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"Anna Lucasta is one of the hottest properties in the history of entertainment. It was the world's first urban play starring an all African-American cast."
Anna Lucasta...
(Opportunity Found, Opportunity Lost)
Riding on the wings of the 1944 Broadway hit that created a theatrical sensation, Hollywood offered up its own cinematic version of Anna Lucasta based on Philip Yordan's compelling drama. Columbia Pictures paid a whopping 400,000 dollars for the rights to Anna Lucasta--a record amount at that time. But their original plans for casting this big screen version did not include an all-Black cast at the time, as the Broadway stage hit had. If, according to box-office success, millions of theater patrons in America and in London were saying that they were ready for something different from Black actors, something other than singing and dancing, Hollywood was not convinced.
At that time there weren't many Black cinematic examples to measure success by. In the decades leading up to the 1960's, all-negro movies made in Hollywood were the rare exception and not the rule. Of those that were made, nearly all were musicals. More problematic was the fact that all-negro film dramas were not considered to be commercially successful. Unwilling to move against this current of the film industry's racial attitude, Columbia Pictures hired a cast of all-White actors for the very first film version of Anna Lucasta--a drama that had by now become synonymous with Black Broadway and touring stage productions.
With actress Paulette Goddard in the title role, the first film version of Anna Lucasta was released in 1949. In its first film incarnation, this dazzling, powerhouse drama was a critical and commercial failure. Yet in that same year, the all-negro touring company of Anna Lucasta was still packing in audiences. They were playing in Chicago at the Shubert Theater and on tour all around the country.
Paulette Goddard in Anna Lucasta 1949
In Hollywood, as with most things in life, timing is everything. The time when an event takes place or does not take place is most often as important as the event itself. In the strange case of Anna Lucasta, timing could have played a pivotal role in the altering of film history. With insight and analysis, we can look back through the corridors of time to visualize how a 1940s all-Black film version of Anna Lucasta might have been the catalyst that changed the trajectory of a segment of film making, and how differently Blacks would, from then on, be depicted in the movies. Producing Anna Lucasta in 1948 as an all-Black film, may have been too big of a gamble according to some Hollywood studio executives, but it might also have been a gamble and a game-changer with significant and lasting payoffs.
By that time, many American audiences had grown accustomed to seeing Hollywood's Black stereotyped characters. It did not exactly come as a surprise to anyone to see Blacks in these demeaning, tragic, or at best, singing and dancing roles. The feeling in Hollywood was that the White viewing public would not pay to see movies with Blacks in non-stereotypical roles. Yet in glaring contradiction, the tremendous success of the all-negro stage version of Anna Lucasta was staring Hollywood in the face as a trust-worthy indicator of exactly what White Americans were willing to pay to see. If Hollywood had acted upon this market indicator, then there may have been no real reason to fear that a 1940's all-negro movie version of Anna Lucasta would have been a box office failure. The very opposite was the most likely scenario.
Indie film maker Oscar Micheaux, with his small-budget films starring all-Black casts, was in fact already providing all of the proof Hollywood needed that White Americans did in fact have an interest in and a desire to see movies with greater diversity. Micheaux's films were regularly watched and enjoyed by both Black and White audiences--surprisingly, even in parts of the deep South. Where pockets of racism and censorship existed in the deep South, Hollywood could have met resistance with resistance, flexing its cinematic muscles to usher in a new era in Black films. It has been noted by film historians that "negro movie night" at some Jim Crow-era theaters, was actually as popular with White movie goers as it was with Black audiences. By financially supporting what were then known as "race films", scores of average White Americans regularly demonstrated their willingness to support films which did not portray Blacks in degrading roles opposite White actors.
All-black race film Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941)
Moving forward on this trajectory, one can speculate that a 1949 all-negro film of Anna Lucasta (this exciting dramatic property that was a ready-made game changer for Black actors), may have ushered in an earlier departure from Black stereotypes and a new Hollywood era of Blacks in film. A 1940's all-negro film version of this critically acclaimed drama could have been the most viable vehicle for a crucial turning point in film, where both the images of Blacks in films and the future expectations of both Black and White audiences, would have from then on been permanently altered. Perhaps it can be said that the greatest legacy of Anna Lucasta, is that it was an important vehicle for its time because of its potential to significantly raise the bar at just the right time. In hindsight, we can see that timing is everything.
