Charles Laughton

Oscar-winning actor, translator of Bertolt Brecht’s Galileo, and director of the iconoclastic The Night of the Hunter, Charles Laughton’s name alone commanded box office and theatre acclaim. This book is the first to offer an intimate examination of his 54 films produced in Britain and Hollywood from 1928 to 1962. Each has technical credits and cast lists, as well as publicity taglines, a plot synopsis, selected dialogue, Oscars won or nominated, and production commentaries. Also provided are listings of Laughton’s miscellaneous shorts and feature films, abandoned film projects, amateur and professional stage appearances, select radio broadcasts, television broadcasts, and audio recordings. Appendices detail the studios, performers and cinematographers of the Laughton films.

David A. Redfern has taught film history for Lancashire Adult Education and the Workers’ Educational Association in England. His research interests are classical Hollywood cinema from the pre–Code era to film noir. He lives in Manchester, England.

David A. Redfern
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 225
Bibliographic Info: 49 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7089-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4263-5
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments  ix
A Note on Citations  xi
Preface  1
Biography  4
The Films (1928–1962)  9
Blue Bottles (1928)  9
­Day-Dreams (1928)  10
The Tonic (1928)  11
Piccadilly (1929)  12
Comets (1930)  13
Wolves (1930)  14
Down River (1931)  15
Devil and the Deep (1932)  16
The Old Dark House (1932)  19
Payment Deferred (1932)  22
If I Had a Million (1932)  24
The Sign of the Cross (1932)  26
Island of Lost Souls (1932)  30
White Woman (1933)  34
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)  37
The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)  40
Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)  42
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)  46
Les Misérables (1935)  49
Rembrandt (1936)  53
Vessel of Wrath (1938)  57
St. Martin’s Lane (1938)  59
Jamaica Inn (1939)  62
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)  65
They Knew What They Wanted (1940)  69
It Started with Eve (1941)  72
The Tuttles of Tahiti (1942)  75
Tales of Manhattan (1942)  77
Stand By for Action (1942)  79
Forever and a Day (1943)  82
This Land Is Mine (1943)  84
The Man from Down Under (1943)  89
The Canterville Ghost (1944)  92
The Suspect (1945)  94
Captain Kidd (1945)  96
Because of Him (1946)  99
The Paradine Case (1947)  102
Arch of Triumph (1948)  106
The Big Clock (1948)  109
The Girl from Manhattan (1948)  113
The Bribe (1949)  114
The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949)  118
The Blue Veil (1951)  121
The Strange Door (1951)  123
O. Henry’s Full House (1952)  125
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)  128
Salome (1953)  130
Young Bess (1953)  133
Hobson’s Choice (1954)  135
The Night of the Hunter (1955)  138
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)  142
Under Ten Flags (1960)  145
Spartacus (1960)  146
Advise & Consent (1962)  150
Shorts and Miscellaneous Films (1930–1952)  154
Unreleased and ­Re-Edited Films (1937–1959)  157
Film Projects Announced but Abandoned or Rejected (1932–1962)  159
Amateur Stage Appearances (1913–1926)  162
Professional Stage Appearances (1926–1959)  164
Select British and American Radio Broadcasts (1928–1955)  173
Television Broadcasts (1949–1962)  182
Select Audio Recordings (1934–1962)  188
Appendix 1: The Films Listed By Studios  189
Appendix II: The Films Listed By Performers  190
Appendix III: The Films Listed By Cinematographers  192
Chapter Notes  195
Bibliography  203
Index  207