Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in British cinema for 20 years and was voted the most popular star in Britain in 1949. She was known for providing glamour and sophistication to war-torn London audiences with her lightweight musicals, comedies, and historical dramas. Almost all of her films were produced and directed by

Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and film director, director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best know ...

, whom she married in 1943. In her historical dramas, Neagle was renowned for her portrayals of British historical figures, including

Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (also spelled Gwynn, Gwynne; 2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687) was an English people, English stage actress and celebrity figure of the Stuart Restoration, Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances ...

(''Nell Gwyn'', 1934),

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

(''Victoria the Great'', 1937 and ''Sixty Glorious Years'', 1938),

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape ...

(''Nurse Edith Cavell'', 1939), and

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...

(''The Lady with a Lamp'', 1951).

Biography

Early life

Florence Marjorie Robertson was born in Forest Gate,

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, the daughter of Merchant Navy captain Herbert William Robertson and Florence, née Neagle. Her elder brother was the bass-baritone and actor Stuart Robertson (1901–1958). She made her stage debut as a dancer in 1917, and later appeared in the chorus of C.B. Cochran's

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

s and also André Charlot's revue ''Bubbly''. While with Cochran, she understudied Jessie Matthews. In 1931, she starred in the West End musical ''Stand Up and Sing'' with actor Jack Buchanan, who encouraged her to take a featured role. For this play, she began using the professional name Anna Neagle (the surname being her mother's maiden name). The play was a success with a total run of 604 performances. ''Stand Up and Sing'' provided her big break when film producer and director

caught the show to consider Buchanan for an upcoming film, but also took note of her cinematic potential.''British Pictures'' Profile and Reviews.

Cinematic beginnings

Forming a professional alliance with Wilcox, Neagle played her first starring film role in the musical '' Goodnight, Vienna'' (1932), again with Jack Buchanan. With this film, Neagle became an overnight favourite. Although the film cost a mere £23,000 to produce, it was a hit at the box office, with profits from its Australian release alone being £150,000.
( Portable Document Format, PDF file). After her starring role in '' The Flag Lieutenant'' (also 1932), directed by and co-starring Henry Edwards, she worked exclusively under Wilcox's direction for all but one of her subsequent films, becoming one of Britain's biggest stars. She continued in the musical genre, co-starring with Fernand Gravey (later known as Fernand Gravet) in '' Bitter Sweet'' (1933). This first version of

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's tale of ill-fated lovers was later obscured by the better-known

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American soprano and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', ''Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow (1934 film) ...

–

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs ...

remake in 1940. Neagle had her first major success with ''

'' (1934), which Wilcox had previously shot as a silent starring Dorothy Gish in 1926. Neagle's performance as

Gwyn Gwyn or Gwynn may refer to: People * Gwyn (name), includes a list of people with the given name or surname Gwyn, including variants such as Gwynn and Gwynne Fictional or mythological characters * Gwyn ap Nudd, in Welsh mythology * Gwynn (Sluggy F ...

, who became the mistress of Charles II (played by

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned over 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and hi ...

) prompted some censorship in the United States. The Hays Office had Wilcox add an (historically false) scene featuring the two leads getting married and also a "framing" story resulting in an entirely different ending.

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

, then a film critic, said of ''Nell Gwyn'': "I have seen few things more attractive than Miss Neagle in breeches". Two years after ''Nell Gwyn'', she followed up with another real-life figure, portraying Irish actress Peg Woffington in '' Peg of Old Drury'' (1936). That same year, she appeared in ''

Limelight Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light)James R. Smith (2004). ''San Francisco's Lost Landmarks'', Quill Driver Books. is a non-electric type of stage lighting that was once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illum ...

'', a backstage film musical in which she played a chorus girl. Her co-star was

Arthur Tracy Arthur Tracy (born Abba Avrom Tracovutsky; June 25, 1899 – October 5, 1997) was an American vocalist and actor, billed as The Street Singer. His performances in theatre, films and radio, along with his recordings, brought him international f ...

, who had gained fame in the United States as a radio performer known as the Street Singer. The film also featured Jack Buchanan in an uncredited cameo. performing "Goodnight Vienna". Neagle and Wilcox followed with a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

trapeze fable '' Three Maxims'' (1937), which was released in the United States as ''The Show Goes On''. The film, with a script featuring a contribution from Herman J. Mankiewicz (later to co-write ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...

