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Ann Richards (actress)

February 24, 2023

Shirley Ann Richards (13 December 1917 – 25 August 2006) was an Australian actress and author, who achieved notability in a series of 1930s Australian films for Ken G. Hall before moving to the United States, where she continued her career as a film actress, mainly as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starlet. Her best known performances were in It Isn't Done (1937), Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938), An American Romance (1944), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). In the 1930s, she was the only Australian actor under a long-term contract to a film studio, Cinesound Productions. She subsequently became a lecturer and poet.[1]

Ann Richards
Richards in Lost Honeymoon (1947)
Born
Shirley Ann Richards

(1917-12-13)13 December 1917
Sydney, Australia
Died25 August 2006(2006-08-25) (aged 88)
Torrance, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1937–1960
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1949; died 1983)​
ChildrenJuliet, Christopher, Mark

Life and career

Early life

She was born Shirley Ann Richards in Sydney, Australia, to an American father and New Zealand mother, and was raised in the suburb of Mosman and educated at Ascham School, Edgecliff.[2]

Richards began acting on stage in amateur productions for the Sydney Players Club and worked as a receptionist at the photographic studio of Russell Roberts.

Cinesound

She was spotted in an amateur theatre production when selected for Cinesound Productions' Talent School, where she worked for six months.[3] This led to her casting as Cecil Kellaway's daughter in It Isn't Done (1937) for director Ken G. Hall at Cinesound Productions.[4]

Richards was a success with the public and critics, and Stuart F. Doyle, head of Cinesound, ordered Hall to put her under long-term contract so she would not be poached by a rival filmmaker such as F. W. Thring or Charles Chauvell. Hall later said, "I think that Shirley Ann would be the only artist before or since to be placed under term contract by an Australian film company."[5] The contract was for 12 months with options.[6]

"In Shirley Ann Richards I believe we have the ideal ingenue", said Hall at the time. "She is young, intelligent, photographs splendidly, and above all, responds quickly to direction. Her work in this film with a cast of famous professional players, headed by Cecil Kellaway, has astonished us all. She has great self possession, and yet her strongest appeal is her youthful freshness and feminine charm."[7]

Hall used Richards in his next film, the logging adventure Tall Timbers (1937) where she romanced Frank Leighton.[8]

She was the female lead in another adventure saga for Hall, Lovers and Luggers (1937), playing opposite American import Lloyd Hughes.[9]

Richards' third film for Hall was playing the daughter of Bert Bailey in Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938).[10]

Her final Australian feature was Come Up Smiling (1939), supporting Will Mahoney and directed by William Freshman, though produced by Hall.

In 1940, she appeared on stage in a production of Charley's Aunt at the Minerva Theatre.[11] She also appeared in stage productions of The Ghost Train and Are You a Mason.[12]

The following year, she appeared in her final Australian film, the war-time featurette 100,000 Cobbers (1942), directed by Hall.[13][14]

American film career

Richards left Australia for Hollywood only a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.[15] She arrived with only $75, all that the government would allow her to take out of the country.[12]

"I was prepared to do lectures or radio work if necessary", she later said.[2]

Ken G. Hall had sent on some film featuring her to Carl Dudley, an American-based writer who had worked on the script for It Isn't Done and with whom Richards was to stay when he arrived, but it had gone missing. Nonetheless, Dudley invited screenwriter Fred Finkleberg to dinner to meet Richards; he recommended her to top agent Leland Hayward.

MGM

Within her first week in Hollywood, Richards was cast in a short, The Woman in the House (1942), which led to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[16] The studio saw her as a "young Greer Garson".[17][18]

"I had an angel on my shoulder", she said later. "The studio respected my Australian credits and treated me like a star, but they cast me as 'Ann Richards', saying 'Shirley Ann, sounded too much like a Southern belle'".[19] (Another reason was to avoid confusion with the actress Anne Shirley.)

In June 1942 she was given a small role in Random Harvest (1942) with Ronald Colman and Greer Garson.[20] This was followed by a part in Three Hearts for Julia, and then a supporting role as an Australian nurse in Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant (1942).[2]

In April 1943 she was given the most prestigious role of her career: the female lead in An American Romance (1944), a big-budget production from director King Vidor starring Brian Donlevy.[21] News of this reached her parents in Australia half an hour before she received a telegraph from the army that their son Roderick, Richards' brother, was a POW in Borneo.[22] However, the film ended up spending a lot of time in post-production and received mixed reviews when released. MGM recorded a loss on the film and Vidor refused to work for MGM again.

