LanaTurner..Scenes from 'Imitation of Life'.. (1959 film)

'Imitation of Life' is a 1959 American film directed by Douglas Sirk, produced by Ross Hunter and released by Universal Pictures, starring Lana Turner and John Gavin and features Sandra Dee, Dan O'Herlihy, Susan Kohner, Robert Alda and Juanita Moore as Annie Johnson. Gospel music star Mahalia Jackson appears as a church choir soloist. The film is an adaptation of Fannie Hurst's novel of the same name. It is the second film adaptation of the novel. The first film was released in 1934.


Plot
In 1947, Lora Meredith (Lana Turner), a struggling white widow with plans to become a famous Broadway actress, loses track of her young daughter Suzie at the beach (portrayed as a child by Terry Burnham), and requests the help of a stranger named Steve Archer (John Gavin) to help her find the girl. Suzie is found and looked after by Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore), a black widow with a daughter, Sarah Jane (portrayed as a child by Karin Dicker), who is about Suzie's age and, unlike her mother, is very light-skinned to the point of appearing to be white. In return for her kindness, Lora takes Annie in temporarily. Despite the fact that Lora cannot afford a nanny, Annie persuades Lora to let her stay and take care of Suzie, so that Lora can pursue an acting career.

With struggles along the way, Meredith becomes a successful star of stage comedies, with Alan Loomis (Robert Alda) as her agent and David Edwards (Dan O'Herlihy) as her chief playwright. Although Lora had begun a romantic relationship with Steve Archer, the stranger she met at the beach, their courtship falls apart because of Lora's ambition to be a star. Lora's tight focus on her career also prevents her from spending time with her daughter, who sees more of Annie than she does her own mother. Annie and Sarah Jane have their own struggles, as the light-skinned Sarah Jane is in a constant state of turmoil over her identity and steadfastly wants to pass for white. Sarah Jane's anger at being black translates into animosity towards her long-suffering mother.

The film progresses eleven years later to 1958, finding Lora as a highly regarded Broadway star living in a luxurious home in New York. Annie continues to live with her, serving all at once as nanny, housekeeper, confidant and best friend. After rejecting David's latest script (and his marriage proposal), Lora takes a role in a dramatic play. At the show's after-party, she meets Steve, whom she hasn't seen in one decade. The two slowly begin rekindling their relationship, and Steve is reintroduced to Annie and the now-teenaged Suzie (Sandra Dee) and Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner). When Lora is signed to star in an Italian motion picture, she leaves Steve to watch after Suzie, and the teenager develops an unrequited crush on her mother's boyfriend.



Adolescence has not stopped Sarah Jane from attempting to pass for white: she begins dating a white boy (Troy Donohue), who severely beats her after learning that she has black blood. Some time later, Sarah Jane passes for white in order to get a job performing at a seedy nightclub, and lies to Annie and tells her she is working at the library. When Annie learns the truth and appears to claim her daughter, Sarah Jane is fired, and Sarah Jane's subsequent dismissal of her mother's care begins taking a physical and mental toll on Annie. Lora returns from her trip to Italy to find that Sarah Jane has run away from home, and has Steve hire a detective to find her. The detective locates Sarah Jane in California, living as a white woman under an assumed name and working as a chorus girl. Annie, becoming weaker and more depressed by the day, flies out to California to see her daughter one last time and say goodbye.

Annie is bedridden upon her return to New York, and Lora and Suzie both look after her. The issue of Suzie's crush on Steve becomes a serious issue when Suzie learns that Steve and Lora are to be married, and Lora learns from Annie of Suzie's crush on her fiancé. After a confrontation with her mother, Suzie decides to go away to school in Denver, Colorado to forget about Steve. Not long after Suzie leaves, however, the now gravely ill Annie passes away, presumably "of a broken heart".

Per her last wishes, Annie is given a lavish funeral in a large church, complete with a gospel choir (and a solo by gospel star Mahalia Jackson) and a parade-like procession with a horse-drawn hearse. Just before the procession begins, however, a remorseful Sarah Jane tears through the crowd of mourners and throws herself upon her mother's casket, begging forgiveness. Lora takes Sarah Jane to their limousine to join her, Suzie, and Steve as the procession slowly travels through the city.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Lana
• Turner..Imitation
• of
• Life..John
• Gavin..Sandra
• Dee..Susan
• Kohner..
• Juanita
• Moore..1959
• films..race..love..a
• mother's
• love..a
• broken
• heart.
• biracial..

[marchaelic08]

eah remember..i think she just protecting her mom then from that guy..

[valentinolover70]

@marchaelic08

Yes, I believe that too. She was 13 at the time according to Wiki.

[marchaelic08]

Thank you Angie for sharing me this beautiful scene. If i'm mistaken (hope i'm not, YaY!) Lana was once married or in a long relationship with a Filipino guy. I used to hear her name a lot when i was little. :)

Thanks Angie. Big hug n' kisses to u! :)

[valentinolover70]

@marchaelic08 Cheryl killed him with a knife. (or Lana)

[icapricorn2]

The two killer scenes from Imitation of Life. Beautifully stylized by Douglas Sirk. And acted with sincerity and truth -- quite an accomplishment when the plotline is this melodramatic. Yet the two actresses work against it, reigning themselves in, not hamming it up. Kohner at the end goes over the top but I think most of us go with her.

[TheVineyarder]

never be afraid to tell someone you love them..never be ashamed of what you are..how awful to be ashamed of what you are or where you came from

[BALISONCLARK]

One of the Greatest movie of all times! The pure emotion and intensity is what the movies are suppose to be. What great acting.

[Rosina2727]

Hi again Valentino. Can you help? I would love to write to this lady? Juanita Moore? I keep asking google is she still alive? I cant find the answer? I am very very tearful this morning as the most horrendous scenes come to mind with my mum. Also, does anyone agree that Susan Kohner looked a bit like Amy Winehouse? tyso much. Its brought back happy memories of the movie, but horrendous ones with my mum. ty. Rosina Lock

[Rosina2727]

Valentinolover70? I would love to thank you so much for showing part of Imitation of Life? I saw this as a little girl? I would have given anything for my mum to be like that lady? This film just makes me cry! One of the loveliest films ive ever seen! I loved my mum, she just never loved me, My mum died and my 6 half sisters never told me? they also threw the wreath of her grave. I am abs. devasted. I needed to cry this morning. ty so much! Now I need to write the truth! tyvm Rosina Lock

[thecandykissme]

@valentinolover70 How is your foot now Angie?

I hope it is better now!! I will send the video if

you want me to. It is hard to look through favorites.

You can just look through my videos on channel

if you want because i don't have that many. lol

I have deleted some on countrychloe and i am

trying to get up the nerve to remove more. ):

It is so sad! ): I don't want to lose my channel.

[valentinolover70]

@thecandykissme

I am sooo happy to hear that Vicki!!

I am smiling even though my foot hurts. Lol

Hugs and kisses to you and sweet Teddy.

Angie P.S,

If you think of it, would you send his video so

I can look at it? It takes me forever to sort through

my favs. :-))

[thecandykissme]

@valentinolover70 Hi Angie, Teddy is so happy

and he is doing really good now. He is back

to playing like a kitten again!! ^-^

Love you,

Vicki

[marchaelic08]

@valentinolover70

ohh God, she's still a baby..it must be that bad that why she did what she did..