This was from a play originally written about a Polish American family, but was first produced with an all African American cast after being adapted by American Negro Theatre director Abram Hill and director Henry Wagstaff Gribble.
Although first produced on Broadway with an all African American cast (1944) and then a few years later, a white cast starring Paulette Goddard went to Paris, the first movie to be made was with the white cast and Goddard (1949). It took another nine years for the original all African American version to be filmed (1958). Anna Lucasta (1958) started Eartha Kitt, with Sammy Davis, Jr, appearing as Danny.
Susan Hayward was a contender for the title role, as was Linda Darnell (for whom Anna Lucasta was reportedly a dream role).
First produced as a play on Broadway with an all African American cast in 1944, (957 performances) which also toured the US and Europe, and revived in 1947 (which went to London); an all white cast version was also sent to Paris with Paulette Goddard, who stars in the movie.
Before being cast as Rudolf Strobel, William Bishop, a Columbia Pictures contract player since 1947, had co-starred in eight programmers for the studio. Bishop had completed one day's shooting on what would have been his ninth Columbia programmer: Kazan (1949), when he was transferred to the studio's major production "Anna Lucasta" as a last-minute replacement for George Montgomery.