Richards tested for None But the Lonely Heart at RKO but lost it to June Duprez.[23]

Hal Wallis and RKO

MGM was unsure what to do with Richards. "I loved MGM – except for the waiting – there were long periods when I wasn't being used", she commented later.[15] Richards said the breaking point came when MGM refused to loan her out for a Cecil B. de Mille film.[19]

She asked to be released from her contract.[24] In April 1944 she signed with RKO, who had been impressed by her None But the Lonely Heart test, to make two films a year.[25][26]

In July 1944 she signed with Hal B. Wallis, who announced he would put her in Love Letters and The Searching Wind.[27] David O. Selznick also expressed interest in signing her. "I always wanted to be a free lance and now it looks like I'm a free lance and a contract player... isn't it wonderful?"[12]

Wallis scheduled her to star opposite Barry Sullivan in Love Letters (1945). However, he then changed his mind and chose to use Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten in the lead roles; Richards was given a supporting part.[28]

Ken Hall wanted her for Smithy back in Australia but she was unable to accept.[29]

Wallis announced he would star Richards in an adaptation of the novel The Crying Sisters written by Ayn Rand and directed by Byron Haskin.[30] However the film was not made.

RKO renewed their option on her in April 1945.[31] They announced they would put her in None So Blind with Charles Bickford and Joan Bennett.[32] It was eventually made without her as The Woman on the Beach.

Instead she supported Randolph Scott in Badman's Territory (1946). That year in an interview she said she thought her Australian accent might have held her back in Hollywood.[33] Wallis gave her the lead role in The Searching Wind (1946) with Robert Young, but the film was not successful.[34] In October 1946 Wallis announced Richards would make Paid in Full from a script by Robert Blees[35] but the film was never made. In November 1946 Hedda Hopper announced Cinesound wanted her to star in Botany Bay in Australia.[36] In 1947 she appeared in The Astonished Heart at La Jolla Playhouse alongside Dorothy McGuire.[37]

Eagle Lion

Richards then appeared in two movies for Eagle Lion, Lost Honeymoon and Love from a Stranger. She then had the third lead in a popular film for Wallis Sorry, Wrong Number (1948).[15][38]

In 1948 she was announced for a play Recessional by William Hurbert.[39] Edmund Angelo bought the rights.[40]

In April 1948 she told the Los Angeles Times she was determined to play younger parts as opposed to the more mature ones she had been doing.[41]

In February 1949 it was reported that Byron Haskin was trying to get her to star in The Scarlet Empress to be shot in Mexico.[42]

In 1949, it was reported she was trying to get up a film called Michelle as an independent producer.[43]

Edmond Angelo

Richards retired in 1949 following her marriage to electronics engineer Edmond Angelo.[44][45]

Angelo ran a successful consulting company and Richards and he raised three children together, Christopher, Mark, and Juliet.[46]

In October 1951 it was announced she would make a film with Angelo, The Slasher, then do a play directed by him, Personal Triumph by Arthur Alsburg.[47] There was also going to be a second film, You're So Dangerous, where Richards would play a social worker mistaken for a gangster's moll.[48]

Eventually Richards appeared in The Slasher, produced and directed by her husband, which was retitled Breakdown (1952). The film was not a success and Richards appeared in no further dramatic films.[49][50] Angelo decided to make no further films.[51]

Later years

After her retirement, Richards ventured into painting and poetry, publishing several well-received volumes, including The Grieving Senses (1971) and Odyssey for Edmond (1991). She also wrote the verse play Helen of Troy in the 1970s, which Angelo and she presented on college campuses.[52] They remained married until Angelo's death in 1983. Richards died in Torrance, California, on 24 August 2006.[53]

Richards had a brother who was killed in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II.[54][55]

Richards and Australia

While in Hollywood, Richards often appeared at functions promoting Australian interests.[56][57][58]

Richards attended the conference establishing the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945.