'' with

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

), had Neagle performing her own high-wire acrobatics. Although now highly successful in films, Neagle continued acting on the stage. In 1934, while working under director Robert Atkins, she performed as Rosalind in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' and Olivia in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

''. Both productions earned her critical accolades, despite the fact that she had never performed Shakespearean roles before. In 1937, Neagle gave her most prestigious performance so far – as

in the historical drama '' Victoria the Great'' (1937), co-starring Anton Walbrook as Prince Albert. The script by Robert Vansittart and Miles Malleson (from Laurence Housman's play ''Victoria Regina'') alternated between the political and the personal lives of the royal couple. The

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

sequence that climaxed the film was shot in

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

. ''Victoria the Great'' was such an international success that it resulted in Neagle and Walbrook playing their roles again in an all-Technicolor sequel entitled '' Sixty Glorious Years'' (1938), co-starring C. Aubrey Smith as the Duke of Wellington. While the first of these films was in release, Neagle returned to the London stage and entertained audiences with her portrayal of the title role in '' Peter Pan''.

An American Excursion

The success of ''Victoria the Great'' and ''Sixty Glorious Years'' caused Hollywood studios to take notice. Neagle and Wilcox began an association with

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

. Their first American film was '' Nurse Edith Cavell'' (1939), a remake of ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

'', a Wilcox silent that starred

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her h ...

. In this, another Neagle role based on an actual British heroine, she played the role of the nurse who was shot by the

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

in World War I, for allegedly aiding Allied PoWs to escape and for spying. The resulting effort had a significant impact for audiences on the eve of the

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In a turnabout from this serious drama, the couple followed with three musical comedies, all based on once-popular stage plays. The first of these was '' Irene'' (1940), co-starring Ray Milland. It included a Technicolor sequence, which featured Neagle singing the play's most famous song, " Alice Blue Gown". She followed this film with '' No, No, Nanette'' (1940) with Victor Mature, in which she sang " Tea For Two", and '' Sunny'' (1941), with Ray Bolger. Neagle and Wilcox's final American film was '' Forever and a Day'' (1943), a tale of a London family house from 1804 to the 1940 blitz. This film boasts 80 performers (mostly expatriate British), including Ray Milland, C. Aubrey Smith,

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supp ...

, Charles Laughton, and – among the few North Americans –

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

. Wilcox directed the sequence featuring Neagle, Milland, Smith, and Rains, while other directors who worked on the film included

René Clair René Clair (; 11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette (), was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. H ...

, Edmund Goulding, Frank Lloyd, Victor Saville, and Robert Stevenson. During the war, the profits and salaries were given to war relief. After the war, prints were intended to be destroyed, so that no one could profit from them, but this never occurred.

Return to the UK

Returning to the UK, Neagle and Wilcox commenced with '' They Flew Alone'' (1942; shot after but released before ''Forever and a Day''). Neagle this time played

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

Amy Johnson, who had recently died in a flying accident. Robert Newton co-starred as Johnson's husband, Jim Mollison. The film intercut the action with newsreel footage. Neagle and Wilcox married in August 1943 at London's Caxton Hall.City of Westminster green plaques They continued with '' Yellow Canary'' (1943), co-starring Richard Greene and

Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, film and television. Rutherford came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's ''Blithe Spirit (1945 f ...

. In this spy story, Neagle plays a German-sympathiser (or at least that is what she seems to be at first), who is forced to go to Canada for her own safety. In reality, of course, she is working as an undercover agent out to expose a plot to blow up

Halifax Harbour Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural har ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. ''Yellow Canary'' received positive comments for its atmospheric recreation of wartime conditions. In 1945, Neagle appeared on stage in ''Emma'', a dramatisation of

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

. That same year, she was seen in the film '' I Live in Grosvenor Square'', co-starring Rex Harrison. She wanted Harrison for the lead in her next film, '' Piccadilly Incident'' (1946). However, he (as well as John Mills) proved to be unavailable at the time, so Wilcox cast Michael Wilding in the lead. Thus was born what film critic Godfrey Winn called "the greatest team in British films". The story – of a wife, presumed dead, returning to her (remarried) husband – bears a resemblance to the Irene Dunne–

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

comedy ''

My Favorite Wife ''My Favorite Wife'' is a 1940 American screwball comedy film produced by Leo McCarey and directed by Garson Kanin. It stars Irene Dunne as a woman who, after being shipwrecked on a tropical island for several years and declared legally dead, re ...