It isn't hard to envision Hilda Simms having electrified the silver screen with her style of charisma and beauty as she recreated her role of Anna. Along with the rest of the cast of Anna Lucasta, these seasoned Black actors would have given movie-goers a chance to grow...to step away from the narrow-minded conditioning of the Black stereotypes that were continuously before them. This was actually the very dream that was envisioned by the American Negro Theatre (ANT) when they first seized the opportunity to produce this drama for their Harlem audiences.
If only Hollywood of the 1940's had turned to the American audiences that really mattered, they would have seen that there was opportunity to raise the bar. As early as a decade prior to the release of the all-White Anna Lucasta (starring Paulette Goddard), Black audiences across the country had primed Hollywood in demonstrating their enthusiasm in seeing Black performers portrayed in non-stereotyped and even non-racial roles. Between 1936-1939, The New Deal Federal Theater Project was responsible for bringing classic drama (which had been adapted for all-negro productions), to millions of Black and White theatergoers across the country. One of the most successful of these productions was Macbeth which was directed by the great Orson Wells. Set in Haiti, Macbeth was the Shakespearean drama that positively electrified Harlem...and baffled theater critics. The enthusiasm for this Shakespearean classic was so widespread that it created a sensation wherever it went. In addition, it inspired similar all-negro productions of classic drama all across the country. The first Black production of Macbeth, which played in Harlem to packed houses at the Lafayette Theater, performed for ten weeks before going on tour downtown, then to Bridgeport, Hartford, Dallas, Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Syracuse. "Black" Macbeth and similar classic adaptations, provided for Black actors that rare opportunity of performing outside of the minstrel type shows, where singing and tap-dancing were "customary" for Black actors. For Black actors then, adapted classic drama also relieved these actors of the subordinate roles of playing the standard maid or butler roles in all-White productions.
Orson Wells & the "Black" Macbeth Harlem Production
By 1939 the winds of change began to blow as federal support for such New Deal theater programs were eliminated. This, in part, was due to hostile anti-New Deal right-wing congressmen who hated the idea that government funds were being used for theater projects. After 1939 and the withdrawal of federal funds for any Theater Project, Black actors once again found themselves pushed right back into demeaning stereotyped roles in all-White shows. Even Black technicians who had been trained by The Federal Theater Project, found that they were excluded from every single theatrical union in the United States. Once again in the annals of American history, the "welcome" mat of opportunity had been yanked from beneath their feet.
Given the success of the original stage version of Anna Lucasta, it is not hard to see how a 1940's all-negro film version of this drama might have also spawned a tremendous success, having even more widespread appeal than its Broadway predecessor. Once again, let's look at the element of timing. A 1940's all-Black Anna would have been produced at a most opportune time. Without question, this was the best time in film history, when many great Hollywood films like Citizen Cane (1941), The Best Years of our Lives (1946), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Cabin in the Sky (1943), Laura (1944), Mr. Skeffington (1944), Rebecca (1940), Stormy Weather (1943), Spellbound (1945) and Pinky (1949)--to name just a few--were carving out their places in cinema history, en route to becoming part of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
A 1940's all-Black Anna would also have risen up at a time when some of Hollywood's very best writers, directors, producers, editors, composers, set and costume designers would have been there and available to apply their skills in the making of this film. You can argue that these same skills could very well have been applied to the 1940's White film version of Anna Lucasta (with Paulette Goddard), yet that Anna was a box office flop. Keep in mind, however, that the dramatic property of Anna Lucasta had not only become a popular and well-known hit with Hilda Simms and the original Broadway cast, but the name of this dramatic property had long become synonymous with all-Black performances.
Hollywood was tone-deaf.
