'' (1932) In the late 1920s, Dvorak worked as an assistant choreographer to
Sammy Lee at MGM and gradually began to appear on film uncredited usually as a chorus girl or in bit parts. Her friend, actress
Karen Morley, introduced her to millionaire movie producer
Howard Hughes, who groomed her as a dramatic actress. She was a success in such
pre-Code films as
Scarface (1932) as
Paul Muni's sister; in
Three on a Match (1932) with
Bette Davis and
Joan Blondell as the doomed, unstable Vivian; in
The Crowd Roars (1932) with
James Cagney; and in
Sky Devils (1932) opposite
Spencer Tracy. Known for her style and elegance, she was a popular leading lady for
Warner Bros. during the 1930s, and appeared in numerous contemporary romances and melodramas. At age 19, Dvorak eloped with
Leslie Fenton, her English co-star from
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (1932), and they married on March 17, 1932. They left for a year-long honeymoon in spite of her contractual obligations to the studio, which led to a period of litigation and pay disputes during which she discovered she was making the same amount of money as the boy who played her son in
Three on a Match. Dvorak filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. concerning their suspension of her contract.
Fenton and Dvorak struggled to afford life without Ann's weekly income of $1,500 therefore by December 1935 the pair had engaged with legal attorneys who had met with Warner Bros. legal department. By December 17, 1935, the official complaint for declaration relief was sent. It charged that the studios had "repeatedly refused to permit said actress to further perform any services whatsover" and has "wholly failed, neglected and refused to pay said artists any sums whatsoever." Warner Bros. officially lifted her suspension on January 27, 1936 however the first court hearing was on 14 February 1936 and what followed was a series of questions surrounding her health and fitness to work. The court released her defeat on the conclusion that no breach of contract was committed. ==Personal life==