Ava's Playlist
The Ava Gardner Museum joined TCM in celebrating Jazz in Film in June by sharing songs by artists in Ava's personal record collection, many of whom were also featured in the films that aired…
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An Ava Film for Every Mood: What to Watch in Quarantine
While many of us are staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19, we are turning to our TV screens for comfort, distraction, and entertainment. If you’ve already binged all of the episodes of your…
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"It Changed My Life Forever:" Pandora & the Flying Dutchman
Filmed in Spain and England, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman was released in the United Kingdom in February of 1951 but released in the United States on October 15, 1951. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios…
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“And the nominees are…:” Ava Gardner’s Acting Awards & Nominations
While Ava Gardner never won any of the major acting awards during her 45-year career, she was nominated for several, most notably the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Eloise “Honey Bear”…
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"The Sun Also Rises" & The Lost Generation of the 1920s
January 2020 marks 100 years since the start of the “Roaring Twenties” and the start of Prohibition. The decade of the 1920s is well-known as an economically prosperous time period, a time of cultural…
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Love at First Sight & Wedding Number 2: Ava Gardner & Artie Shaw
Ava was introduced to her second husband by a mutual friend, actress Frances Heflin. Artie Shaw had just returned from World War II and was one of the most popular musicians and bandleaders of the…
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Young Love & Wedding Number 1: Ava Gardner & Mickey Rooney
On her second day in Hollywood in 1941, Ava Gardner met a man dressed like Carmen Miranda. Just 5 months later they would be married. Mickey Rooney was filming Babes on Broadway (1941) when Ava…
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Ava’s North Carolina During the “Roaring Twenties”
The “Roaring Twenties,” also known as the Jazz Age is known for economic prosperity, social progressiveness, parties, flappers, and excess. Prohibition and “The Great Gatsby” come to many people’s…
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The Birthday Girl in Her Own Words
Ava Gardner’s thoughts on her hometown, childhood birthdays, sharing a birthday with Howard Hughes and being born a night owl. Quotes from Ava’s autobiography, Ava: My Story, with historical context…
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"A gloomy film, but Ava at her best:" On the Beach
On the Beach premiered on December 17, 1959 simultaneously in 18 different theaters on all 7 continents. Premieres were held in New York, Hollywood, London, Rome, Tokyo, Caracas, and Melbourne, among…
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