''Anna Lucasta'' is a 1958 American
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
film directed by
Arnold Laven
Arnold Laven (February 3, 1922 – September 13, 2009) was an American film and television director and producer. He was one of the founders and principals of the American film and television production company Levy-Gardner-Laven. Laven was a ...
and written by
Philip Yordan
Philip Yordan (April 1, 1914 – March 24, 2003) was an American screenwriter, film producer, novelist and playwright. He was a three-time Academy Award nominee, winning Best Story for ''Broken Lance'' (1954).
During the 1950s and 1960s, Yorda ...
. It stars
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...
,
Sammy Davis Jr.
Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician.
At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...
, and Henry Scott.
It is a remake of the
1949 film noir version (directed by Irving Rapper and starring Paulette Goddard), which itself was an adaptation of the 1936
stage play
A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright.
Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...
.
Plot
At the family home in Los Angeles, patriarch Joe Lucasta learns that his friend Otis has sold a farm in Alabama, distributing the proceeds to his children. Otis' son Rudolph is bringing his share to California, where Otis hopes that Joe can find a wife for Rudolph. Joe's son Stanley and son-in-law Frank hope to get the money by being the ones to find Rudolph a wife. Though uninterested in the money, Joe's wife Theresa suggests youngest daughter Anna, whom Joe put out of the house sometime earlier. Theresa believes Anna is good and sees a chance for her to get a fresh start. Stanley, Frank, and Frank's wife Stella who's also Anna's and Stanley's sister regard Anna as a "slut", but will try to make her seem respectable to deceive Rudolph. Joe objects to their designs on Rudolph's money and to Anna returning, as he also holds her in low regard. Eventually, Frank browbeats Joe into going to Anna's last known whereabouts, a dockside cafe in San Diego, to bring her home.
The cafe is Anna's regular haunt, as she leads a day-to-day existence seducing sailors for meals, drinks and board. As the cafe is closing, she has no place to spend the night. Just then, Danny Johnson arrives looking to renew his acquaintance with Anna. His naval enlistment ending, he asks her to move in with him, though he's uninterested in marriage. As Anna parties with Danny, Joe arrives and asks her to come home. Anna consents, but after her arrival, Joe angrily rebuffs her efforts to rebuild their relationship.
Soon thereafter, Rudolph arrives in town. Having expected Rudolph to be a rube, Frank is disappointed to discover that he's a college graduate, unlikely to be fooled by Anna's guise of respectability. Furthermore, Rudolph's only interest is getting a job, the search for a wife having been more his father's concern than his own. When Rudolph meets Anna, however, he's smitten and they begin a romance. Anna tells him of her ejection from the household - Joe had become angrier than she'd ever seen a person when boys took interest in her (but later it appears he was unnaturally jealous), so he falsely accused her of promiscuity and threw her out. After she confesses the truth of her life in San Diego Rudolph says that he still loves her, and Anna agrees to marry him.
As Anna is alone in the family home after the wedding, Danny arrives, responding to her letter asking him to come. She informs him that after sending the letter, she fell in love and got married. Danny protests, but Anna is insistent and he surrenders. As Danny is leaving, Joe comes home, declaring his intention to break up Anna's relationship with Rudolph. Anna begs Joe to allow her to begin a new life and be happy. Danny sticks up for Anna, offering to beat up Joe to prevent him from disrupting her marriage. But Joe says that he's ruined Rudolph's job opportunity by informing the employer about Anna's past. He says that he'll do the same any place Rudolph seeks work. As Anna breaks down into tears and Joe flies into a rage, Danny pulls Anna away and takes her out of the house.
Danny and Anna head back to San Diego and spend days partying before deciding to move to Brazil. Danny needs time to raise money for ship's passage, but Anna wants to leave immediately and remembers she has money at the Lucasta home. When she and Danny return to retrieve it while the family is at church, they find Joe on his deathbed. While Danny goes to call a doctor, Anna stays with Joe as he deliriously addresses her as though she were a little girl, calling her his "angel" as he had before their relationship soured. Joe implores Jesus to watch over Anna, who is so overwhelmed that she's unable to respond to him before he dies.