''. ''Piccadilly Incident'' was chosen as '' Picturegoer's'' Best Film of 1947. Despite the fact that Neagle was some eight years older than Wilding, they proved to be an extremely bankable romantic pairing at the British box office. By now in her mid-40s, Neagle continued to have success in youthful and romantic lead roles. Neagle and Wilding were reunited in '' The Courtneys of Curzon Street'' (1947), a period drama that became the year's top box-office attraction. The film featured Wilding as an upper-class dandy and Neagle as the maid he marries, only to have the two of them driven apart by Victorian society. The third pairing of Neagle and Wilding in the "London Films", as the series of films came to be called, was in '' Spring in Park Lane'' (1948). A comedy, this depicted the romance between a millionaire's niece and a footman (actually a nobleman who has seen better days). The script was written by Nicholas Phipps, who also played Wilding's brother. Although not a musical, it contains a dream sequence featuring the song "The Moment I Saw You". ''Spring in Park Lane'' was the 1949 ''Picturegoer'' winner for Best Film, Actor, and Actress. Neagle and Wilding were together for a fourth time in the Technicolor romance '' Maytime in Mayfair'' (1949). The plot is reminiscent of '' Roberta'', as it had Wilding inheriting a dress shop owned by Neagle. By now, Neagle was at her peak as Britain's top box-office actress, and she made what reputedly became her own favourite film, '' Odette'' (1950), co-starring Trevor Howard,

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

, and

Marius Goring Marius Re Goring (23 May 191230 September 1998) was an English stage and screen actor. He is best remembered for the four films he made with Powell and Pressburger, Powell & Pressburger, particularly as Conductor 71 in ''A Matter of Life and D ...

. As

Odette Sansom Odette Marie Léonie Céline Hallowes, (née Brailly; 28 April 1912 – 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Sansom, code named Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in ...

, she was the Anglo-French resistance fighter who was pushed to the edge of betrayal by the Nazis. In 1950, Neagle and Wilcox moved to the top-floor flat in Aldford House overlooking

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park to ...

, which was their home until 1964. She played

in '' The Lady with a Lamp'' (1951), based on the 1929 play by Reginald Berkeley. Returning to the stage in 1953, she scored a success with '' The Glorious Days'', which had a run of 476 performances. Neagle and Wilcox brought the play to the screen under the title '' Lilacs in the Spring'' (1954), co-starring

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

. In the film, she plays an actress knocked out by a bomb, who dreams she is Queen Victoria and Nell Gwyn, as well as her own mother. As she begins dreaming, the film switches from black-and-white to colour. In Britain, where Neagle had top billing, the film was reasonably successful. In the United States, however, where Flynn had top billing, the title was changed to ''Let's Make Up'', and it flopped, with limited bookings.

On the wane

Neagle and Flynn reteamed for a second film, '' King's Rhapsody'' (1955), based on an

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

King's Rhapsody, musical and also starring Patrice Wymore (Flynn's wife at the time). Although Neagle performed several musical numbers for the film, most of them were cut from the final release, leaving her with essentially a supporting role. Shot in Eastmancolor and CinemaScope with location work near Barcelona, Spain, ''King's Rhapsody'' was a major flop everywhere. Neagle's (and Flynn's) box-office appeal, it seemed, was fading. Neagle's last box-office hit was ''My Teenage Daughter'' (1956), which featured her as a mother trying to prevent her daughter (Sylvia Syms) from lapsing into juvenile delinquency. Neagle and Syms worked together again on ''No Time for Tears (film), No Time for Tears'' (1957), also starring Anthony Quayle and Flora Robson. As directed by Cyril Frankel, this was the first film for over 20 years where Neagle was directed by someone other than Herbert Wilcox. Set in a children's hospital, the film features Neagle as a matron dealing with the problems of the patients and the staff, notably a nurse (Syms) infatuated with one of the doctors (George Baker (British actor), George Baker). With her husband, Neagle began producing films starring Frankie Vaughan, but these were out of touch with changing tastes, and lost money, resulting in Wilcox going heavily into debt. Neagle herself made her final film appearance in ''The Lady Is a Square'' (1959), also Wilcox's last film as director. Neagle was the subject of ''This Is Your Life (British TV series), This Is Your Life'' on two occasions, in February 1958 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre, and in March 1983, when Andrews surprised her at London's Royal National Hotel.

Final years

Herbert Wilcox was bankrupt by 1964, but his wife soon revived his fortunes. She returned to the stage the following year and made a comeback in the West End theatre, West End musical ''Charlie Girl''. In it, she played the role of a former "Cochran Young Lady" who marries a peer of the realm. ''Charlie Girl'' was not a critical success, but it ran for six years and 2,047 performances. It earned Neagle an entry in the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' for her enduring popularity. Two years after ''Charlie Girl'' – which she also performed in Australia and New Zealand – Neagle was asked to appear in a revival of ''No, No, Nanette'', at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, having appeared in the screen version three decades earlier. Later, in 1975, she replaced Celia Johnson in ''The Dame of Sark'' and, in 1978 (the year after her husband's death), she was acting in ''Most Gracious Lady'', which was written for the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Anna Neagle Plaque Covent Garden