She returned to Australia in 1946 for a well-publicised holiday.[59] She took back a pair of wicketkeeping gloves belonging to Bert Oldfield to C. Aubrey Smith in Hollywood.[60]

Appraisal

Writer Tom Vallance said of Richards, "soft-spoken and sincere, she was at her best when conveying depths of wisdom, with a suggestion of passion stoically controlled."[15] Author Stephen Vagg argued she "had an appeal similar to that of the young Olivia de Havilland – she looked like a good girl, but there was always a twinkle in the eye; virginal but with the promise of a lively honeymoon."[61]

Credits

Filmography

Australian films

US films

Documentaries

Unmade film

Theatre

  • The Last of Mrs Cheyney (1936) – amateur production in Sydney[64]
  • Haunted Houses (1936) – Sydney Players Club, St James Hall, Sydney[65]
  • Charley's Aunt (1940) – Minerva Theatre, Sydney[66]
  • Tonight at 8.30 by Noël Coward (1947) – Actors' Company, La Jolla

References

  1. ^ Chai, P. (September 2006). "Obituaries: SHIRLEY ANN RICHARDS". Variety. No. 404. p. 67. ProQuest 236253334.
  2. ^ a b c Scheuer, P. K. (17 June 1945). "Actress of 'down under' studio makes good here". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165628126.
  3. ^ "NEW RECRUIT FOR SCREEN". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 21 October 1936. p. 21. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Sydney Girl Enters Filmland". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 29 October 1936. p. 22. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Ken G. Hall, Directed by Ken G. Hall, Lansdowne Press 1977 p 120
  6. ^ Pike, Andrew Franklin. "The History of an Australian Film Production Company: Cinesound, 1932–70" (PDF). Australian National University. p. 48.
  7. ^ "CINESOUND STAR". The Argus. Melbourne. 28 November 1936. p. 42 Supplement: Week–End Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "STUDIO AND SCREEN". The Manchester Guardian. 23 December 1937. ProQuest 484327087.
  9. ^ "Lovers and luggers". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 5. 1938. p. 69. ProQuest 1305796729.
  10. ^ "Golden age's film star dies". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 August 2006.
  11. ^ Charley's Aunt 1940 production at AusStage
  12. ^ a b c P. P. (24 September 1944). "ON THE WAY UP FROM DOWN UNDER". New York Times. ProQuest 106942109.
  13. ^ "Ann Richards". IMDb. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  14. ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 August 2019). "Australian Movie Stars". Filmink.
  15. ^ a b c d Tom Vallance, 'Ann Richards: actress vivid in 'best friend' roles', The Independent, 4 Sept 2006
  16. ^ 'Sydney Girl Signs a Contract in America', Sunday Times (Perth), Sunday 5 April 1942 Supplement p 8
  17. ^ "Here's hot news from all studios!". The Australian Women's Weekly. 28 February 1942. p. 12 Section: The Movie World. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Sydney Girl Signs a Contract in America". The Sunday Times. Perth. 5 April 1942. p. 8: Supplement to "The Sunday Times" Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ a b "An Australian star remembers". The Canberra Times. 1 July 1977. p. 23. Retrieved 14 March 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD". New York Times. 4 June 1942. ProQuest 106422136.
  21. ^ "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD". New York Times. 3 April 1943. ProQuest 106632819.
  22. ^ "PLANNING ALLIED BLOWS IN PACIFIC". The Argus. Melbourne. 5 April 1943. p. 12. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ Schallert, E. (18 March 1944). "Joan caulfield starts paramount duty 1 June". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165486001.
  24. ^ "ANN RICHARDS LEAVES M.G.M." The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 July 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  25. ^ "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD". New York Times. 27 April 1944. ProQuest 106782141.
  26. ^ Schallert, E. (27 April 1944). "Welles will produce comedy-mystery film". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165499897.
  27. ^ "Article 10 -- no title". New York Times. 8 July 1944. ProQuest 106783526.
  28. ^ "SCREEN NEWS". New York Times. 18 September 1944. ProQuest 106898740.
  29. ^ Schallert, E. (7 January 1946). "Lupino stardom sure now till forty-nine". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165677014.
  30. ^ Schallert, E. (29 January 1945). "'Crying sisters' set; andrews, tierney cast". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165570549.
  31. ^ "NEWS OF THE SCREEN". New York Times. 9 April 1945. ProQuest 107252464.
  32. ^ "SCREEN NEWS". New York Times. 3 July 1945. ProQuest 107307606.