But now moving along on our alternate trajectory, with a success in tow using Anna Lucasta as their precedent, Hollywood studios could have, with less resistance, gone on to produce more and more non-stereotyped, non-degrading dramatic, comedic, altruistic, and esoteric films with Black actors. And if those cinematic geniuses had so acted during this golden age in the film industry, the history of filmmaking in America would have taken a very noticeable and history-changing turn to the left. Without question, a 1940's Black film version of this highly popular and powerful drama could have begun to break down important racial barriers both in Hollywood and possibly society. Once again, the timing of an event is just as important as the event itself. Through this small window of opportunity, what doors might have opened afterwards?
Open windows of opportunity in areas of the arts and entertainment, where previously it had been practically impossible for Blacks to gain a foothold, have gradually opened doors for Blacks after a commercially successful all-Black production provided the impetus for doing so. This is what Gershwin's Porgy and Bess did for Blacks in opera.
Todd Duncan & Anne Brown in original Porgy and Bess
Before Porgy and Bess, Black classical singers were nonexistent in opera houses across the country. Gershwin's 1930s opera, with its all-Black cast, provided a great opportunity. Doors which had been previously shut tight, gradually opened for Black classical singers. Opera houses began to hire Black classical singers across the country and around the world. To date, Porgy and Bess continues to be a very valuable wedge for Black opera singers---one that opens doors of opportunity into the still highly competitive field of opera.
"The decade marked by the Great Depression and leading into World War II is remembered as Hollywood’s Golden Age. During this period, new genres were formed, new stars were born, and the studio system rose to mammoth status. The eight major studios, each known for its distinctive style and stars, collectively produced 95% of all American films. More than 7,500 features were released by the studios between 1930 and 1945 to eager audiences. More than 80 million people took in a least one film per week at the height of the cinema’s popularity. This period also saw the introduction of the Production Code, B-Films, and the first animated feature of Snow White. Hollywood’s Golden Age began to decline in the late 1940’s due to the introduction of television, Hollywood blacklisting, and the ability of actors to become ‘free agents.’ A final blow to the industry occurred in 1948, when antitrust suits were filed against the major studios."--New Encyclopedia Britannica.
Would that 1940's Hollywood had done similarly as Broadway had, and seen an all-negro adaptation of Anna Lucasta as a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to raise standards in filmmaking, in time, they would have won over more audiences, transformed the movie industry and made money. The stage production of dramatic opportunity was a proven hit. and a built-in audience awaited Hollywood. All Hollywood had to do was to seize the bull by the horns and make this film well. Taking the "safe" route as they did, by completely ignoring the original all-negro Anna Lucasta, Hollywood magnificently produced an Oscar-worthy monument to the heartbreaking, self-destructive and dismal nature of the movie industry where race is concerned. Is it actually possible that 1940's Hollywood preferred to have an all-White movie that failed, rather than an all-Black one that succeeded? Well, ask Dred Scott. Ask Jim Crow. Ask the countless of American Blacks whose lives were nullified by eugenics. Ask countless others whose lives were nullified by the lynch rope. It was a time after the war, and yet it was also a time merely two decades removed, from what was the official beginning of the racial integrity movement in America--a movement which not only declared war upon the weak through eugenics, but inspired Hitler to do the same. And the embers of this era were somehow still blowing across America. It was a time when returning Black soldiers were not only denied jobs in the South, but incredibly, could also end up attacked and beaten for wearing their wartime uniforms. Sure; it would have been wonderful to have a piece of that "Double V for victory" (victory abroad and victory at home), offered in even a tribute as seemingly artificial as a non-racist and non-stereotyped Hollywood film. But with all of the problems Black Americans still faced in the 1940's, many would no doubt have lamented that not being so recognized was probably the least of their troubles.
