The Anniversary – 1968

A Hammer Film production presented by Associated British Pathe Limited and released through Warner-Pathe Distributors Limited (UK) and Twentieth Century-Fox (USA)
MPAA Approved Certificate

The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to the name, character, or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional

RCA Sound Recording
Made at the Elstree Studios of Associated British Productions Limited, Herts, England
Technicoior 95 mins

Storyline

Every year, obsessively domineering matriarch Mrs Taggart gathers round her the members of her family to celebrate her anniversary. But, it is not a time for celebration, more an occasion for all the bottled-up frustrations and hatred to bubble to the surface – and heaven help any one of them who has ideas for the future which do not fit in with Mother’s plans!

Watch the trailer on YouTube

Crew


Function	Credited	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Ast. Director	Bert Batt	37	25 Apr 1930		6 Nov 2011	81	13		13
Camera Operator	Gerry Anstiss	39	27 Apr 1928		20 Feb 1999	70	1		1
Continuity	June Randall	40	26 Jun 1927		18 Jan 2015	87	6		6
Director	Roy Ward Baker	51	19 Dec 1916		5 Oct 2010	93	8		8
Director of Photog.	Harry Waxman BSc	55	3 Apr 1912		24 Dec 1984	72	3		3
Editor	Peter Weatherley GBFE	38	1930		Sep 2015	85	15		15
From the stage play by	Bill MacIlwraith	39	13 Apr 1928		9 May 2016	88	1		1
Hairdresser	A.G. Scott						2		2
Make-up	George Partleton	59	21 Jan 1909		17 Oct 1992	83	6		6
Musical Supervisor	Philip Martell	60	6 Oct 1907		11 Aug 1993	85	104	1	105
Producer	Jimmy Sangster	40	2 Dec 1927		19 Aug 2011	83	65	2	67
Production Designer	Reece Pemberton	55	14 Mar 1912		1977	64	1		1
Production Manager	Victor Peck						1		1
Recording Supervisor	A.W. Lumkin	55	1 Feb 1913		25 Oct 1985	72	30		30
Screenplay	Jimmy Sangster	40	2 Dec 1927		19 Aug 2011	83	65	2	67
Sound Editor	Charles Crafford GBFE	51	27 Jul 1916		12 Nov 1977	61	4		4
Sound Recordist	Les Hammond	59	6 Jun 1908				8		8
Supervising Editor	James Needs	48	17 Oct 1919		4 Feb 2003	83	110	1	111
Title music played	New Vauderville Band						1		1
Wardrobe	Mary Gibson						13		13
Uncredited
Ast. Boom Operator	Peter Margrave							7	7
Ast. Stand-by Props	Mickey Pugh	24	1944	01.01.1944		79		3	3
Draughtsman	Terry Ackland-Snow	24	12 Dec 1943	12.12.1943		79		1	1
Make-up	Hugh Richards	48	1 Jan 1920		19 Dec 1981	61		1	1
Make-up	Ben Nye	61	12 Jan 1907		9 Feb 1986	79		1	1
Painter	Michael Finlay	19	23 Apr 1948	23.04.1948		75		19	19
Second Ast. Director	Christopher Neame	25	24 Dec 1942		12 Jun 2011	68	15	9	24
Set Dresser	Michael Ford	39	11 Jun 1928		31 May 2018	89		1	1
Third Ast. Director	Paddy Carpenter							1	1

Cast


Character	Actor	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Construction Worker	Albert Shepherd	32	1 Jan 1936		10 Jul 2019	83	1	1	2
Construction Worker	Ralph Watson	32	20 Jan 1936		20 Jun 2021	85	1		1
Florist	Sally-Jane Spencer	19	10 Jul 1948	10.07.1948		74	1		1
Headwaiter	Arnold Diamond	52	18 Apr 1915		18 Mar 1992	76	4	2	6
Henry Taggart	James Cossins	34	4 Dec 1933		12 Feb 1997	63	5		5
Karen Taggart	Sheila Hancock	34	22 Feb 1933	22.02.1933		89	1		1
Mr Bird	Timothy Bateson	41	3 Apr 1926		15 Sep 2009	83	3	1	4
Mrs Taggart	Bette Davis	59	5 Apr 1908		6 Oct 1989	81	2		2
Shirley Blair	Elaine Taylor	24	17 Oct 1943	17.10.1943		79	1		1
Terry Taggart	Jack Hedley	38	28 Oct 1929		11 Dec 2021	92	4		4
Tom Taggart	Christian Roberts	23	17 Mar 1944		26 Dec 2022	78	1		1
Uncredited
Construction Worker	Johnny Rossi							1	1
Construction Worker with Cap	Fred Wood	46	26 Oct 1921		25 Jan 2003	81		19	19
Dancer in Club	George Holdcroft							3	3
Police Officer	Jeff Silk	42	23 Dec 1925		19 Oct 1999	73		3	3

Production


FILMING BEGAN	15 May 1967
UK RELEASE	18 February 1968
STUDIO	Elstree Studios of Associated British Picture Corporation, Hertfordshire, England
LOCATION	Chantry, Barnet Lane, Elstree, Hertfordshire, England	Exterior of Mrs Taggart's house

Footnotes

Roy Ward Baker was brought in to replace the original director Alvin Rakoff, with whom Bette Davis apparently found it impossible to work.

Character actor James Cossins also appeared for Hammer in “The Lost Continent” (1968), “The Horror of Frankenstein” (1970), “Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb” (1971) and “Fear in the Night” (1972).

Sally-Jane Spencer played Reggie Perrin’s daughter, Linda, in the BBC TV series “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Perrin”.

Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection