 During the trip, Ann also experienced times of quiet introspection. As she reflected once she returned to the States, “I thought I had experienced every human emotion here in Hollywood. I’d had the heart taken out of me so many times. I knew tragedy. Poverty. Hate—yes, there were occasions when I hated terribly! Revenge. The joy of first success. And love.” She continued, “But there have been moments during these last twelve months that gave me sensations I didn’t know I was capable of. When we went over the war-torn section of France, I...