A movie review dated August 12, 1949 reads:
"Although it is a faithful adaptation of Philip Yordan's play, "Anna Lucasta" has lost most of its electricity in film form. For the people now appearing on the Capitol's screen in this pitiless exposition of human wretchedness are not nearly as spirited or convincing in their acting* as the Negro group that brought the play to Broadway five years ago this month. As the picture's producer and co-author of its screen play, Mr. Yordan has kept the dialogue surprisingly pungent, considering Production Code restrictions. However, he and Arthur Laurents might have compressed their thoughts somewhat. There is so much talk going on most of the time that, despite the able directorial assistance of Irving Rapper, a heavy, static quality pervades the production. "Anna Lucasta" was not written as a Negro drama. It was originally conceived as the story of a sordid, impoverished Polish family in a small Pennsylvania town and emerges as such on the screen. Mr. Yordan writes with keen observation of a voracious pack of lower class "little foxes." Externally the Lucastas are truly represented on the screen, but somehow their actions don't appear genuine and this observer, at least, could not get more than fitfully interested in the distasteful details of their life."--Source, New York Times
Whatever the untold story is for Hollywood's refusal to follow through with the all-negro movie, Anna Lucasta, the fact remains that the original Anna Lucasta continues to stand as a unique drama--originally written for White actors, popularized by Black actors, then denied a timely arrival onto the silver screen with a Black cast. It is for these reasons and others, that the all-Black stage production of Anna Lucasta, is clearly one of the most historically important properties of American theater.
Anna Lucasta:
The All-Black Movie of "1958"
The 1958 film version of Anna Lucasta teeter-totters somewhere between hilarity and high drama.
As the movie begins, we follow Anna walking the empty, nocturnal streets of the Port of San Diego. Except for the horn of a distant tugboat, the night air is filled with the lonely quiet of ships at sea. There isn't a sailor around to fill Anna's nighttime hours. She stops to light a cigarette. Then, with the weariness of a lost soul who has repeated this routine a thousand times before, she climbs the stairs to Noah's Bar and makes her usual nightly entree.
In 1958, an all-Black version of Anna Lucasta had finally made it's way to the silver screen. United Artists obtained the rights to the film and decided to give it an all-Black cast. During the preceding decade, all-negro films had not grown any more popular with White audiences and few opportunities for dramatic, non-stereotyped parts were available to even the few Black film stars of the time. Considering the incredible shortage of opportunities for Black dramatic actors, it is surprising that the movie was cast with the stage and nightclub performers as follows: Eartha Kitt (Anna) and Sammy Davis Jr. (Danny Johnson). Although Eartha and Sammy Davis were certainly well-known for their wide-ranging versatility as stage performers, neither were experienced dramatic actors. The role of Rudolph Slocum went to a relatively unknown actor of the time named Henry Scott. Several of the supporting roles were played by actors of the original Harlem-to-Broadway production--Frederick O'Neal (Frank), Rosetta LeNoire (as Stella) and Georgia Burke (as Theresa).
Sammy Davis Jr.
The second version of Philip Yordan's drama fared little better than the first. That the later all-Black film version of Anna Lucasta was a commercial failure, may be due in part to its late arrival. Or perhaps as Philip Yordan felt, perhaps it was because both film versions of Anna Lucasta were miscast and misdirected. It is little wonder that Philip Yordan hated both films.
Incredibly, as with the White Anna Lucasta, history once again repeated itself. While the later Black film version of Anna Lucasta was flopping at the box office, simultaneously the all-Black stage version of Anna Lucasta was a hot theatrical property across the country. In the 1958 film version of Anna, the setting for the Lucasta household was changed from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles. Noah's Bar had been transplanted from a Brooklyn waterfront to a wharf in San Diego. From the beginning of this all-Black film version of Anna Lucasta, what is glaringly obvious is the hopeless miscasting of the lead parts of Anna (Eartha Kitt) and Danny (Sammy Davis Jr.). The type of onscreen chemistry these two had in Anna more closely resembled their off-screen relationship. Kitt and Davis were good friends off-screen. However, one aspect of their friendship was competitiveness between the two of them. This competitive energy, more than anything, is what comes across on the screen as these two move from scene to scene in the movie. The two seem to be trying to outdo each other--to the point where they appear more like Olympians sparring in a major competition than believable screen characters.