  33. ^ "Australia star beats accent but not idioms". The Washington Post. 7 April 1946. ProQuest 151813913.
  34. ^ "SCREEN NEWS". New York Times. 23 October 1945. ProQuest 107363561.
  35. ^ "EAGLE-LION TO FILM NOVEL BY CASPARY". New York Times. 26 October 1946. ProQuest 107738798.
  36. ^ Hedda hopper (22 November 1946). "LOOKING AT HOLLYWOOD". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165721660.
  37. ^ "Star scores in playlets". Los Angeles Times. 14 August 1947. ProQuest 165788652.
  38. ^ Schallert, E. (11 February 1947). "DRAMA AND FILM". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165737892.
  39. ^ "STUDIO BRIEFS". Los Angeles Times. 25 March 1948. ProQuest 165806381.
  40. ^ "STUDIO BRIEFS". Los Angeles Times. 20 April 1948. ProQuest 165823640.
  41. ^ Schallert, E. (4 April 1948). "Ann richards would put ideals of youth on screen". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165860989.
  42. ^ Schallert, E. (1 February 1949). "LeRoy to test french tutor for 'paris' role; gail page in 'lucasta'". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165904608.
  43. ^ Schallert, Edwin (5 May 1949). "'Man Without Friends' May Shape as Mason Film; Jane Cowl Deal on Fire". Los Angeles Times. p. B11.
  44. ^ "Hollywood Has Claimed These Australians". The Sunday Herald. Sydney. 31 December 1950. p. 5 Supplement: Sunday Herald Features. Retrieved 3 March 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  45. ^ "Ann Richards Marries in Los Angeles". The Sunday Herald. Sydney. 6 February 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  46. ^ "Golden age's film star dies". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  47. ^ Schallert, E. (3 October 1951). "Drama". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166273186.
  48. ^ Schallert, E. (9 October 1951). "Drama". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166245045.
  49. ^ "GOLDEN AGE'S FILM STAR DIES". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 August 2006. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  50. ^ "A B.C. MAN'S LIFELONG MISSION TO PRESERVE RIVERS: Mark Angelo was the inspiration behind the annual Rivers Day" (PDF). The Vancouver Sun. 22 September 2006. Retrieved 20 May 2012.[permanent dead link]
  51. ^ "Film star happy in housewife role". The Australian Women's Weekly. 11 July 1956. p. 23. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  52. ^ "SHIRLEY ANN STARS AS POET". The Australian Women's Weekly. 8 September 1971. p. 112 Supplement: Fashions in the Shops. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  53. ^ Lentz, Harris (2007). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2006: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 311. ISBN 978-0-7864-2933-2.
  54. ^ Roderick Richards War Service Record
  55. ^ "Intimate Jottings". The Australian Women's Weekly. 29 June 1946. p. 21. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  56. ^ "The girl from down under". The Australian Women's Weekly. 13 February 1943. p. 11. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  57. ^ "Cable news from studios!". The Australian Women's Weekly. 6 June 1942. p. 20. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  58. ^ "FILM STARS TO HELP AUSTRALIA'S LOAN". The Sunday Times. Perth. 31 March 1946. p. 16: Sport Section. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  59. ^ "For Star's Mother". The Sunday Times. Perth. 16 June 1946. p. 9 Section: The Sunday Times Sport Section. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  60. ^ "Talking of SPORT". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 July 1946. p. 7. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  61. ^ Stephen Vagg, "Why I Adore Dad and Dave Come to Ton" AFI Blog, 11 October 2012 24 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine accessed 15 October 2012
  62. ^ "GOLDWYN ACQUIRES A MUSICAL SATIRE: Producer Buys Film Rights to 'Billion Dollar Baby'--Vera Allen Named for Role Role to Australian Actress". The New York Times. 12 August 1946. p. 17.
  63. ^ "EAGLE LION SIGNS TONE FOR COMEDY: Actor to Have Lead in 'There Goes Groom,' Which Replaces Studio's 'His Bridal Night'". The New York Times. 14 October 1946. p. 38.
  64. ^ "AMATEURS ONCE". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 8 February 1940. p. 8. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  65. ^ ""HAUNTED HOUSES."". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 March 1936. p. 5. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  66. ^ "Heard Here and There". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 July 1940. p. 16. Retrieved 1 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ann Richards (actress).

