''Laughing Anne'' is a 1953 British

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

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 ...

and starring Wendell Corey,

Margaret Lockwood Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was a British actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1938), '' Night Train to Munich ...

Forrest Tucker Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films. Tucker worked in vaudeville as a straight man at the age of fifteen. While he was on a trip ...

, and

Ronald Shiner Ronald Alfred Shiner (8 June 1903 – 29 June 1966) was a British stand-up comedian and comedy actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall. Early life and career When he was seventeen, Shiner joined the Royal North-Wes ...

. It was adapted from

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

, " Because of the Dollars" and from his 1923 two-act play, ''Laughing Anne''. The film was shot at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of Pinewood Group, the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not ...

outside

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

William C. Andrews and costumes were by Elizabeth Haffenden.

Production

In 1952

announced he had signed a co-production deal with

Herbert Yates Herbert John Yates (August 24, 1880 – February 3, 1966), a Hollywood mini-mogul, was the founder and President of Republic Pictures. With his contract, he had launched the film careers of such Western stars as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and John ...

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

to make films together starring

Anna Neagle 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 2 ...

and

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

, to be shot in colour and aimed at international markets. The projects would include an adaptation of

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Gerald du Maurier, Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her gra ...

's '' The King's General'' and

's ''Laughing Anne''. ''Laughing Anne'' would instead be made with Margaret Lockwood, who had signed a long-term contract with Wilcox, and two Hollywood names:

and Wendell Corey. (Tucker had been under contract to Republic for six years.) As extra box office insurance,

was cast in a leading role. Lockwood's performance was done in the style of

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

. Lockwood called it "the story of a gay woman who had a very unhappy marriage and love affair, and ends up looking aged and worn. I shudder to remember just what a lifelike job the make-up men did on me for my "aged and worn" scenes."

Plot

In a cafe a Polish seaman,

, tells a story... In the 1880s a ship's captain called Davidson is left by his wife. He gets drunk and visits Farrell's Bar, where the star attraction is the singer, Laughing Anne. Anne is in an abusive relationship with a man called Jem Farrell. Anne stows away on Davidson's boat, saying she is leaving Farrell. Anne and Davidson fall for each other. She reveals her past. She was a popular singer in Paris in love with boxer Farrell, who is about to challenge for the world title. Farrell refuses to throw the fight, and gangsters mutilate his hands, ending his boxing career. Davidson proposes to Anne, and they sleep together, but she feels she cannot leave Farrell and returns to him. Six years ago, Davidson finds Anne again – and her son by Farrell, Davey. Anne discovers a plan by Farrell to steal Davidson's cargo. She warns Davidson, but is killed. Davidson kills Farrell and then raises Davey.

Cast

* Wendell Corey as Captain Davidson *

as Laughing Anne *

as Jem Farell *

as Nobby Clarke * Robert Harris as Joseph Conrad * Jacques B. Brunius as Frenchie *

Daphne Anderson Daphne Anderson (née Scrutton; 27 April 1922 – 15 January 2013) was an English stage, film, and television actress, as well as a dancer and singer. She made her London theatre debut in 1938 at the Windmill Theatre. Anderson appeared in such ...

as Blonde singer * Helen Shingler as Susan Davidson * Danny Green as Nicholas * Harold Lang as Jacques * Edgar Norfolk as Conrad's companion * Sean Lynch as David * Gerard Nolan as Davy * Joe Powell as Pierre * Andy Ho as Chinese merchant * Maurice Bush as Battling Brunius * Bernard Rebel as Pianist * Julian Sherrier as Bartender

Release

The film had to be cut for release in the US, including removal of the word "damn" and a scene where Lockwood swam nude.

Reception

The film was not well received, critically or commercially.

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote: "Always a man for pictorial respectability, Mr. Wilcox does quite nicely by an unelaborate budget, letting the Technicolor camera play over turn-of-the-century, gaslit rooms, shipboard and island exteriors and interiors. Several shots of a schooner braving awesome jungle waters are excellent. Furthermore, the film is based on a work by that master yarn-spinner and psychological prober, Joseph Conrad. The trimmings remain. But Mr. Wilcox's casual direction and a lusterless adaptation by Pamela Bower compress the story into a plodding reprise of thwarted love, sacrifice and skulduggery... In the most colorless casting, Mr. Corey is quietly effective, Miss Lockwood ranges from skittish to grim, and Mr. Forrest glares or snarls. As a sailor, Ronald Shiner takes care of the humor department. And in the role of Mr. Conrad, no less, a bearded, scholarly-looking actor named Robert Harris hears the story from Mr. Forrest in flashback on the sidelines. This much, undoubtedly, is as it should be."

References

External links

*
''Laughing Anne''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

Laughing Anne
at BFI
Laughing Anne
at Letterbox DVD
Review of film
at ''Variety''

{{Herbert Wilcox 1953 films British historical adventure films 1953 adventure films 1950s historical adventure films Films based on works by Joseph Conrad Films directed by Herbert Wilcox Films set in Indonesia Films set in the 1890s Films set in the 1900s Republic Pictures films Films shot at Shepperton Studios Seafaring films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films Films scored by Anthony Collins English-language historical adventure films