SYNOPSIS:

A biopic of Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester based largely on her memoirs 'Elsa Lanchester: Herself'. The film begins in 1895 and the kidnapping of Elsa Lanchester's mother Edith "Biddy" Lanchester by her father and older brothers because of her unmarried relationship with James "Shamus" Sullivan. She is comitted to an asylum. The incident receives worldwide press as the "Lanchester Kidnapping Case" and eventually she is freed by Shamus and their socialist friends. Elsa's parents Shamus and Biddy are unconventional socialists who refuse to marry to fit in with society helping shape Elsa’s personality and outlook on life. Elsa studies dance in Paris under Isadora Duncan. When the school is discontinued due to the start of World War I, she returns to Britain. She starts teaching dancing in the Isadora Duncan style to children in her local neighbourhood and at the end of the War starts the Children's Theatre. Later in her teens she opens her own nightclub –the Cave of Harmony where plays and cabaret acts perform. Whilst performing in Arnold Bennett’s Mr. Prohack Elsa meets a young actor called Charles Laughton. Elsa and Charles marry in 1929 but a year later inadvertently discovers his homosexuality when a young man turns up at their flat with a policeman demanding money from Charles. Elsa forgives Charles and assures him that it does not matter about his sexuality.They agree to stay together for all intents and purposes to appear as a happily married couple. Charles fathers a child with Elsa but ultimately they both decide for both their careers sake that Elsa should have an abortion. This has a lasting effect on Charles, who always wanted children, and in later years he would bitterly regret their decision. Elsa’s career as a singer/cabaret performer/actress is on an initially upward trajectory,feted by writers, actors and other artists of late twenties and early thirties London. But Charles is soon lured by the bright lights of Hollywood, making a string of films including the’ Hunchback of Notre Dame’ and ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ which help to establish his name. Elsa’s career suffers under his shadow and is forced to take on much smaller roles than she would prefer. Agents and various producers use Elsa as bait to lure the notoriously reticent Laughton into acting in their productions by pretending to offer Elsa roles then reneging on their agreement. Elsa’s confidence is crushed. She is stuck out in Hollywood, friendless and alone with few offer of work while Charles’s career is taking off. To escape her boredom and loneliness, Elsa decides to go back home to look after their London flat. Whilst there she is offered the role of "The Bride of Frankenstein" by James Whale, an old friend of hers from the "Cave of Harmony" days. Elsa goes straight back to Hollywood for filming and a reunion with Charles. They go on to appear often together in films as a ‘double-act’ : The Private Life of Henry the Eighth, The Beachcomber, Tales of Manhattan , The Big Clock and Witness for the Prosecution and are Academy award nominated for the latter. Keen to establish an identity for herself, Elsa revives her cabaret career at the Turnabout Theatre from 1941 to 1950. In later years Charles film work starts drying up and he starts doubting his own abilities whilst plagued with guilt of his own sexuality. He is thrown a lifeline when he is offered the chance to do a reading tour by producer Paul Gregory . He career begin a new renaissance when he tours America doing reading tours in lecture theatres and on television reciting the Bible and various classical works. But this new upturn in his life is short lived as Charles soon becomes ill and is diagnosed with bone cancer. Charles drastically loses weight until he is a shadow of his former self and is in constant pain having to be constantly shot up with painkilling drugs as the devastating illness ravages his body. Charles eventually succumbs to the cancer with Elsa at his side, leaving her devastated but relieved that he is at last free of pain and she is free at last to resume her life and career away from the giant shadow cast by Laughton…

CHARLES AND ELSA

Below are excerpts from a radio version of the Charles and Elsa biopic I am writing which would possibly be a one hour dramatisation focussing more on their early years together:- FADE IN: CHARLES:...so I said to him, look why don't you try tipping the next horse!... SFX: MUTED CHUCKLING. SFX: SOUNDS OF A TUSSLE, RAISED VOICES. POLICEMAN: Mr Laughton, this young man tells me he knows you. YOUNG MAN: That's the bloke, that's him! Ten bob he promised, that was our deal. CHARLES: Constable, i've never seen this man in my life! Kindly take him away and do what you will as an officer of the law sees fit! JEFFREY: Look here Charlie, what the devil's going on? Who is this chap? CHARLES: Some ne'er do well out to profit from my good nature. Just ignore him, come on let's get inside. CONSTABLE: Just one moment sir. He claims you met him in the park yesterday and took him back here to your house. I gather an arrangement with money was promised which has not been reciprocated. These are very serious allegations sir... CHARLES: Officer, kindly remove this vagrant from my doorstep. My wife is waiting inside and I do not wish her to be alarmed by these goings on. CONSTABLE: I'll take him into custody for now sir, but I must warn you; you may face have to answer to more questions regarding this matter. CHARLES: Yes, yes..I understand. Jeffrey, come on. Elsa's waiting... FADE OUT: FADE IN: CHARLES: ...something awful has happened. I..I'm afraid I have something to confess. There was a young man outside with a policeman..... FADE OUT: FADE IN: MUSIC: CHARLES: ....so you see, I couldn't possibly have told you before. It would have broke you in two. ELSA: ....It's alright...It's perfectly alright...It doesn't matter. I understand. SFX: Sound of sobbing ELSA: Come in Jeffrey. He needs you. JEFFREY: Come on old chap, nothing a good measure of Drambuie won't fix... FADE OUT: FADE IN: JUDGE: ...Mr.Laughton, you can count yourself lucky this matter is not being pursued any further. Let's put this down to a case of misguided generosity. Case closed. SFX: Sound mallet striking, people filing out of court. CHARLES: You know, I can't thank you enough for standing by me. After all I’ve done. Why are you still with me? ELSA: It's o.k. Let’s put this behind us. But as soon as we get back we're getting rid of that sofa... MUSIC: JEFFREY: The reviews for 'Payment Deferred' are in! ELSA: And Gilbert Miller wants us to take the play on Broadway as soon as we’ve finished the run! Isn’t that exciting Charles? CHARLES: America? What’s in America? ELSA: Lots of things. Coffee bars …all night diners. Motion pictures! But they don’t have Charles Laughton and that’s what we’re going to give them. SFX: HOOTING OF SHIP’S HORN. SEAGULLS. SEA SOUNDS. MUSIC: STRAINS OF GERSHWIN. DIRECTOR: Are you ready Charles? Tallulah? We’re going for take two…on five… CLAPPERBOY: ‘Devil and the Deep’ take two DIRECTOR: And …action! SFX: SOUND OF CLAPBOARD SNAPPING TALLULAH: Have you tried the radio? OPERATOR: The oscillator isn’t working. SFX: Sound of uproarious laughter from Tallulah. DIRECTOR: Cut!!! Let’s take five on this, give Tallulah time to calm herself down… CHARLES: This is ridiculous. How many takes do we need? She can’t even do a simple scene like this without breaking into a fit. I’m about at breaking point Marion, what with being nearly half drowned in ten gallons of water and having to deal with this drunk… I am a trained actor. I haven’t crossed the Atlantic to deal with this shit! DIRECTOR: O.k Charles, cool it. I’ll speak to her later. Just try and grin and bear her will for time being, huh? CHARLES: (whisper) Why can’t you be more like Gary Cooper here? A professional, he shows up on time, doesn’t bump into the furniture, says his lines without cracking up. TALLULAH: (mutters) Aaah, get over yourself ya fat faggot…. CHARLES: What did you say? TALLULAH: I said lighten up. It’s just a movie. CHARLES: That’s what I thought you said. Now , this fat faggot’s going on his break….