February 24, 2023
richards, actress, shirley, richards, december, 1917, august, 2006, australian, actress, author, achieved, notability, series, 1930s, australian, films, hall, before, moving, united, states, where, continued, career, film, actress, mainly, metro, goldwyn, maye. Shirley Ann Richards 13 December 1917 25 August 2006 was an Australian actress and author who achieved notability in a series of 1930s Australian films for Ken G Hall before moving to the United States where she continued her career as a film actress mainly as a Metro Goldwyn Mayer starlet Her best known performances were in It Isn t Done 1937 Dad and Dave Come to Town 1938 An American Romance 1944 and Sorry Wrong Number 1948 In the 1930s she was the only Australian actor under a long term contract to a film studio Cinesound Productions She subsequently became a lecturer and poet 1 Ann RichardsRichards in Lost Honeymoon 1947 BornShirley Ann Richards 1917 12 13 13 December 1917Sydney AustraliaDied25 August 2006 2006 08 25 aged 88 Torrance California U S OccupationActressYears active1937 1960SpouseEdmond Angelo m 1949 died 1983 wbr ChildrenJuliet Christopher Mark Contents 1 Life and career 1 1 Early life 2 Cinesound 3 American film career 3 1 MGM 3 2 Hal Wallis and RKO 3 3 Eagle Lion 3 4 Edmond Angelo 3 5 Later years 4 Richards and Australia 5 Appraisal 6 Credits 7 Filmography 7 1 Australian films 7 2 US films 7 3 Documentaries 7 4 Unmade film 7 5 Theatre 8 References 9 External linksLife and career EditEarly life Edit She was born Shirley Ann Richards in Sydney Australia to an American father and New Zealand mother and was raised in the suburb of Mosman and educated at Ascham School Edgecliff 2 Richards began acting on stage in amateur productions for the Sydney Players Club and worked as a receptionist at the photographic studio of Russell Roberts Cinesound EditShe was spotted in an amateur theatre production when selected for Cinesound Productions Talent School where she worked for six months 3 This led to her casting as Cecil Kellaway s daughter in It Isn t Done 1937 for director Ken G Hall at Cinesound Productions 4 Richards was a success with the public and critics and Stuart F Doyle head of Cinesound ordered Hall to put her under long term contract so she would not be poached by a rival filmmaker such as F W Thring or Charles Chauvell Hall later said I think that Shirley Ann would be the only artist before or since to be placed under term contract by an Australian film company 5 The contract was for 12 months with options 6 In Shirley Ann Richards I believe we have the ideal ingenue said Hall at the time She is young intelligent photographs splendidly and above all responds quickly to direction Her work in this film with a cast of famous professional players headed by Cecil Kellaway has astonished us all She has great self possession and yet her strongest appeal is her youthful freshness and feminine charm 7 Hall used Richards in his next film the logging adventure Tall Timbers 1937 where she romanced Frank Leighton 8 She was the female lead in another adventure saga for Hall Lovers and Luggers 1937 playing opposite American import Lloyd Hughes 9 Richards third film for Hall was playing the daughter of Bert Bailey in Dad and Dave Come to Town 1938 10 Her final Australian feature was Come Up Smiling 1939 supporting Will Mahoney and directed by William Freshman though produced by Hall In 1940 she appeared on stage in a production of Charley s Aunt at the Minerva Theatre 11 She also appeared in stage productions of The Ghost Train and Are You a Mason 12 The following year she appeared in her final Australian film the war time featurette 100 000 Cobbers 1942 directed by Hall 13 14 American film career EditRichards left Australia for Hollywood only a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 15 She arrived with only 75 all that the government would allow her to take out of the country 12 I was prepared to do lectures or radio work if necessary she later said 2 Ken G Hall had sent on some film featuring her to Carl Dudley an American based writer who had worked on the script for It Isn t Done and with whom Richards was to stay when he arrived but it had gone missing Nonetheless Dudley invited screenwriter Fred Finkleberg to dinner to meet Richards he recommended her to top agent Leland Hayward MGM Edit Within her first week in Hollywood Richards was cast in a short The Woman in the House 1942 which led to a contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer 16 The studio saw her as a young Greer Garson 17 18 I had an angel on my shoulder she said later The studio respected my Australian credits and treated me like a star but they cast me as Ann Richards saying Shirley Ann sounded too much like a Southern belle 19 Another