Joan Blondell, Ann Sothern and Margaret Sullavan lead an ensemble cast of women in CRY 'HAVOC' ('44),' the story of a group of war nurses who fight to survive the siege of Bataan. | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

Classic Hollywood’s consummate scene-stealing sidekick, Joan Blondell enjoyed a successful screen career for nearly five decades, but it was during the anything-goes era of the early 1930s—when dames, gold diggers, and good-time girls were cinematic staples—that she reached her zenith. Her vivacious energy and wisecracking persona were perfectly suited to the punchy, fast-paced style of her home studio, Warner Bros., and no matter the genre she exuded an irresistible, naughty-but-nice irreverenc