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Bupp Filmology
Classic and B Movies of 1929 to 1943
1997

Ann



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"Ann Bupp"


Ann was born on the third of April 1922. She was the second of the Bupp children to try her hand at acting. She started in 1932 and performed in many productions of stage, screen, radio and commercial ads, ending in 1939. Ann studied the piano and learned to sing. She also studied ballet and tap dancing. Two of the Dance Groups that she performed in were well known, The Meglin Kiddies and The Fanchon and Marco Dance Group. If you ask her what she did in the movies, she’ll say she was a dancer. Most of her acting parts were as an extra. In some movies she had some lines to speak, but she was never given screen credit. She once had her hands used for Bonita Granville’s. She still has lovely hands. Mad About Music was her most as memorable movie, lasting eight weeks.

She nearly made it to the big time in Alice in Wonderland. She was considered for the part of Alice. She knew that she could do the part, but lost in the end to Charlotte Henry when the studio executives decided to go with a known name. She stayed involved in the movies long enough to make some money for UCLA. Learning was her real love.

She married Gordon Sloan and together raised a son, David. Ann lives in Oregon where she is a “Doll Appraiser” and owns a private Doll Collection that she shares with the public.

(Ann’s Story; as told by herself)

Sometime in the fall of 1930, we began our “Trek” from New York City to Tacoma, Washington, when my youngest brother Sonny was a toddler. My father had been mid-management, employed by New York Kressges’ Department Stores. The company sent him and our family to the northwest to take charge of a small store there. We went by train in a compartment, first class…all expenses paid. I was eight years old, Tommy was six years old, Sonny was one year old, Paul was fifteen years old and June was seventeen years old. When we got there…No store!…No job! The stock market and the company had eliminated his position. He was emotionally ruined. I remember cold rain, icicles and Ralston hot cereal! I hated it! We didn’t stay long. We traveled south to Oakland, California. We were there about a year. Then we continued on to Alhambra, California.

My mother found motion picture opportunities for us. June was the first to be part of the movie scene. Mother continued with her special knack for finding new opportunities for us. I was the “cute little girl” dancer. My two brothers went along for the rides to my interviews. Actually they were “discovered” because they were in the back seat of the car. Someone told mother, “There’s the two who should be in the movies!” Mother pursued the advice and found movie jobs for Tommy and Sonny. Then she found “Patrons” for me, to help with my voice and dance lessons. Always first in my mother’s efforts were for her children to be working in motion pictures. Ultimately, she found an agent who managed all three of us, which increased our participation as child actors! My mother accomplished her goal…We were in Pictures!

I want to express my feelings as a child participant in the Motion Picture Industry during the 1930’s Depression years. I think we were very fortunate to be a part of movie making history. As children we contributed to the “Now Times” of that distressful era. I do not agree with some child actors who have expressed their parental resentment. I don’t resent my mother for acting as our agent, using the monies we made to improve our standard of living; teaching us self-discipline; how to act and how to enjoy working. We were an important part of a very difficult time in America. And, I lovingly say “My Mother Made Me Do It!”


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