reason was to avoid confusion with the actress Anne Shirley In June 1942 she was given a small role in Random Harvest 1942 with Ronald Colman and Greer Garson 20 This was followed by a part in Three Hearts for Julia and then a supporting role as an Australian nurse in Dr Gillespie s New Assistant 1942 2 In April 1943 she was given the most prestigious role of her career the female lead in An American Romance 1944 a big budget production from director King Vidor starring Brian Donlevy 21 News of this reached her parents in Australia half an hour before she received a telegraph from the army that their son Roderick Richards brother was a POW in Borneo 22 However the film ended up spending a lot of time in post production and received mixed reviews when released MGM recorded a loss on the film and Vidor refused to work for MGM again Richards tested for None But the Lonely Heart at RKO but lost it to June Duprez 23 Hal Wallis and RKO Edit MGM was unsure what to do with Richards I loved MGM except for the waiting there were long periods when I wasn t being used she commented later 15 Richards said the breaking point came when MGM refused to loan her out for a Cecil B de Mille film 19 She asked to be released from her contract 24 In April 1944 she signed with RKO who had been impressed by her None But the Lonely Heart test to make two films a year 25 26 In July 1944 she signed with Hal B Wallis who announced he would put her in Love Letters and The Searching Wind 27 David O Selznick also expressed interest in signing her I always wanted to be a free lance and now it looks like I m a free lance and a contract player isn t it wonderful 12 Wallis scheduled her to star opposite Barry Sullivan in Love Letters 1945 However he then changed his mind and chose to use Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten in the lead roles Richards was given a supporting part 28 Ken Hall wanted her for Smithy back in Australia but she was unable to accept 29 Wallis announced he would star Richards in an adaptation of the novel The Crying Sisters written by Ayn Rand and directed by Byron Haskin 30 However the film was not made RKO renewed their option on her in April 1945 31 They announced they would put her in None So Blind with Charles Bickford and Joan Bennett 32 It was eventually made without her as The Woman on the Beach Instead she supported Randolph Scott in Badman s Territory 1946 That year in an interview she said she thought her Australian accent might have held her back in Hollywood 33 Wallis gave her the lead role in The Searching Wind 1946 with Robert Young but the film was not successful 34 In October 1946 Wallis announced Richards would make Paid in Full from a script by Robert Blees 35 but the film was never made In November 1946 Hedda Hopper announced Cinesound wanted her to star in Botany Bay in Australia 36 In 1947 she appeared in The Astonished Heart at La Jolla Playhouse alongside Dorothy McGuire 37 Eagle Lion Edit Richards then appeared in two movies for Eagle Lion Lost Honeymoon and Love from a Stranger She then had the third lead in a popular film for Wallis Sorry Wrong Number 1948 15 38 In 1948 she was announced for a play Recessional by William Hurbert 39 Edmund Angelo bought the rights 40 In April 1948 she told the Los Angeles Times she was determined to play younger parts as opposed to the more mature ones she had been doing 41 In February 1949 it was reported that Byron Haskin was trying to get her to star in The Scarlet Empress to be shot in Mexico 42 In 1949 it was reported she was trying to get up a film called Michelle as an independent producer 43 Edmond Angelo Edit Richards retired in 1949 following her marriage to electronics engineer Edmond Angelo 44 45 Angelo ran a successful consulting company and Richards and he raised three children together Christopher Mark and Juliet 46 In October 1951 it was announced she would make a film with Angelo The Slasher then do a play directed by him Personal Triumph by Arthur Alsburg 47 There was also going to be a second film You re So Dangerous where Richards would play a social worker mistaken for a gangster s moll 48 Eventually Richards appeared in The Slasher produced and directed by her husband which was retitled Breakdown 1952 The film was not a success and Richards appeared in no further dramatic films 49 50 Angelo decided to make no further films 51 Later years Edit After her retirement Richards ventured into painting and poetry publishing several well received volumes including The Grieving Senses 1971 and Odyssey for Edmond 1991 She also wrote the verse play Helen of Troy in the 1970s which Angelo and she presented on college campuses 52 They remained married until Angelo s death in 1983 Richards died in Torrance California on 24 August 2006 53 Richards