Although affected by Parkinson's disease in her last years, Neagle continued to be active. She appeared in Cameron Mackintosh's revival of ''My Fair Lady'' and in 1985 she appeared as the Fairy Godmother in a pantomime of ''Cinderella'' at the London Palladium. Neagle's grand-nephew is actor Nicholas Hoult, through Hoult's father's side. Neagle died aged 81 from breast cancer on 3 June 1986. A memorial service at Westminster Abbey followed on 20 October 1986. She was interred alongside her husband in the City of London Cemetery. Their grave was recommemorated by Princess Anne, the Princess Royal on 6 March 2014. A memorial plaque on her former home at Aldford House, Park Lane (road), Park Lane was unveiled on 30 May 1996, by Princess Anne and Lana Morris. She also has a memorial plaque in St Paul's, Covent Garden, St Paul's Church, the Actors' Church in Covent Garden. A street named in her honour, Anna Neagle Close, is situated in Forest Gate, east London.

Awards

Neagle was created a Order of the British Empire, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1952 New Year Honours and, for her contributions to the theatre, a Order of the British Empire, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1969 Birthday Honours.

Filmography

The following list contains all of Neagle's acting credits in feature-length films with the exception of ''Queen Victoria'' (1942), which is actually a compilation of two earlier films, ''Victoria the Great'' and ''Sixty Glorious Years''. All of her films were directed by Herbert Wilcox and produced in the United Kingdom unless otherwise noted. In addition, Neagle also appeared briefly as herself in a documentary short entitled ''The Volunteer'' (1943), and served as narrator for the films ''The Prams Break Through'' (1945) and ''Princess's Wedding Day'' (1947). Neagle also produced, but did not appear in, three films starring Frankie Vaughan: ''These Dangerous Years'' (1957), ''Wonderful Things'' (1957), and ''The Heart of a Man'' (1959).

Recordings

*"What More Can I Ask?", with orchestra conducted by Ray Noble (musician), Ray Noble :His Master's Voice (British record label), His Master's Voice B 4365 (matrix: 0B 4586-3) :Recorded London, 4 January 1933 *"The Dream Is Over", with orchestra conducted by Ray Noble (musician), Ray Noble :His Master's Voice B 4365 (matrix: 4587-4) :Recorded London, 4 January 1933 *"Tonight", duet with Trefor Jones with Geraldo (bandleader), Geraldo and his Orchestra :Columbia Graphophone Company, Columbia (England) DB 1316 (matrix: CA 14314-1) :Recorded London, 30 January 1934 *"Kiss Me Goodnight" :Decca Records, Decca (England) F 5649 (matrix: TB 1869) :Recorded London, 9 August 1935 *"A Little Dash of Dublin" :Decca (England) F 5649 (matrix: TB 1870) :Recorded London, 9 August 1935 *"The Glorious Days" (medley) :Philips Records (England) P.B.153 :Recorded 1953

Box office popularity

Annual polls of British exhibitors for the ''Motion Picture Herald'' consistently listed Neagle as a leading box office star in her home country. * 1936 – 14th-most popular British star * 1937 – 8th-most popular British star * 1938 – 8th-most popular British star * 1939 – 5th-most popular British star * 1940 – 10th-most popular British star * 1941 – 7th-most popular British star * 1942 – most popular female British star * 1944 – 9th-most popular British star * 1945 – 8th most popular British star *1946 – 5th-most popular British star * 1947 – 3rd-most popular star (2nd most popular British star) * 1948 – most popular British star (2nd overall) * 1949 – most popular star – the first time since the polls started that the most popular star in Britain was British * 1950 – 3rd-most popular star – third year in a row as most popular British star * 1951 – 6th-most popular star (2nd most popular British star) * 1952 – 8th-most popular British star – 6th year in a row as most popular female British star

Publications

*''There's Always Tomorrow'' – Autobiography – 1974, .

Footnotes

External links

* *
Photographs of Anna Neagle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neagle, Anna 1904 births 1986 deaths English film actresses English musical theatre actresses Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Actresses awarded damehoods Actors from the London Borough of Newham Deaths from Parkinson's disease in England Deaths from kidney failure in the United Kingdom People educated at St Albans High School for Girls Actresses from Essex Musicians from Essex English people of Scottish descent 20th-century English actresses 20th-century English singers Singers from Essex English expatriate actresses in the United States 20th-century English women singers People educated at Queen's Park Secondary School People from Forest Gate People from West Byfleet Burials at City of London Cemetery and Crematorium