Supporting Actress, with Kohner winning the award. (1952) provided him a wonderful role which he used to win a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. Imitation of Life. She was only five when she entered the 2nd grade. Soon afterward, Steve, who has just been hired to promote a brand of beer, proposes to Lora, but she turns him down, saying that even though she loves him, marriage would prevent her from steadfastly pursuing a life in the theater. -- Kohner, as Sarah Jane, rejecting her mother, Moore, as Annie Johnson. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Actress Karen Dicker's name is misspelled as "Karin" in the onscreen credits. Thanks to its provocative themes, the novel was a huge success. The gritty crime drama Across 110th Street (1972) is one of the best American movies of its decade, enhanced by Quinn's turn as an embattled police captain. and Susan Kohner their respective daughters, caught up As Steve looks on, the three women join hands in a gesture of comfort and love. Director: Douglas Sirk In Missing (1982), directed by the uncompromising Costa-Gavras, Lemmon played a patriotic father searching for his kidnapped son in Latin America. "it has a genuinely touching sub-plot involving a stanch Negro woman and her Director Douglas Sirk worked gently with his actors. Imitation of Life (1959) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Douglas Sirk Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Ross Hunter . Lana Turner took no salary and worked for 50% of the film's profits, which earned her over $2 million (setting a record for an actress at the time). She then returned to the set and completed the scene perfectly. - Danny Peary, Guide For the Film Fanatic (Fireside). Ross Hunter wanted to update the story, making the leading character an actress instead of a businesswoman, but keeping the race issue and the conflicts between mothers and daughters. Sirk had given Donahue a small role in The Tarnished Angels (1958), but when he offered him the role of the fraternity boy who discovers girlfriend Kohner is black and beats her up, Willson almost turned down the role. Quinn worked with Marlon Brando who he had replaced in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire. It's a film that will benefit from word-of-mouth, particularly of lipsticked As some form of compensation, her on-screen billing reads "presenting Juanita Moore as Annie Johnson," but that credit didn't make it into the film's advertising. Miss Lora, I killed my mother." By the time she was 10, she was one of the top child models in the country, and by age 13, she met producer Ross Hunter, who signed her to a seven-year contract for Universal. Imitation of Life (St. Martin's Press). Born to be Hurt will be available from most major bookstores and online book retailers on February 17th. It features Claudette Colbert, Louise Beavers, and Freddie Wa. install aisle scuppers to drain off the tears." As he did throughout his career, Quinn rarely hesitated to take work whereever he found it, which resulted in dozens of potboilers like Seven Cities of Gold (1955) but also a few cult favorites like Budd Boetticher's The Magnificent Matador (1955). Quinn also appeared on stage in 1936 playing opposite Mae West. From poverty and childhood accidents to brutal abuse and depressive episodes, here are some heartbreaking details about Natalie Wood's life. She Was Terrified Of Water. But that's just one of many incidents in a life that can only be described as colorful. Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers played the mothers, with Rochelle Hudson and Fredi Washington as their daughters. After frantically searching for her lost daughter Susie at Coney Island, an attractive widow named Lora Meredith finds her playing with Sarah Jane, a light-skinned black girl. Released in United States March 1977 (Shown at FILMEX: Los Angeles International Film Exposition (Double Vision-Two different classics made from the same story) March 9-27, 1977. Along the way, Quinn also dabbled in professional boxing (he quit after his 17th match, the first he lost) and street-corner preaching. Turner agreed, and the film succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. racial identity, and hope lost and found. Director: Douglas Sirk Natalie Wood was producer Ray Stark's first choice for the starring role, but he changed his mind after reading the script and instead offered the . By using this site, you agree to our updated. Closed captioning. He went to Columbia University and started acting in small theatrical roles which eventually led to film appearances, the earliest ones uncredited. From sexual antics to social critique, Lemmon and Wilder sharpened their comic knives on the hypocrisies they saw in American culture. Principal Cast: Lana Turner (Lora Meredith), John Gavin (Steve Archer), Sandra Dee (Susie, age 16), Juanita Moore (Annie Johnson), Susan