had a brother who was killed in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II 54 55 Richards and Australia EditWhile in Hollywood Richards often appeared at functions promoting Australian interests 56 57 58 Richards attended the conference establishing the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945 She returned to Australia in 1946 for a well publicised holiday 59 She took back a pair of wicketkeeping gloves belonging to Bert Oldfield to C Aubrey Smith in Hollywood 60 Appraisal EditWriter Tom Vallance said of Richards soft spoken and sincere she was at her best when conveying depths of wisdom with a suggestion of passion stoically controlled 15 Author Stephen Vagg argued she had an appeal similar to that of the young Olivia de Havilland she looked like a good girl but there was always a twinkle in the eye virginal but with the promise of a lively honeymoon 61 Credits EditThis section is empty You can help by adding to it January 2019 Filmography EditAustralian films Edit It Isn t Done 1937 as Patricia Blaydon Tall Timbers 1937 as Joan Burbridge Lovers and Luggers 1937 as Lorna Quidley Dad and Dave Come to Town 1938 as Jill Come Up Smiling 1939 as Eve Cameron 100 000 Cobbers 1942 Short as Catherine StarrUS films Edit The Woman in the House 1942 Short Dr Gillespie s New Assistant 1942 as Iris Headley Random Harvest 1942 as Bridget Three Hearts for Julia 1943 as Clara uncredited An American Romance 1944 as Anna O Rourke Dangos Love Letters 1945 as Dilly Carson Badman s Territory 1946 as Henryetta Alcott The Searching Wind 1946 as Emily Taney Hazen Lost Honeymoon 1947 as Amy Atkins Tillie Gray Love from a Stranger 1947 as Mavis Wilson Sorry Wrong Number 1948 as Sally Hunt Lord Breakdown 1952 as June HannumDocumentaries Edit Don t Call Me Girlie 1984 documentary as herself Unmade film Edit His Bridal Night 1946 with Dennis O Keefe 62 the cast transferred over to Lost Honeymoon 63 Theatre Edit The Last of Mrs Cheyney 1936 amateur production in Sydney 64 Haunted Houses 1936 Sydney Players Club St James Hall Sydney 65 Charley s Aunt 1940 Minerva Theatre Sydney 66 Tonight at 8 30 by Noel Coward 1947 Actors Company La JollaReferences Edit Chai P September 2006 Obituaries SHIRLEY ANN RICHARDS Variety No 404 p 67 ProQuest 236253334 a b c Scheuer P K 17 June 1945 Actress of down under studio makes good here Los Angeles Times ProQuest 165628126 NEW RECRUIT FOR SCREEN The Courier Mail Brisbane 21 October 1936 p 21 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Sydney Girl Enters Filmland The Courier Mail Brisbane 29 October 1936 p 22 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Ken G Hall Directed by Ken G Hall Lansdowne Press 1977 p 120 Pike Andrew Franklin The History of an Australian Film Production Company Cinesound 1932 70 PDF Australian National University p 48 CINESOUND STAR The Argus Melbourne 28 November 1936 p 42 Supplement Week End Magazine Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia STUDIO AND SCREEN The Manchester Guardian 23 December 1937 ProQuest 484327087 Lovers and luggers Monthly Film Bulletin Vol 5 1938 p 69 ProQuest 1305796729 Golden age s film star dies Sydney Morning Herald 27 August 2006 Charley s Aunt 1940 production at AusStage a b c P P 24 September 1944 ON THE WAY UP FROM DOWN UNDER New York Times ProQuest 106942109 Ann Richards IMDb Retrieved 3 May 2019 Vagg Stephen 18 August 2019 Australian Movie Stars Filmink a b c d Tom Vallance Ann Richards actress vivid in best friend roles The Independent 4 Sept 2006 Sydney Girl Signs a Contract in America Sunday Times Perth Sunday 5 April 1942 Supplement p 8 Here s hot news from all studios The Australian Women s Weekly 28 February 1942 p 12 Section The Movie World Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Sydney Girl Signs a Contract in America The Sunday Times Perth 5 April 1942 p 8 Supplement to The Sunday Times Magazine Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia a b An Australian star remembers The Canberra Times 1 July 1977 p 23 Retrieved 14 March 2015 via National Library of Australia SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD New York Times 4 June 1942 ProQuest 106422136 SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD New York Times 3 April 1943 ProQuest 106632819 PLANNING ALLIED BLOWS IN PACIFIC The Argus Melbourne 5 April 1943 p 12 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Schallert E 18 March 1944 Joan caulfield starts paramount duty 1 June Los Angeles Times ProQuest 165486001 ANN RICHARDS LEAVES M G M The Sydney Morning Herald 15 July 1944 p 7 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD New York Times 27 April 1944 ProQuest 106782141 Schallert E 27 April 1944 Welles will produce comedy mystery film Los Angeles Times ProQuest 165499897 Article 