Girlfriend Benedict

Background:

Retiring Canadian/American actress Ann Rutherford is best recalled for playing Mickey Rooney's girlfriend, Polly Benedict, in the Andy Hardy film series at MGM from 1937 to 1942. She also played Carol Lambert in Red Skelton's mystery/comedy “Whistling in the Dark” (1941) and in the two installments “Whistling in Dixie” (1942) and “Whistling in Brooklyn” (1943) as well as Careen O'Hara and Lydia Bennet in “Gone With the Wind” (1939) and “Pride and Prejudice” (1940), respectively. Coming from an acting family, the attractive brunette started acting on the stage at a very young age and became a radio star before gaining first success as the heroine in the Mascot/Republic Western films. After leaving MGM in the early 1940s, she worked independently before eventually taking retirement from acting 1976 after a performance in the film “Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood.” Rutherford had also guested in several TV series, including “Perry Mason,” “The Donna Reed Show” and “The Bob Newhart Show.”

Rutherford has been awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her star for television is at 6331 Hollywood Blvd. Her star for motion picture is at 6834 Hollywood Blvd. She also received a Golden Boot in 1988.

Rutherford was married twice. She and first husband David May (together from 1942 to 1953) have one daughter. Her second husband, producer/actor William Dozier, whom she married in 1953, passed away in 1991.

Californian-raised

Childhood and Family:

Therese Ann Rutherford was born on November 2, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to showbiz parents. Her father John Defferin Rutherford, was a Metropolitan Opera singer and her mother, Lucille Mansfield, was a former silent actress. Her family moved to Southern California when she was a toddler. Ann subsequently followed in the footsteps of her parents in show biz by starting acting on the stage.

Ann married David May on December 24, 1942. The couple welcomed a daughter, Gloria May, in 1943 before divorcing a decade later in 1953. Later that same year, on October 6, she was married to TV and film producer and actor William Dozier (born on February 13, 1908) and stayed with him until his death on April 23, 1991. Ann is the stepmother of Robert Dozier and Debbie Dozier.

Gone With the Wind

Career:

Growing up in California, Ann Rutherford made her stage debut in a local production of “Mrs. Wiggs Of the Cabbage Patch” when she was 4 years old. She went on to perform in various theatrical and radio shows until she was signed by Mascot/Republic in 1934. The next year, the 15 year old radio star made her feature film acting debut in “Waterfront Lady” (1935), where she starred as Joan O'Brien, a role she got after actress Anne Darling waked off the film and out of her contract for a personal reason. Before long, she could achieve a status as a well-known leading lady in Western films thanks to her work with actors Gene Autry and John Wayn.

Rutherford first collaborated with Autry in “Melody Trail” (1935) and they next starred together in the films “The Singing Vagabond” (1936), “Comin' 'Round the Mountain” (1936) and “Public Cowboy No. 1” (1937). While with Wayn, she could be seen in such movies as “The Oregon Trail” (1936), “The Lawless Nineties” (1936) and “The Lonely Trail” (1936). In addition, she also starred with various artits in “The Fighting Marines” (1935), “Doughnuts and Society” (1936), “The Harvester” (1936) and “Down to the Sea” (1936).

Rutherford left her previous studio to begin partnership with MGM in 1937. It was in the following year that the Canadian-born performer was cast in her first famed role of Polly Benedict, the girlfriend of Andy Hardy (played by Mickey Rooney) in “You're Only Young Once” (1937), the second film of the Andy Hardy series. She would go on to reprise the role in the 12 upcoming sequels “Judge Hardy's Children” (1938), “Love Finds Andy Hardy” (1938), “Out West with the Hardys” (1938), “The Hardys Ride High” (1939), “Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever” (1939), “Judge Hardy and Son” (1939), “Andy Hardy's Dilemma: A Lesson in Mathematics... and Other Things” (1940), “Andy Hardy Meets Debutante” (1940), “Andy Hardy's Private Secretary” (1941), “Life Begins for Andy Hardy” (1941), “The Courtship of Andy Hardy” (1942) and “Andy Hardy's Double Life” (1942).

