Johnny Belinda is a 1940 play by Elmer Blaney Harris, dealing with the then shocking subjects of rape, murder, bastardy, abuse of a deaf-mute, bigotry and gossip in a small community. It ran for 321 performances on Broadway from September 18, 1940 to June 21, 1941, and has been repeatedly adapted for film, radio, television, and as a musical. The sets for the original production were designed by Frederick Fox. [1]
Set in Souris East, Prince Edward Island, and Charlottetown at the end of the 19th century, the isolated deaf-mute Belinda lives with her father and aunt in the remote farming and fishing community northwest of Nova Scotia.
Belinda is universally referred to as 'the Dummy' until the newly arrived doctor sees her potential and begins teaching her sign language. As her personality emerges from the silence her appearance also changes. She is raped by a local lad and gives birth to a son she names Johnny Belinda. The community assumes the child is the doctor's and shuns him and her family in moral outrage.
Matters come to a head when the biological father attempts to take his infant son from Belinda by force, and she kills him. At the ensuing trial all but the doctor are prepared to condemn Belinda for murder until the truth unexpectedly emerges: that she was acting in self-defense. She is set free with her baby and the doctor's good name is restored.
Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, the novel recounts the adventures of an 11-year-old orphan girl Anne Shirley sent by mistake to two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had originally intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.
Johnny Belinda is a 1948 American drama film, directed by Jean Negulesco, based on the 1940 Broadway stage hit of the same name by Elmer Blaney Harris. The play was adapted for the screen by writers Allen Vincent and Irma von Cube.
Jane Wyman was an American actress. A star of both movies and television she received an Academy Award for Best Actress (1948), four Golden Globe Awards and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 1960 she received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for both motion pictures and television. She was the first wife of President Ronald Reagan.
Dorothy Hackett McGuire was an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress for Friendly Persuasion (1956). She starred as the mother in the popular films Old Yeller (1957) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960).
Penny Singleton was an American actress and labor leader. During her 6 decade career on stage, screen, radio and television, Singleton appeared as the comic-strip heroine Blondie Bumstead in a series of 28 motion pictures from 1938 until 1950 and the popular Blondie radio program from 1939 until 1950. Singleton also provided the voice of Jane Jetson in the animated series The Jetsons from 1962 to 1963.
Belinda is a feminine given name of unknown origin, apparently coined from Italian bella, meaning "beautiful". Alternatively it may be derived from the Old High German name Betlinde, which possibly meant "bright serpent" or "bright linden tree".
Jerome Irving Wald was an American screenwriter and a producer of films and radio programs.
Anne Of Green Gables – The Musical™ is a musical based on the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The book was written by Don Harron exclusively, the music by Norman Campbell and the lyrics in a joint venture by Don Harron, Norman Campbell, Elaine Campbell and Mavor Moore. The musical was Canada's longest-running musical, having been performed annually from its opening in 1965 until 2019, with the planned 2020 and 2021 productions cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2014, it was officially recognised as the longest running annual musical theatre production in the world by Guinness World Records.
James Mavor Moore was a Canadian writer, producer, actor, public servant, critic, and educator. He notably appeared as Nero Wolfe in the CBC radio production in 1982.
Belinda Lucy Lange, known professionally as Belinda Lang, is an English actress. She is known for playing Liza in the ITV sitcom Second Thoughts (1991–94), and Bill Porter in the BBC sitcom 2point4 Children (1991–99). Her theatre credits include London productions of the Noël Coward plays, Present Laughter (1981), Blithe Spirit (1997), and Hay Fever (2006). Her radio/audio credits include voicing narrator Madeleine in the podcast Wooden Overcoats.
Johnny Belinda may refer to:
Stephanie Beacham is an English actress. In a career spanning almost six decades, she has a wide number of credits to her name on film, television, stage and radio in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Johnny Belinda is a 1967 television film directed by Paul Bogart. It is based upon the play Johnny Belinda by Elmer Blaney Harris. The film was thought to be missing from UK TV archives, but was discovered being sold in the United States on DVD by Kaleidoscope's Ray Langstone and a copy now resides with Kaleidoscope.
Diane Nyland Proctor was a Canadian actress, director and choreographer. She is perhaps best known for having portrayed the title role in the 1970-71 CTV television series The Trouble with Tracy.
Julia Kathleen Nancy McKenzie is an English actress, singer, presenter, and theatre director. She has premièred leading roles written by both Alan Ayckbourn and Stephen Sondheim. On television, she is known for her BAFTA Award nominated role as Hester Fields in the sitcom Fresh Fields (1984–1986) and its sequel French Fields (1989–1991), and as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple (2009–2013).
Kimberly Hawthorne is an American actress. She began her career appearing on Broadway and daytime soap operas, before landing supporting roles on the prime time dramas. From 2000 to 2005, Hawthorne was regular cast member in the CBC Television police drama, Da Vinci's Inquest. From 2016 to 2020, she starred as Kerissa Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Greenleaf.
Willard Parker was an American film and television actor. He starred in the TV series Tales of the Texas Rangers (1955–1958).
Helen Craig was an American actress, perhaps best known for her role on Broadway as the main character, Belinda, in Johnny Belinda.
"Johnny Belinda" was a 1959 Australian TV adaptation of the 1940 play by Elmer Harris which had been filmed in 1948. It was the first "live" one hour drama on commercial television in Australia.
Frederick Worlock was a British-American actor. He is known for his work in various films during the 1940s and 1950s, and as the voice of Horace in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).