This cover to a reprint of Fannie Hurst Imitation of Life features a still from the 1959 Universal Pictures adaptation of the novel, starring Lana Turner (far right) and Juanita Moore (second from left).

Imitation of Life is a popular 1933 novel by Fannie Hurst, which was adapted into two successful films for Universal Pictures: a black-and-white film in 1934, and a color remake in 1959. Image File history File links Imitation_of_life_book. ... Image File history File links Imitation_of_life_book. ... Fannie Hurst in 1932, portrait by Carl Van Vechten. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Universal Studios Theme Parks. ... Lana Turner Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 – June 29, 1995) was an American actress famed early in her career for tight sweaters and smoldering sensuality and later in her career for sudsy romance films with maximum tragedy and glamorous gowns. ... Juanita Moore (born October 19, 1922 in Los Angeles, California) is an African-American actress. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Films are produced by recording actual people and objects with cameras, or by creating them using animation techniques and/or special effects. ... Universal Studios Theme Parks. ... Black-and-white (or variations including Black and White) can refer to a general term used in photography, film, and other media (see black-and-white). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Synopsis of novel

The story is look at early 20th century American race relations. In Hurst's novel, Bea Chipley is a quiet, mousey, Atlantic City teenage girl whose mother passes away, leaving her to keep house for her father (Mr. Chipley) and Bill Pullman, a boarder who peddles ketchup and relish on the boardwalk and sells maple syrup door-to-door on the side. Within a year, her father and Pullman decide that she should marry Pullman, and shortly thereafter Bea becomes pregnant. Her father suffers an incapacitating stroke, confining him to a wheelchair, and Pullman is killed in a train accident. Bea is left to fend for herself, her father, and her infant daughter Jessie. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... A race is a population of humans distinguished from other populations. ...

Bea takes in boarders to defray expenses and assumes Bill's trade of door-to-door maple syrup sales, using his "B. Pullman" business cards to avoid the ubiquitous sexism of 1920's America. To care for her infant daughter and disabled father, Bea Pullman hires Delilah, a black mammy figure, who brings with her a light-skinned infant daughter named Peola. Delilah is a master waffle-maker, and Bea capitalizes on Delilah's skills to open first a single "B. Pullman" waffle restaurant, from which she eventually builds a nation-wide and then international chain of highly successful restaurants. Frank Flake, a striking young man intent on entering medical school, becomes Bea's business manager. The sign of the headquarters of the National Association Opposed To Woman Suffrage Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all differentiations based on sex. ... Mammy is a variant of mother, used most prominently by blacks in the Southern United States since the days of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. ... A French-style waffle. ...

In the meantime, Jessie and Peola have grown up side by side, and Peola is painfully aware of the tension between her white appearance and black racial identity. She continually attempts to pass as white, and Delilah, equally pained by the tension, continually attempts to develop in her a sense of pride about her blackness. Eventually Peola severs all ties, marries a white man, and moves to South America, causing such pain in Delilah that Delilah passes away not too long after. Passing is a persons being regarded as a member of a social class other than his or her own, such as a different sex, race, or disability status, generally with the purpose of gaining social acceptance or of comporting with the persons own cultural or gender identity. ...

As Delilah is slowly dying, Bea is falling in love with Flake, who is eight years her younger. Jessie, by now in her late teens, comes home for a visit just as Bea is planning on selling the "B. Pullman" chain to marry Flake. The three are mired in a love triangle in the last dozen or so pages, resulting in a tragic ending. A love triangle refers to a romantic relationship involving three people. ...