Kohner (Sara Jane, age 18), Dan O'Herlihy (David Edwards), Robert Alda (Allen Loomis). Born in New York on August 2nd, 1924, O'Connor served in the merchant marine during World War II before attending the University of Montana where he worked on the school newspaper. The following year came was a Best Actor nomination for George Cukor's Wild Is the Wind (1957). Remake of "Imitation of Life" directed by John Stahl in 1934. In New York, the film premiered at the Roxy, the same theatre at which the 1934 version had opened. It was appraised at $1 million. While Lora is filming in Italy, Steve looks after Susie, and the eager teenager soon falls in love with him. "Stunningly produced but dully acted, making its racially sensitive plot seem Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM. Only producer Ross Hunter was consistently delivering solid box office returns. AWARDS & HONORS She was abandoned by her father by age five, and her mother, Mary Douvan, lied about Sandra's age so that she could put her in school and get a job. The other, St. Louis Blues (1958), actually gave her a character name. Imitation of Life became Universal's biggest moneymaker to date, and a 1995 poll by the New York Daily News still ranked it as one of the top-ten all-time favorite films. -- Gavin, as Steve, meeting Turner after she's become a star. Famous Quotes from IMITATION OF LIFE It was a trip to Italy that brought Quinn one of his most acclaimed roles: a simple-minded circus strongman in Federico Fellini's La Strada (1954). Ads for the film showed Sandra Dee saying "You've given me everything a mother could but the thing I wanted mostyour love!" Natalie Wood first saw Robert Wagner when she was just 10 years old and swore she was "going to marry him" someday, per People. insincere." Her next film, The Reluctant Debutante, a bubbly romantic comedy with Rex Harrison, Kay Kendall and John Saxon, proved Dee to be adept in light comedy. Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel Turner's daughter, Cheryl Crane, visited the set during location shooting for Sandra Dee's high school graduation. Hunter offered a first-class production, with Jean Louis gowns and Laykin et Cie jewels, the leading women's director, Douglas Sirk, and a chance to make a lot of money, if Lana would work for a small salary plus half the net profits. Natalie Wood: Death in Dark Water 43:00 [This story previously aired on July 4, 2020.] Waters featured references to the film in both Female Trouble (1974) and Desperate Living (1977). After Quinn's birth, the family soon moved to East Los Angeles (after a quick Texas detour) where Quinn grew up in the shadow of Hollywood. Juanita Moore's Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress was such a surprise the studio didn't even have a biography on hand to distribute to the press. Although the killing was ruled justifiable homicide because Cheryl was defending her mother, the scandal rocked Hollywood, and many people thought Lana's film career was over. Both Susan Kohner and Juanita Moore were nominated for Golden Globes for Best She had been in 52 films and a star since she was 7. Later, Lemmon claimed that he learned more about comic technique by watching these Chaplin, Keaton and Harold Lloyd two-reelers than acting school could have ever taught him. graceful level twenty-five years ago." by Frank Miller, Made for $2 million, Imitation of Life grossed $6.4 million during its Her success was not to last. the heart with each step in one of the best Universal films of recent years. "Imitation of Life crosses a succession of emotional bridges, hitting He has acted in everything from lightweight sex farces (How to Murder Your Wife, 1965) to musicals (My Sister Eileen, 1955) to social dramas (Days of Wine and Roses, 1962) to political thrillers (The China Syndrome, 1979). He also had a reputation for pampering his female stars. TCM REMEMBERS JACK LEMMON 1925-2001 His first film was Parrish (1961) though he eventually acted in over a dozen films during the Sixties including Cleopatra (1963), Marlowe (1969), Hawaii (1966) and Point Blank (1967). Imitation of Life became Universal's biggest moneymaker to date, and a 1995 poll by the New York Daily News still ranked it as one of the top-ten all-time favorite films. Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel They lost to Shelley Winters in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). takes on the classic 1959 Douglas Sirk film starring Natalie Wood was 42 when she died. 8. degeneration of family bondsForget those who decry the '50s Hollywood by Frank Miller, Imitation of Life is one of only two dramatic films to feature gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. The closer he gets to his goal, the clearer it becomes that a government conspiracy is behind his son's disappearance. wayward daughter. Lemmon plays her levelheaded boyfriend but finds himself on the sidelines when the suave and sophisticated Peter Lawford appears on the scene. Yet despite her competency as actress, her career never regained its footing, and she appeared in only a few television movies later on: The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1972), Fantasy Island (1977). (The idea for the book was born when Hurst traveled with black author Zora Neale Hurston and encountered racism, although the story was not remotely based on either of their lives.) Instead of accepting her offer, they made Imitation of Life their major offering for spring 1933. . All seating is unreserved. Problems arise when Lemmon falls for his boss's paramour - it gets even more complicated when she tries to kill herself in his pad! Things." -- Lypsinka, "My Favorite As Ensign Pulver, a deckhand who avoids work whenever possible, Lemmon won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar®. Missing was inspired by a true story - the production was condemned by the Reagan administration and awarded the Golden Palm at the Cannes film festival. She claimed to never see a movie more than once or to change her mind about it later. Are you black?" "All the kids talking behind my back! Imitation of Life became Universal's top-grossing film to that time, and Turner's most successful film ever. During filming, he sent flowers and gifts to Turner's dressing room regularly. Lora breaks down, but sees to it that Annie has the elaborate funeral she had requested. Casting him opposite Lana Turner seemed a logical step in his development, mirroring Hudson's casting opposite Jane Wyman in Sirk's Magnificent Obsession (1954). At the age of 11 he won a sculpture award and shortly after began studying architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright. The Douglas Sirk revival started in 1968 when film critic Andrew Sarris placed him in his second ranking of directors, just behind such geniuses as Orson Welles and Charles Chaplin, in The American Cinema. - Halliwell's Film & Video Guide (HarperPerennial). In It Should Happen to You, Holliday plays a struggling actress who soon wins fast fame as the product of promotion. material -- at least for a matinee." Lemmon plays her levelheaded boyfriend but finds himself on the sidelines when the suave and sophisticated Peter Lawford appears on the scene. Of the change in plot, Variety commented about the 1959 film, "While this device lends more scope, it also results in the over-done busy actress-neglected daughter conflict, and thus the secondary plot of a fair-skinned Negress passing as white becomes the film's primary force." Hunter offered Turner the starring role in a remake of Imitation of Life (1934). (A branch of the Los Angeles County Public Library now occupies the site of Quinn's childhood home; in 1981 it was renamed in his honor.) Sarah Jane is furious, exclaiming, "I'm somebody else, I'm white." The Apartment (1960) focused on a working stiff who lends his home to his supervisors for their extramarital affairs. "Tell her I know I was selfish -- and if I loved her too much, I'm sorry -- but I didn't mean to cause her any trouble. Re-released in Tel Aviv January 11, 1991. "Miss Turner and the others act unreally and elaborately[They] do not (Director Elia Kazan tried to start a rivalry between the two actors but they were great admirers of each other.) November 30, 1981. Editor: Milton Carruth of personal and professional ruin starred as Lora Director: Douglas Sirk "When passed before the moviegoer's eyes, it may force theatre owners to According to a April 3, 1959 Hollywood Reporter news item, Turner contracted for a five percent participation in the film's profits. Strmungen zu ermglichen: So werden pfingstliche Strmungen hufig als Paradebeispiel eines globalisierten Christentums angefhrt. The series lasted until 1979 and brought O'Connor four Emmys, even leading to a four-year spinoff Archie Bunker's Place starring O'Connor. "Sirk's last movie in Hollywood is a coldly brilliant weepie, a rags-to-riches Imitation of Life Premiere 1959 historycomestolife 55.3K subscribers Subscribe 128 Share Save 16K views 9 years ago Gala Opening with John Gavin, John Saxon, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Lana. When Susie accuses Lora of loving her career more than her, Lora offers to give Steve up, but Susie has decided to go away to college. Very few actors today can match Lemmon's range on the screen. Natalie Wood, original name Natalia Nikolaevna Zackharenko, Zackharenko also spelled Zakharenko, (born July 20, 1938, San Francisco, California, U.S.died November 29, 1981, off Santa Catalina Island, California), American film actress who transitioned from child stardom to a successful movie career as an adult. In exchange for her small room, Annie offers to keep house and look after Susie while Lora seeks acting and modeling jobs. It was Wright in fact who suggested the possibility of acting to Quinn and even paid for an operation to cure a speech impediment. Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscars for their searing portrayals of the African-American mother and daughter. A year after the film came out, Brazilian television presented a telenovella based on the book. previous biographies of movies: All About All About Compiled by Frank Miller, Popular novelist Fannie Hurst got the idea for Imitation of Life during a road trip to Canada with African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston during which she saw first-hand the depth of racial prejudice. Viva Zapata! You name it, it's got it!" Towards the end of that decade he appeared in Nicholas Ray's The Savage Innocents (1959) as an Eskimo, inspiring Bob Dylan to write "Quinn the Eskimo" (a Top Ten hit for Manfred Mann in 1968). played her servant and dearest friend, and Sandra Dee But she was deeply in debt, and she needed to work. When Sarah Jane runs from Annie, her distressed mother turns to Lora and asks, "How do you explain to your child that she was born to be hurt?" Illicit love and the corruption of big business might not seem to be the stuff of hit comedies, but Wilder and Lemmon found humor in the most unlikeliest of places. -- Lana Turner, as Lora Meredith, expressing surprise that the light-skinned little girl is the daughter of African-American Juanita Moore, as Annie Johnson. Born to be Hurt is the first in-depth account of With Sirk's other melodramas, Imitation of Life has become one of the central films for proponents of the auteur theory, who point to his filmmaking technique as a clear reflection of his personality and his attitude toward the often exaggerated soap opera plots in his films. Although the Sarah Jane role had been played by black actress Washington in the original film version, for the re-make Universal cast white actress Susan Kohner, the daughter of Turner's agent Paul Kohner and Mexican actress Lupita Tovar. Since she was diagnosed with throat cancer and kidney failure in 2000, Dee had been in and out of hospitals for her failing health. by Frank Miller, Because of the heavy public interest in Turner's first film after the Stompanato scandal, producer Ross Hunter threw the set open to the press on the first day of shooting. The two mothers are now alone in the house. The gritty crime drama Across 110th Street (1972) is one of the best American movies of its decade, enhanced by Quinn's turn as an embattled police captain. Tragically, Ms. Dee died on February 20 at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. Surprised and overjoyed by a visit from Steve, Lora confesses she still loves him, and the two are reunited. (1954), another lightweight romantic comedy. Enter Ross Hunter, producer of lavish women's pictures for Universal, who had breathed new life into the careers of aging stars like Jane Wyman and Barbara Stanwyck. The result was the story of two mothers, businesswoman Bea and housekeeper Delilah, who find success with a chain of waffle restaurants using Bea's business skills and Delilah's recipes. According to August 1958 Hollywood Reporter news items, portions of the picture were shot at the Warner Bros. studio, the Methodist Church in Hollywood, CA, and at the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Los Angeles. During the publicity tour for the film, one reporter asked Susan Kohner if she had "minded" playing a black character. Very few actors today can match Lemmon's range on the screen. He has acted in everything from lightweight sex farces (How to Murder Your Wife, 1965) to musicals (My Sister Eileen, 1955) to social dramas (Days of Wine and Roses, 1962) to political thrillers (The China Syndrome, 1979). every film fan. Donahue's career declined as the Sixties became more turbulent but he still made notable appearances in The Godfather Part II (1974), playing a character with Donahue's own real name, and Monte Hellman's Cockfighter (1974). Cast: Lana Turner (Lora Meredith), John Gavin (Steve Archer), Sandra Dee (Susie), Dan O'Herlihy (David Edwards), Susan Kohner (Sarah Jane), Robert Alda (Allen Loomis), Juanita Moore (Annie Johnson), Mahalia Jackson (Herself), Troy Donahue (Frankie), Sandra Gould (Receptionist), Jack Weston (Stage Manager), Bess Flowers (Geraldine Moore), Myrna Fahey (Actress) "Imitation of Life" is Douglas Sirk's last melodrama with an engaging and emotional story with romance, ambition, friendship, love and rejection. (The idea for the book was born when Hurst traveled with black author Zora Neale Hurston and encountered racism, although the story was not remotely based on either of their lives.) Several collections of her work are available, most with mildly risque titles like I Lost It at the Movies, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Going Steady. The playwright wants to marry her, but as she admits one day to Annie, who still works for her, she