Imitation of Life (1934 film)
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Imitation of Life is a 1934 film directed by John M. Stahl, adapted by William Hurlbut from Fannie Hurst's novel Imitation of Life. It marked the first time in cinema history that a black woman's problems were given significant emotional weight in a major Hollywood motion picture. The film was nominated for the 1935 Academy Award for Best Picture and assistant director Scott Beal was nominated for Best Assistant Director.
The film was released by Universal Pictures on November 26, 1934, and later re-issued in 1936. It was followed in 1959 by a color remake, also titled Imitation of Life, but the 1934 version is a more direct adaptation of Hurst's novel.
Plot
Widow Bea Pullman (Claudette Colbert) and her daughter Jessie (Rochelle Hudson) take in black housekeeper Delilah Johnson (Louise Beavers) and her daughter Peola (Fredi Washington), exchanging room and board for work, even though Bea is struggling to make ends meet herself. Delilah and Peola quickly become like family to Jessie and Bea. They particularly enjoy Delilah's pancakes, made from a special family recipe.
When Bea is unable to make a living selling pancake syrup (as her husband had done), she opens a pancake restaurant on the boardwalk, which proves to be very profitable. Later, at the suggestion of Elmer Smith (Ned Sparks), she sets up an even more successful pancake flour corporation, marketing Delilah as an Aunt Jemima-like figure.
As a result, Bea becomes a wealthy business woman, but all is not well. Jessie falls in love with her mother's boyfriend, Steven Archer (Warren William), who is unaware at first of her affections. Peola, ashamed of her black heritage, attempts to pass as white, breaking her mother Delilah's heart. Peola eventually runs away from home, and Delilah falls ill and eventually dies. Delilah's only wish was for a large, grand funeral, which Bea provides for her, complete with a marching band and a horse-drawn hearse. Just before the processional begins, a remorseful, crying Peola appears, begging her mother to forgive her and finally acknowledging in public that she is black. The film ends with Bea breaking her engagement with Steven because of the situation with Jessie.
Trivia
- Fredi Washington, the actress who plays the light-skinned daughter Peola, was an actual light-skinned African American, who was noted for turning down a number of offers by Hollywood agents to pass for white and become a star. Although many African Americans were screen-tested for the Sarah Jane role in the 1959 remake, Susan Kohner, of Mexican and Caucasian decent, won the role.
- The DVD and VHS versions of the 1934 release are missing a title card with a short prologue that apparently was included in the original release. It reads:[link]
- :Atlantic City, in 1919, was not just a boardwalk, rolling-chairs and expensive hotels where bridal couples spent their honeymoons. A few blocks from the gaiety of the famous boardwalk, permanent citizens of the town lived and worked and reared families just like people in less glamorous cities.
- The scene in which Elmer approaches Bea with the idea to sell Delilah's pancake mix to consumers refers to a legend about the origins of Coca-Cola's success. This scene has been credited with solidifying into popular consciousness the (untrue) secret of Coke's success — that is, to "bottle it".[link]
See also
- Imitation of Life — Fannie Hurst's novel
- Imitation of Life (1959 film) — remake, directed by Douglas Sirk
External links
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