10 no title New York Times 8 July 1944 ProQuest 106783526 SCREEN NEWS New York Times 18 September 1944 ProQuest 106898740 Schallert E 7 January 1946 Lupino stardom sure now till forty nine Los Angeles Times ProQuest 165677014 Schallert E 29 January 1945 Crying sisters set andrews tierney cast Los Angeles Times ProQuest 165570549 NEWS OF THE SCREEN New York Times 9 April 1945 ProQuest 107252464 SCREEN NEWS New York Times 3 July 1945 ProQuest 107307606 Australia star beats accent but not idioms The Washington Post 7 April 1946 ProQuest 151813913 SCREEN NEWS New York Times 23 October 1945 ProQuest 107363561 EAGLE LION TO FILM NOVEL BY CASPARY New York Times 26 October 1946 ProQuest 107738798 Hedda hopper 22 November 1946 LOOKING AT HOLLYWOOD Los Angeles Times ProQuest 165721660 Star scores in playlets Los Angeles Times 14 August 1947 ProQuest 165788652 Schallert E 11 February 1947 DRAMA AND FILM Los Angeles Times ProQuest 165737892 STUDIO BRIEFS Los Angeles Times 25 March 1948 ProQuest 165806381 STUDIO BRIEFS Los Angeles Times 20 April 1948 ProQuest 165823640 Schallert E 4 April 1948 Ann richards would put ideals of youth on screen Los Angeles Times ProQuest 165860989 Schallert E 1 February 1949 LeRoy to test french tutor for paris role gail page in lucasta Los Angeles Times ProQuest 165904608 Schallert Edwin 5 May 1949 Man Without Friends May Shape as Mason Film Jane Cowl Deal on Fire Los Angeles Times p B11 Hollywood Has Claimed These Australians The Sunday Herald Sydney 31 December 1950 p 5 Supplement Sunday Herald Features Retrieved 3 March 2012 via National Library of Australia Ann Richards Marries in Los Angeles The Sunday Herald Sydney 6 February 1949 p 3 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Golden age s film star dies The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 31 March 2017 Schallert E 3 October 1951 Drama Los Angeles Times ProQuest 166273186 Schallert E 9 October 1951 Drama Los Angeles Times ProQuest 166245045 GOLDEN AGE S FILM STAR DIES The Sydney Morning Herald 27 August 2006 Retrieved 20 May 2012 A B C MAN S LIFELONG MISSION TO PRESERVE RIVERS Mark Angelo was the inspiration behind the annual Rivers Day PDF The Vancouver Sun 22 September 2006 Retrieved 20 May 2012 permanent dead link Film star happy in housewife role The Australian Women s Weekly 11 July 1956 p 23 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia SHIRLEY ANN STARS AS POET The Australian Women s Weekly 8 September 1971 p 112 Supplement Fashions in the Shops Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Lentz Harris 2007 Obituaries in the Performing Arts 2006 Film Television Radio Theatre Jefferson North Carolina McFarland amp Company pp 311 ISBN 978 0 7864 2933 2 Roderick Richards War Service Record Intimate Jottings The Australian Women s Weekly 29 June 1946 p 21 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia The girl from down under The Australian Women s Weekly 13 February 1943 p 11 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Cable news from studios The Australian Women s Weekly 6 June 1942 p 20 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia FILM STARS TO HELP AUSTRALIA S LOAN The Sunday Times Perth 31 March 1946 p 16 Sport Section Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia For Star s Mother The Sunday Times Perth 16 June 1946 p 9 Section The Sunday Times Sport Section Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Talking of SPORT The Sydney Morning Herald 2 July 1946 p 7 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Stephen Vagg Why I Adore Dad and Dave Come to Ton AFI Blog 11 October 2012 Archived 24 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine accessed 15 October 2012 GOLDWYN ACQUIRES A MUSICAL SATIRE Producer Buys Film Rights to Billion Dollar Baby Vera Allen Named for Role Role to Australian Actress The New York Times 12 August 1946 p 17 EAGLE LION SIGNS TONE FOR COMEDY Actor to Have Lead in There Goes Groom Which Replaces Studio s His Bridal Night The New York Times 14 October 1946 p 38 AMATEURS ONCE The Courier Mail Brisbane 8 February 1940 p 8 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia HAUNTED HOUSES The Sydney Morning Herald 16 March 1936 p 5 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia Heard Here and There The Sydney Morning Herald 18 July 1940 p 16 Retrieved 1 April 2012 via National Library of Australia External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ann Richards actress Ann Richards at IMDb Shirley Ann Richards permanent dead link at the National Film and Sound Archive Ann Richards at TCMDB Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ann Richards actress amp oldid 1072951608, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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