In this entry in the Passing Parade series, narrator John Nesbitt tells the story of Annie Swenson, who worked as a cook/housekeeper in the Nesbitt home when he was growing up. Annie was ...
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Title: Annie Was a Wonder (1949)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Kathleen Freeman | ... | Annie Swenson | |
| Howard Negley | ... | Mr. Nesbitt (as Howard J. Negley) | |
 |
Ruth Lee | ... | Mrs. Nesbitt |
| Sven Hugo Borg | ... | Gus (as Hugo-Sven Borg) | |
| John Nesbitt | ... | Narrator (voice) | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
In this entry in the Passing Parade series, narrator John Nesbitt tells the story of Annie Swenson, who worked as a cook/housekeeper in the Nesbitt home when he was growing up. Annie was one of thousands of Scandinavian immigrant girls who came to America in the early years of the 20th century in search of a better life. Written by David Glagovsky <dglagovsky@verizon.net>
Plot Keywords:
immigrant | brother brother relationship | husband wife relationship | garden hose | voice over narration |Genres:
ShortParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
29 January 1949 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
John Nesbitt's Passing Parade: Annie Was a Wonder See more »Filming Locations:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USACompany Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Narrator: We take this story from a time now gone from the American passing parade forever, the day of the hired girl. Before the First World War, 45,000 lonely immigrant girls arrived each year. Their wages were fifteen dollars a month. They worked 84 hours a week, 14 hours a day. Whatever their names, Bridgette or Herta or Mary or Helga, they were, in a way, the last wave of pioneers seeking a new world. Our first one was Annie Swenson, from Vallborg, Sweden. We'd never had a servant ...
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(1888)
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Excerpts from the second movement played during the opening credits
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Did You Know?
Quotes
[first lines]Narrator: We take this story from a time now gone from the American passing parade forever, the day of the hired girl. Before the First World War, 45,000 lonely immigrant girls arrived each year. Their wages were fifteen dollars a month. They worked 84 hours a week, 14 hours a day. Whatever their names, Bridgette or Herta or Mary or Helga, they were, in a way, the last wave of pioneers seeking a new world. Our first one was Annie Swenson, from Vallborg, Sweden. We'd never had a servant ...
See more »
Soundtracks
Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64(1888)
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Excerpts from the second movement played during the opening credits
See more »
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One of the many one reel films that Turner Classic Movies is prone to show in between full-length films, ANNIE WAS A WONDER is one of the many shorts narrated by John Nesbitt featuring the film debut of Kathleen Freeman, best known for her much later movie and TV career even though she acted all throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s. She plays Swedish immigrant Annie Svenson who comes to the US and works a maid for an affluent family, and slowly forges a life of her own while retaining her own identity as a person. This is a simple production which manages to convey a cute clash of a foreign culture with Americana with essentially apt performances.