Apart from her work on the Andy Hardy series, Rutherford also had supporting roles in several MGM films like “Of Human Hearts” (1938), a drama starring Walter Huston and James Stewart, “A Christmas Carol” (1938, as Spirit of Christmas Past), “Dramatic School” (1938), where she made first screen collaboration with Lana Turner, “Four Girls in White” (1939, with Florence Rice and Una Merkel), “These Glamour Girls” (1939) and “Dancing Co-Ed” (1939). She reunited with Turner in the latter two films. Also in 1939, she was loaned to Selznick International Pictures to portray Careen O'Hara, the sister of Scarlett O'Hara (played by Vivien Leigh) in the big commercial and critical success “Gone With the Wind” (1939), adapted from Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel of the same name. Rutherford next could be seen in “The Ghost Comes Home” (1940), “Keeping Company” (1940) and “Washington Melodrama” (1941) (all with Frank Morgan), “Wyoming” (1940, with Wallace Beery), the big screen adaptation of Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice” (1940, as Lydia Bennet), “Badlands of Dakota” (1941, with Robert Stack), “This Time for Keeps” (1942, with Robert Sterling) as well as in a series of Red Skelton's mystery/comedy films called “Whistling in the Dark” (1941), “Whistling in Dixie” (1942) and “Whistling in Brooklyn” (1943) (all played Carol Lambert) before departing MGM to be a freelance actress.

“There was a quality about Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that was so special . . . it was just the most exciting studio in the world. They looked after their people so perfectly. And then to go to a place (20th Century-Fox) where you don't know anybody and they don't know you and they don't give a rip, it was not a happy time. I got so ticked off, I got married!” Ann Rutherford

Rutherford was still in demand. She was cast in such movies as “Happy Land” (1943, with Don Ameche), “Two O'Clock Courage” (1945, with Tom Conway), “Bedside Manner” (1945, with John Carroll, Ruth Hussey and Charles Ruggles), “The Madonna's Secret” (1946, with Francis Lederer and Gail Patrick), “Murder in the Music Hall” (1946, starred Vera Ralston), “Inside Job” (1946, with Preston Foster), “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (1947, starred Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo) and “Adventures of Don Juan” (1948, starred Errol Flynn as the title character). She also played Clara Masters in the low budget drama “Operation Haylift” (1950), opposite Bill Williams. It marked her last film appearance in over two decades.

During her long term hiatus from the cinematic industry, Rutherford turned her attention to television. Making her debut in an episode of the anthology series “Nash Airflyte Theatre” (1950), the actress soon found herself guest starring in a number of shows like “Stars Over Hollywood” (1951), “Gruen Guild Playhouse” (1951), “Suspense” (1953), “Robert Montgomery Presents” (1953), “Willys Theatre Presenting Ben Hecht's Tales of the City” (1953), “General Electric Theater” (1953), “Kraft Television Theatre” (1957), “Playhouse 90” (1958), “Panic!” (1958), “The Red Skelton Show” (1958), “Tales of Wells Fargo” (1959), “ U.S. Marshal” (1959) and “The Donna Reed Show” (1959). She also

had multiple episode gigs in “Climax!” (1955-1958) and “Perry Mason” (1959-1964).

In 1972, Rutherford resumed her film career by playing the supporting role of Gloria, the wife of Walter (played by Tom Ewell), in the MGM mystery/thriller “They Only Kill Their Masters,” directed by James Goldstone and starring James Garner and Katherine Ross. She next landed a recurring role on the CBS sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show” (1973-1974), playing Aggie Harrison, the mother of Emily Hartley (played by Suzanne Pleshette). After appearing as Bruce Dern's studio secretary in the depressing comedy film “Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood” (1976), directed by Michael Winner, she took a permanent retirement from acting.

“It's titillating to do an occasional film, but really, I don't need it. Oh, I suppose, if you were a Helen Hayes, it might mean something if you left the business. You'd be depriving the show world of something. I'm depriving that world of nothing.” Ann Rutherford

Awards:

• Golden Boot: 1988