Controversy surrounding novel

Hurst, a white woman, was deeply involved in the Harlem Renaissance, and for a time lived with Zora Neale Hurston. Both Hurston and Langston Hughes claimed to like Imitation of Life, though both revoked their opinion after Sterling Allen Brown lambasted both the book and the first film in a review titled Imitation of Life: Once a Pancake, a reference to a line in the first film. The novel Imitation of Life continues to be highly controversial, as some read it as heavy-handed stereotyping, while others see it as a more subtle and subversive satire of and commentary on race, sex, and class in early 20th century America. Both text and films have remained deeply embedded in American consciousness, for better or worse, as evidenced by Toni Morrison's use of a character named "Pecola" in her 1970 novel The Bluest Eye. The Harlem Renaissancewas a flowering of African-American social thought and culture based in the African-American community forming in Harlem in New York City (USA). ... Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891–January 28, 1960) was an African-American folklorist and author. ... Langston Hughes, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1936 Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, and newspaper columnist. ... Sterling Allen Brown (May 1, 1901 - January 13, 1989) was an influential African-American poet, teacher, and literary critic whose poetry was rooted in folklore sources and black dialect. ... Toni Morrison (born February 18, 1931) is one of the most prominent authors in world literature, having won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. ... The Bluest Eye is a novel by Toni Morrison which details a summer in the life of a young black girl in Lorain, Ohio named Pecola. ...

1934 film

The 1934 film version of Imitation of Life starred Claudette Colbert as Bea, Rochelle Hudson as Jessie, Louise Beavers as Delilah, Fredi Washington as Peola, and Warren William as Steven Archer. Directed by John M. Stahl and adapted from Hurst's novel by William Hurlbut, it was released by Universal Pictures on November 26, 1934, and later re-issued in 1936. 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 - July 30, 1996) was a French-American actress. ... Louise Beavers (March 8, 1902 - October 26, 1962) was a prolific African-American film actress. ... Fredi Washington (Fredericka Carolyn Washington) (December 23, 1903 - June 28, 1994) was an African-American film actress of the 1930s. ... John Malcolm Stahl (January 21, 1886 – January 12, 1950) was an American film director and producer. ... Universal Studios Theme Parks. ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

This Imitation of Life film is a more direct adaptation of Hurst's novel than the 1959 version (below). 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. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... In the first year only of this award it was not made in respect of any specific movie. ...

Plot

Bea Pullman and her daughter Jessie take in housekeeper Delilah Johnson and her daughter Peola, in exchange for room and board. In a short amount of time, Delilah and Peola become family to Jessie and Bea. They particularly enjoy Delilah's pancakes, made from a special family recipe. Bea decides to start a pancake restaurant and later a pancake flour corporation, marketing Delilah as an Aunt Jemima-like figure. Two American-style pancakes A pancake is a batter cake fried in a pan or on a griddle with oil or butter. ... Look up flour on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Aunt Jemima is a trademark for pancake flour, syrup, and other pancake-related comestibles. ...

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, who is unaware at first of her affections. Peola, ashamed of her African American 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, however, a remorseful, crying, and apologetic Peola appears, begging her mother to forgive her for her shame and finally acknowledging in public that she is in fact black. The film ends with Bea breaking her engagement with Steven because of the situation with Jessie. African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... Passing is a persons being regarded as a member of a social class other than his or her own, such as a different sex, race, or disability status, generally with the purpose of gaining social acceptance or of comporting with the persons own cultural or gender identity. ... The Wisconsin Band, known for its unique stop at the top high step, performs at the HHH Metrodome during a football game against arch-rival Minnesota. ... Horses: the meat of kings!!! ... A buddhist style japanese hearse A hearse is a funeral vehicle, a conveyance for the coffin from e. ...

1959 film

Universal remade Imitation of Life in 1959 as a vehicle for Lana Turner. The story was altered so that the black housekeeper helped her white employer achieve fame. This version of Imitation of Life was director Douglas Sirk's final major film, and is considered one of his best. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lana Turner Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 – June 29, 1995) was an American actress famed early in her career for tight sweaters and smoldering sensuality and later in her career for sudsy romance films with maximum tragedy and glamorous gowns. ... Douglas Sirk - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ...