does not really love him. (1954), another lightweight romantic comedy. Producer: Ross Hunter Fannie Hurst's novel, Imitation of Life (1933), was the story of two single mothers, one white and one black, who join forces and become successful businesswomen. The son of a doughnut manufacturer, Lemmon later attended Harvard University but was bitten by the acting bug and left the prestigious college for Broadway. In 1988, O'Connor took the role of a Southern sheriff in a TV series based on the movie In the Heat of the Night and found himself in another hit, this one lasting until 1995. Imitation of Life was the last collaboration for producer Ross Hunter and director Douglas Sirk, who previously had teamed for such hit melodramas as Magnificent Obsession (1954) and All That Heaven Allows (1955). Directors Michael Anderson Vincente Minnelli Writers Rosamond Marshall Robert Thom Stars Robert Wagner Natalie Wood Susan Kohner -- Bosley Crowther, The New York Director Douglas Sirk Writers Eleanore Griffin Allan Scott Fannie Hurst Stars Lana Turner John Gavin Sandra Dee See production, box office & company info Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $3.99 More watch options The Tribune is refusing all advertising of it and will picket it in the Los Angeles area and call upon the N.A.A.C.P. By 1970, it had made over $25 million worldwide. Two other popular releases in 1959, Gidget and A Summer Place, would make her a star and contribute to Imitation of Life's box office success. It Should Happen to You, directed by George Cukor, was a popular success and Lemmon and Holliday were quickly teamed again in Phffft! Together they made seven films, but it was their first, Some Like It Hot (1959), that captured the sheer comic genius of their collaborations together. By the dawn of the '60s, Sandra Dee mania ruled the movie fanzines worldwide. Universal-International Pictures Co., Inc. Hollywood, California, United States; Los Angeles--Moulin Rouge nightclub, California, United States, SYNOPSIS It was in Ireland that O'Connor started acting in several local productions. Lemmon brought a new comic persona to Hollywood films. Writer Nolbert Brown Jr. See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist Photos Add photo More like this 7.5 Imitation of Life Watch options 7.8 Imitation of Life Her mother Maria was a very overbearing parent, pushing Natasha into show business no matter what it cost the poor little girl. Onscreen, Lemmon's characters often found that they were the wrong men for their jobs. Lora and David argue when she decides to appear in another writer's drama, but her performance is brilliant, and this play, too, becomes an instant hit. Lemmon won his second Academy Award for the film. She still kept up with movies though, loving such smaller films as Vanya on 42nd Street and actors like Jim Carrey (who "has practically kept movies alive the past few years" she said in 1998). The turning point came in 1965 when I Lost It at the Movies not only attracted major critical attention but became a strong seller in book stores. Closed captioning. One evening, Steve comes by with the photographs, and the next day, he takes Lora to lunch, obviously smitten with her. Released in United States Winter January 1, 1959. But both women suffer heartbreak caused by their daughters. Dr. Joseph Choi, a deputy medical examiner at . It covers Natalie Wood's life from about age 4 to her death at age 43, and the investigations into her death since then. With her fetching blonde curls and pretty face, Dee found herself moving up quickly on the modeling ladder. TIL that everyone wears Crocs in the 2006 movie Idiocracy because the costume designer had a limited shoe budget, and thought the cheap plastic shoes made by the then startup company were futuristic yet too stupid looking to ever become popular in real life By Lang Thompson - Her personal life took a surprising turn when she hooked up with singer Bobby Darin. According to Daily Variety, Universal encountered some resistance to the promotion of the film and tailored its advertising campaign for the South, where, a studio representative said, "white southerners avoid films that are advertised as dealing with the race problem." Hunter offered Turner the starring role in a remake of Imitation of Life (1959). Authorities classified her death as an accident, concluding the 43-year-old star of "West Side Story," who. Landmarks, Breakthroughs and Milestones in Black Film History, a five-week series, will run through March 14 at Film Forum 2, 209 West Houston Street, Manhattan. -- Kohner realizing the error of her ways. Screenplay: Eleanore Griffin, Allan Scott, based on the novel by Fannie Hurst Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel vouchers) and made her film debut in Until They Sail (1957), starring Joan Fontaine, John Gavin. melodrama: it is through the conventions of that hyper-emotional genre that