Anna Lucasta (1958)

A young woman struggling with a sordid past finds that her biggest enemy had larger demons than she did.

Director:

Arnold Laven

Writer:

Philip Yordan (screenplay by)

Stars:

Eartha Kitt, Frederick O'Neal, Henry Scott

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Eartha Kitt	...	Anna Lucasta
Frederick O'Neal	...	Frank
Henry Scott	...	Rudolph Slocum
Rex Ingram	...	Joe Lucasta
James Edwards	...	Eddie
Isabel Cooley	...	Katie
Rosetta LeNoire	...	Stella (as Rosetta Le Noire)
Georgia Burke	...	Theresa
Claire Leyba	...	Blanche
Alvin Childress	...	Noah
John Proctor	...	Stanley
Charles Swain	...	Lester
Ike Jones	...	Policeman (as Isaac Jones)
Wallace Earl Laven	...	Secretary (as Eileen Harley)
Sammy Davis Jr.	...	Danny

Storyline

When wild child Anna Lucasta (Kitt) is banished from the family home by her self-righteous father, she falls into a life of prostitution and into the arms of of streetwise sailor Danny Johnson (Davis). But after she shocks them all by finally finding true love with a well-heeled young suitor, her unforgiving father sets a vengeful plan in motion to remind his daughter of her sordid past and destroy her future forever.

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Plot Keywords:

pregnant sister | runaway bride | father daughter relationship | wedding veil | bridal veil | 

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Taglines:

She's every inch the shameless sinner who blistered the stages of the world! (original poster)

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Black cast toured Europe in 1944. There was also a revival that performed in London in 1947. An all white cast (originally it was written for a Polish-American family) starring Paulette Goddard, also went to Paris.

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Goofs

When Joe dies, his head drops to the right. When shown from another angle, he is facing left.

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Quotes

Danny Johnson: You and me, we're real people, Anna. We're the real stuff. Many's the time we set the Earth on fire. You stick with me and we'll burn it up!

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Connections

Version of Anna Lucasta (1949)

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Soundtracks

That's Anna
(Title song)
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Sung by Sammy Davis Jr.

User Reviews

gay icon

I can see why Eartha Kitt has always been a gay icon and why her legion of gay fans - black and white - kept her working during the twilight years of her extremely long career in show business. She's campy, witty, sexy, and vulnerable...and a very funny funny girl with a very sharp tongue especially when she delivers her trademark rapid-fire one-liners in the opening barroom scene. Her grand entrance is over-the-top and her timing perfect. In a perfect world Kitt would have been right up there with Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford and Rita Hayworth...BUT she was BLACK...and Hollywood has had few decent leading roles for black actresses like Kitt, Dandridge, Horne...or even Halle. The black family in this movie is captured with humor and dignity by a sterling cast of black actors hungry for work other than playing maids, butlers, African natives, and southern slaves. "Anna Lucasta" is a Black Classic.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 1959 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Ana Lucasta

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Longridge Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1