Danny observes Anna weep inconsolably over Joe and looks at a joyful picture of the two of them during Anna's childhood. He then quietly exits the house. As he's about to drive away, he smiles upon seeing the family, including Rudolph, returning from church. As Danny drives off, Rudolph notices him and realizes that Anna is in the house. He excitedly rushes past the others and runs inside.
Cast
*
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...
as Anna Lucasta
*
Sammy Davis Jr.
Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician.
At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...
as Danny Johnson
*
Frederick O'Neal
Frederick O'Neal (August 27, 1905 – August 25, 1992) was an American actor, theater producer and television director. He founded the American Negro Theater, the British Negro Theatre, and was the first African-American president of the Actor ...
as Frank
* Henry Scott as Rudolph Slocum
*
Rex Ingram as Joe Lucasta
*
Alvin Childress
Alvin Childress (September 15, 1907 – April 19, 1986) was an American actor, who is best known for playing the cabdriver Amos Jones in the 1950s television comedy series ''Amos 'n' Andy''.
Biography
Alvin Childress was born in Meridian, Missis ...
as Noah
*
James Edwards as Eddie
*
Rosetta LeNoire
Rosetta LeNoire (born Rosetta Olive Burton; August 8, 1911 – March 17, 2002) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She was known to contemporary audiences for her work in television. She had regular roles on such series as ' ...
as Stella
* Isabelle Cooley as Katie Lucasta
*
Georgia Burke
Georgia Burke (February 27, 1878 — November 28, 1985) was an American actress who had performed on television, radio, and Broadway theatre between the 1930s and the 1960s. In 1934 Burke made her debut in Broadway in ''They Shall Not Die'', and ...
as Theresa Lucasta
* Claire Leyba as Blanch
* John Proctor as Stanley Lucasta
* Charles Swain as Lester
*
Isaac Jones as Police officer
* Wallace Earl Laven as Secretary
Production
The film was shot at
Samuel Goldwyn Studio
Samuel Goldwyn Studio was the name that Samuel Goldwyn used to refer to the lot located on the corner of Formosa Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, as well as the offices and stages that his company, Samuel Goldw ...
from early May through early June 1958.
[
It was Davis's first dramatic feature film role. He played Danny, a minor role in the original stage play, but the part was expanded to capitalize on his fame.] Kitt claimed that Henry Scott was the actor who played opposite her and that Davis was there to sing the soundtrack.[
Kitt's deal gave her a percentage of the film earnings.][
]
Reception
According to Robert Osborne
Robert Jolin Osborne (; May 3, 1932 – March 6, 2017) was an American film historian, author, actor and the primary television host for the premium cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for over twenty years. Prior to hosting at TCM, Os ...
, the film was unsuccessful at the box office after United Artists
United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
gave it little promotion and only a limited release.[ Osborne, Robert. ]Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...
(March 4, 2014). ''Anna Lucasta''
Film credits
Additional film credits:[
* Music: ]Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 orig ...
(composer); Sammy Cahn
Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premie ...
(composer); Lee Osborne (music editor)
* Art Director: John S. Poplin Jr.
* Graphic Artist: Charles White
* Visual Effects: Jack Rabin and Louis DeWitt (special photography effects); Irving Lerner (montage conceived by)
* Make up: Ted Coodley (makeup artist) and Helene Parrish (hairstylist)
* Costume-wardrobe: Virginia Dey (wardrobe stylist); Sophia Stutz (women’s wardrobe); Norman Martien (men’s wardrobe)
* Art Department: Lyle B. Reifsnyder (set dresser); Richard Rubin (prop master)
* Sound: Jack Solomon
* Film Production (main): Leon Chooluck (production supervisor); James Yarbrough (script supervisor)
References
*
*
External links
*
{{Arnold Laven
1958 films
Film noir
1958 drama films
American drama films
African-American films
Films directed by Arnold Laven
Films about prostitution in the United States
1950s English-language films
1950s American films