 Laughton and Pommer had plans to make further films, but the outbreak of World War II, which implied the loss of many foreign markets, meant the end of the company.Laughton's early success in "The Private Life of Henry VIII" established him as one of the leading interpreters of the costume and historical drama parts for which he is best remembered (Nero, Henry VIII, Mr. Barrett, Inspector Javert, Captain Bligh, Rembrandt, Quasimodo and others); he was also type-cast for arrogant, unscrupulous characters.He largely moved away from historical parts when he played an Italian vineyard owner in California in "They Knew What They Wanted" (1940); a South Seas patriarch in "The Tuttles of Tahiti" (1942); and an American admiral during World War II in "Stand By for Action" (1942).