Kitt's love interest in the film, Rudolph Slocum (actor Henry Scott), does not quite jive with Kitt's onscreen personality either. Theirs is an underdeveloped, under directed, cardboard cut-out paper doll relationship onscreen. Even though it is evident that both actors are trying to make it work, in place of passion, what we really get is "romance lite", and the emotionless read-through of a brother and sister-ish relationship rather than a husband and wife-ish one. This is most noticeable in the "dating scene" where during an evening stroll together in a park, Anna finds the courage to confess to Rudolph that she has lived the life of a prostitute. She recounts the story of her father's maniacal fury against her and how he finally kicked her out of their home. (Great way to spend a date, right?) Okay. Hand on chin, Rudolph listens attentively to her (looking here very much like the "Thinker" statue). Next scene: With grave concern, like a "big brother", Rudolph is proposing to Anna that "they should marry". He claims to love her any old way, and that the prostitution thing doesn't matter to him at all. Next scene: Upon returning home, Anna's mother Theresa (delightfully played by Georgia Burke), sees them kissing and overhears that Rudolph has proposed marriage to "her little Anna". She bursts out of the house and what follows is this rather interesting and sobering heart-to-heart amongst the three of them on why Anna must marry Rudolph.
Henry Scott, Georgia Burke & Eartha Kitt
Now, very interesting...here the emotional and tearful Anna is being urged (in what seems more like a good ole' preachy down home sermon than dialogue), by Theresa and incredibly, Rudolph, to not let this wonderful opportunity for happiness slip through her fingers.
Honestly, whenever I see this scene, I feel like through some strange trick of cinematic magic, I've been suddenly transported through the ages to an old movie palace where an Oscar Micheaux feature is playing on "colored" night. Anyone who is familiar with the dialogue in Micheaux's sermonizing "race films" will know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm sure that the stage version of this delicate and highly emotional scene must have played out far better than the 1958 film version's did. What were they thinking?
To continue...
Anna surrenders. She agrees to marry Rudolph. Okay, stop right there! Let's roll our cardboard cut-outs back out. None of the emotion that one would think is usually associated with the kind of deep love that would draw a man to marry a woman with Anna's past, is brought out in their performances. This very important aspect in this drama, between these two characters who are supposed to be deeply in love, was simply brush-stroked--and lightly so! There was no real tender meeting and greeting of the lips (their kissing scenes were too awkward, devoid of passion and uncomfortable to watch). There were no inspiring terms of endearment and no sense of a love-struck desperation on the part of Rudolph who, despite being handsome, loaded with "a wallet that makes him walk lop-sided", and being a good catch, WANTED Anna. Instead, we get cardboard paper dolls.
I guess my biggest problem with the onscreen romantic relationship of these two characters, is that I feel their romantic relationship was infantized. This reminded me of how for years, Black actors were stereotyped as sexless characters who should not be allowed to "offend" audiences by actually showing love and physical affection. Whether this outrageous stereotype slipped into the film or it was merely bad direction, remains to be known. But the subject matter of this deep love of a man forgiving a woman's unfortunate past (like cancelling out a debt) and loving her to the point of marriage, is a subject that should be acted and directed to the max.
Henry Scott, Eartha Kitt & Sammy Davis in scenes after wedding
With the exception of a change of setting, from the East Coast to West Coast, the 1958 Anna Lucasta, keeps intact the original plot and underlying theme of alcoholism and incest.
Veteran stage actor Rex Ingram, suffers more than a "lost weekend" in this movie. Playing the incestuous father driven out of his liquor-soaked mind because of his secret desire and his dirty shame, what Ingram's character suffers is more like unconsciousness. He performs for most of the movie from the inside of a bottle of cheap liquor (not that expensive liquor would have been better).
Rex Ingram ("De Lawd" from 1939's The Green Pastures) gives a gut-wrenching performance in Anna that reaches to operatic proportions. Coping as best as he can with bad direction, Ingram goes above and beyond the call of duty as a dirty coot who cannot tell the difference between his wife and his offspring. The hell-bent and hell-bound old bastard is intent on destroying the happiness of his daughter, rather than destroying the happiness of the director who is really the one driving him to drink!
John Proctor (as Stanley), Earth Kitt and Isabel Cooley (as Katie)
One of my favorite characters is the character of Frank played by Frederick O'Neal. O'Neal does a masterful job tempering drama with just the right touches of comic relief. The man is a scream with such ridiculous one-liners that he'll have you eagerly awaiting more. What is so funny about Frank's character is that he has a great comeback for everything, mixed with pseudo-wisdom, historical revisionism, male chauvinism and just plain ridiculousness. Most of us probably have somebody in our family like Frank.