Plot

Turner plays Lora Meredith, a struggling widow with plans to become a famous Broadway actress. She takes in Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore) and her daughter Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner), so that Annie can take care of Meredith's daughter Suzie (Sandra Dee). Meredith becomes a successful star, but at the cost of a true relationship with her daughter, who as a teenager falls for her mother's boyfriend, Steve Archer (John Gavin). Meanwhile, Annie has her own problems with Sarah Jane, who wants to pass for white and runs away from home to do so, causing Annie to fall ill and eventually die of a broken heart. As in the original film, a remorseful Sarah Jane resurfaces during the processional for Annie's lavish funeral, begging her deceased mother to forgive her. However, unlike the 1934 version, the romantic triangle of Lora, Steve and Suzie remains ambiguously unresolved. Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Juanita Moore (born October 19, 1922 in Los Angeles, California) is an African-American actress. ... Susan Kohner (born November 11, 1936 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress. ... Sandra Dee (born April 23, 1942; died February 20, 2005) was an American film actress. ... John Gavin (born John Anthony Golenor on April 8, 1928) is an American film actor and former US Ambassador to Mexico. ...

Release and critical reaction

Sirk's Imitation of Life premiered in New York City on April 17, 1959, and Universal put the film into general release on April 30. Both Moore and Kohner were nominated for the 1960 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The city is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture, and is one of the worlds major global cities (along with London, Tokyo and Paris) with a virtually unrivaled collection of museums, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, international corporations, and stock exchanges. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ...

Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven (2002) is an homage to Sirk's work, in particular Imitation of Life and All That Heaven Allows. Maverick, onetime New Queer Cinema director Todd Haynes (born January 2, 1961, Encino, California, USA) has had a controversial, if short, career. ... 2002 (MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For a description of the medieval homage ceremony see commendation ceremony Homage is generally used in modern English to mean any public show of respect to someone to whom you feel indebted. ... All That Heaven Allows is a 1955 drama and May_September romance in which a well_to_do widow (Jane Wyman), living in a small town, decides to marry a handsome younger man (Rock Hudson) who owns a small landscaping business. ...

Trivia

• Fredi Washington, the actress who plays the light-skinned daughter Peola in the 1934 film, 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.

• In the 1959 film, Sirk depicted the Annie/Sarah Jane relationship with even more melodrama than the original versions of the story, and some critics commented that Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner stole the film from Turner. Sirk later admitted that he had deliberately and subversively undercut Turner to draw focus towards the problems of the two black characters.

• Lana Turner's wardrobe for the 1959 film was, at a cost of over $1.078 million, one of the most expensive in cinema history at that time^[1].

• Mahalia Jackson sings "Trouble of the World" at Annie's funeral in the 1959 film, and receives star billing for doing so (she appears in no other scenes in the film).

• The 1959 Imitation of Life has been a staple of both the American Movie Classics and Turner Classic Movies cable television networks. Both versions of the film are currently available in on a double-sided DVD from Universal Home Entertainment.

Fredi Washington (Fredericka Carolyn Washington) (December 23, 1903 - June 28, 1994) was an African-American film actress of the 1930s. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... ... Susan Kohner (born November 11, 1936 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ... Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson (October 26, 1911–January 13, 1972) was an African American gospel singer, widely regarded as one of the best in the history of the genre. ... AMC was originally a basic cable channel that aired classic movies, largely pre-1950s, in a commercial-free, generally unedited format. ... Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a cable television channel similar to American Movie Classics (AMC) featuring classic movies from the Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. ... Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house Cable television or Community Antenna Television (CATV) (often shortened to cable) is a system of providing television, FM radio programming and other services to consumers via radio frequency si sdfsdfBold textsdfsItalic textddd Bold textgnals transmitted directly to people... DVD (sometimes called Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... Universal Studios logo Universal Studios is an informal designation for NBC Universal Inc. ...

Further reading

• Fischer, Lucy, ed. (1991). Imitation of Life: Douglas Sirk, Director, New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0813516455.

• Handzo, Steven. Imitations of Lifelessness: Sirk's Ironic Melodrama. Bright Lights Film Journal.

References

1. ^  Bright Lights Film Journal : Douglas Sirk: Imitation of Life (See above). URL accessed on November 21, 2005.

November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Imitation of Life (1934) at the Internet Movie Database
• Imitation of Life (1959) at the Internet Movie Database