Ann Sheridan

Ann Sheridan (nee) Clara Lou Sheridan was born on February 21, 1915 in Denton, Texas. She passed away January 21, 1967. She was an actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the crime drama films such as "San Quentin" (1937) with Humphrey Bogart, "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938) with James Cagney and Bogart, "They Drive by Night" (1940) with George Raft and Bogart, "City for Conquest" (1940) with Cagney and Elia Kazan, and comedies such as "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (1942) with Bette Davis, I Was a Male War Bride (1949) with Cary Grant. and dramas like "Kings Row" (1942) with Ronald Reagan, "Nora Prentiss (1947).

"After the release of Search for Beauty in 1934, Paramount put the 19-year-old under contract at a starting salary of $75 a week ($1,641 in today's money where she played mostly uncredited bit parts for the next two years.

Along with fellow contracted players, Sheridan worked with Paramount's drama coach Nina Mouise and performed on the studio lot in such plays as "The Milky Way" and "The Pursuit of Happiness". While in "The Milky Way", Paramount decided to change her first name from Clara Lou to the same as her character Ann."

"In March 1939, Warner Bros. announced Sheridan had been voted by a committee of 25 men as the actress with the most "oomph" in America. "Oomph" was described as "a certain indefinable something that commands male interest"."

"She received as many as 250 marriage proposals from fans in a single week. Sheridan reportedly loathed the sobriquet that made her a popular pin-up girl in the early 1940s. However, she expressed in a February 25, 1940, news story distributed by the Associated Press that she no longer "bemoaned the "oomph" tag."She continued, "But I'm sorry now. I know if it hadn't been for "oomph" I'd probably still be in the chorus."

Sheridan's career prospects began to improve at her new studio. "Her early films for Warner Bros. included "Sing Me a Love Song" (1936); "Black Legion" (1937) with Humphrey Bogart; "The Great O'Malle"y (1937) with Pat O'Brien and Bogart, her first real break; "San Quentin" (1937), with O'Brien and Bogart, singing for the first time in a film; and "Wine, Women and Horses" (1937) with Barton MacLane."

"Sheridan moved into B picture leads.

Universal borrowed her for a supporting role in "Letter of Introduction" (1938) at the behest of director John M. Stahl.

"Sheridan's notices in "Letter of Introduction" impressed Warner Bros. executives and she began to get roles in better quality pictures at her own studio starting with "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938), wherein she played James Cagney's love interest; Bogart, O'Brien and the Dead End Kids had supporting roles. The film was a big hit and critically acclaimed."

"During WW2 Sheridan was absent from screens for over a year, touring with the USO to perform in front of the troops as far afield as China."-wikipedia

Some of her film credits include:

1938 Angels with Dirty Faces

1939 They Made Me a Criminal

1939 Dodge City

1939 Indianapolis Speedway

1939 The Angels Wash Their Faces

1940 Castle on the Hudson

1940 It All Came True

1940 Torrid Zone

1940 They Drive by Night

1940 City for Conquest

1941 Navy Blues

1942 The Man Who Came to Dinner as the diva Lorraine Sheldon

1942 Kings Row

1942 Wings for the Eagle

1942 George Washington Slept Here

1943 Edge of Darkness

1943 Thank Your Lucky Stars

1944 Shine On, Harvest Moon

1944 The Doughgirls

1946 Cinderella Jones

1946 One More Tomorrow

1947 The Unfaithful

1947 Nora Prentiss

1948 Good Sam

1949 I Was a Male War Bride

1950 "Woman on the Run" a film noir in which she was also co-producer

1962 Wagon Train