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 | 79 | 3 | 3 | |||
Draughtsman | Terry Ackland-Snow | 24 | 12 Dec 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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