Rex Ingram (Joe Lucasta) nukes Anna's wedding cake in this scene from Anna Lucasta (1958).
Frank is the antique dealer-son-in-law of Joe Lucasta, who can't seem to make a dime from the junk he tries to sell on the family's front lawn. And with a baby on the way, he is definitely hard up for cash. The horribleness of Frank adds brightness and comedic color in scene after scene.
Here, in this dialogue from the film, is an example of what I mean:
Frank: (to his father-in-law Joe) "You ain't done too good by Stella, either. I had a hard job housebreaking that woman." (his pregnant wife)
Another scene---Frank explaining his take on "democracy" to brother-in-law Stanley and to wife Stella:
Frank: "That ain't democracy. Democracy is all for all and one for one."
Stella: (chimes in) "And you're the one."
Frank: (sarcastically) "I was until you had to go and make it two."--(saying this as if he had nothing at all to do with his wife becoming pregnant.)
In this scene, a dinner table conversation takes place over a letter from Joe's old friend, who is sending his son Rudolph to California with plenty of money, and wants Joe to find his son a decent, God-fearing woman for a wife:
Stella: "What does that farmer think? That you can buy a woman like you buy a pig?"
Frank: "Sometimes pigs are a better buy."
And wherever Frank went, hilarity was sure to go!
One of the unexpected surprises of this 1958 version of Anna Lucasta is the movie's theme song entitled "That's Anna". It was composed by one of Hollywood's top composers, Elmer Bernstein, and with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. To put it simply, this song has a lilting melancholic beauty that commands encores. It is heard at the beginning of the movie sung to perfection by Sammy Davis Jr. If you love great movie themes from a time when film scores were still composed with sentiment and with heart, then this song alone is worth seeing the movie for.
The 1958 Anna Lucasta might be described as an opportunity found and an opportunity lost. Yet it is certainly one of the most unique and significant disappointments in the history of African-American cinema. Coming perhaps too many years too late, it still radiates a curious afterglow of a bright falling star that might have shone in Hollywood many years before, as well as illuminating others to do the same. The production of this 1950's all-Black film based on the highly successful all-Black stage production, was at least an effort on the part of many involved. And in my opinion, although it is a movie with glaring imperfections, it is still a film worth watching. I understand that the film rights to Anna Lucasta have once again become available for production. If Hollywood ventures into a third remake of this drama, it will be quite interesting to see how it is cast and directed, considering the unusual history it has had. If done, maybe the third time around will be the charm which brings to the screen all of the passion and drama which made the very first all-Black Broadway production of Philip Yordan's play such a sensation and a success!
Dramatist/ Screenwriter Philip Yordan
Anna Lucasta trivia... Joan Crawford has brief fling with Republic cowboy star Don "Red" Barry. When he attempts to finance the play "Anna Lucasta" using Joan's name as collateral, she dumps him."
My own personal trivia and six degrees of separation...
Rosetta LeNoire ("Stella") was also the founder and artistic director of AMAS Repertory Theatre , an artistic and interracial community theater in Manhattan, where I had the great pleasure of studying acting for a time and meeting the very kind Ms. LeNoire. AMAS is responsible for many original productions, including the Broadway hit "Bubbling Brown Sugar" (book for show by author/playwright Loften Mitchell, who along with his sister Gladys, were also good friends of our family.)
For Part I of my review/commentary--Hilda Simms and the Original Anna Lucasta please click here.
Thank you for stopping by and reading my review/commentary~!
Thank you for this fabulous commentary on the film. After just watching the 58' version of the film, I scoured the web for a thoughtful analysis of the film and its preceding works. Yours was the only one to be found. Probably for the same reason that the 40's Anna was not African-American. And definitely for reasons that have more to do with the bigotry and narcissism of so-called film critics and film studios than the perceived bigotry of film audiences. In any event, thank you. Your work is greatly appreciated.
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