Universal Pictures was suffering from financial problems in the late '50s. The following year came was a Best Actor nomination for George Cukor's Wild Is the Wind (1957). Released in United States Winter January 1, 1959. 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. "I'm white. Director: Douglas Sirk During her audition, Lora suggests that David rewrite portions of his play, and though angry at first, he soon realizes she is right. 1. 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. Hurst wasn't happy with the book, but after a year of writing, she couldn't afford to turn down an offer of $45,000 for the rights to serialize it in Pictorial Review under the title Sugar House. White! But in Quinn's case, it's all true. After Lora is cast and the play and its new leading actress are hugely successful, the papers report that "a new star is born" on Broadway. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In particular, Imitation of Life (1959) proved that her fans had not rejected her after the scandals surrounding the death of her lover Johnny Stompanato. He was afraid playing a violent racist would damage Donahue's career. - Cinematography: Russell Metty They lost to Shelley Winters in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Natalie Wood. Admission to each screening is $7 . It's a film that will benefit from word-of-mouth, particularly of lipsticked "Imitation of Life may be the most important movie ever made. 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). 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. "Imitation Of Life" was released 53 years ago today, on April 17th, 1959 and below, you'll find five pieces of information that even the biggest Sirk fans might not be aware of. You name it, it's got it!" Lora then meets Sarah Jane's single black mother, Annie Johnson, and a white photographer named Steve Archer, who takes some photographs of the girls. and Turner saying "I'll get the things I want out of lifeone way -- or another." All in the Family was an American version of the British sitcom Till Death Do Us Part that met some initial resistance (ABC rejected the first two pilots) but quickly captivated American audiences and became the country's top-rated TV show. into a masterpiece of film writing. For Lana Turner, that hit a little too close to home, and she hesitated. 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. It was in Ireland that O'Connor started acting in several local productions. - Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide The novel was a huge success and it was made into a film in 1934, starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers, directed by John Stahl. November 30, 1981. There she majored in philosophy at University of California at Berkeley though she didn't graduate (the school later gave her an honorary degree). Leading man John Gavin was being groomed for stardom at Universal, where he was seen as a younger version of Rock Hudson. All seating is unreserved. 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. 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. (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.) An aspiring white actress takes in an African-American widow whose mixed-race daughter is desperate to be seen as white. Along the way, Quinn also dabbled in professional boxing (he quit after his 17th match, the first he lost) and street-corner preaching. material -- at least for a matinee." . Closed captioning. Turner agreed, and the film succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Carroll O'Connor - who died June 21st at the age of 76 - will be best remembered for portraying Archie Bunker on TV's All in the Family but his career actually was much more extensive. But both women suffer heartbreak caused by their daughters. . 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. A key role in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) only confirmed his talents while he again earned a Best Actor nomination for the unforgettable lead role in Zorba the Greek (1964). Lemmon was truly a one-of-a-kind actor and his track record for acclaimed performances is truly remarkable: 8 Oscar nominations (he won Best Supporting Actor for Mister Roberts (1955) and Best Actor for Save the Tiger (1973), a Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, 8 British Academy Award nominations, 4 Emmy Award nominations, numerous Golden Globe nominations, a two-time Best Actor winner at the Cannes Film Festival, the list goes on and on. To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers: Two mothers, one white, one black, face problems with their rebellious daughters. Before graduating, he followed his brother to another college in Ireland (he would later get a Masters in speech from Montana). At the same time, her African-American housekeeper finds herself rejected by her light-skinned daughter who wants to pass for white. At the studio's suggestion, Turner took her daughter to the premiere. Very few actors today can match Lemmon's range on the screen. The following year came was a Best Actor nomination for George Cukor's Wild Is the Wind (1957). A demographic study of the film audience in 1960 surprised executives by revealing that 30 percent of the audience for movies was African-American. Quinn married his third wife in 1997; they had one son. He had already played the lead in Douglas Sirk's A Time to Love, and a Time to Die (1958). "You know I still have you in my blood, don't you?" Imitation of Life. But there was a serious side too. O'Connor even auditioned for the part of the Skipper in the TV series, Gilligan's Island, but it was his role as Archie Bunker in a 1971 sitcom that made him a star. It was in Ireland that O'Connor started acting in several local productions. 8. From poverty and childhood accidents to brutal abuse and depressive episodes, here are some heartbreaking details about Natalie Wood's life. Only producer Ross Hunter was consistently delivering solid box office returns. By Lang Thompson scene has white Troy Donahue brutally beating date Kohner, who he has learned Director and comic star went on to make five more films: Irma la Douce (1963), The Fortune Cookie (1966), Avanti! Oddly enough, in Viva Zapata! By Lang Thompson. Both Moore and Kohner were 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. The sometimes cynical comic sense of director Billy Wilder provided Lemmon with the perfect complement. -- Lypsinka, "My Favorite It had no cast members from the earlier series and only lasted six episodes.) 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. 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. In a passionate and witty behind-the-scenes expose, Sam Quinn was a pope in The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), an Islamic leader in The Message (1976), a thinly disguised Aristotle Onassis in The Greek Tycoon (1978) and an assortment of gangsters, con men, military leaders and what have you. Producer: Ross Hunter In Cowboy (1958), Lemmon plays a city slicker venturing out on the wild frontier. Today, we pay tribute to the star with a look into her home life -- her early home life. The couple were married on a train of rebel soldiers. "Sirk's last movie in Hollywood is a coldly brilliant weepie, a rags-to-riches Tragically, Ms. Dee died on February 20 at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. 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. He continued to sculpt and paint for the rest of his life while also becoming a noted art collector. Why IMITATION OF LIFE is Essential Waters featured references to the film in both Female Trouble (1974) and Desperate Living (1977). Editor: Milton Carruth But there was a serious side too. Onscreen, Lemmon's characters often found that they were the wrong men for their jobs. previous biographies of movies: All About All About every film fan. Quinn again won Best Supporting Actor playing painter Paul Gauguin Lust for Life (1956) which at the time was the shortest on-screen time to win an acting Oscar. 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. A year later, Lemmon hit the major leagues when he supported Hollywood heavyweights Henry Fonda, James Cagney and William Powell in Mister Roberts (1955). Thanks to its provocative themes, the novel was a huge success. 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. 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. Rather than dictating the way a scene should be played, he would take each actor aside, suggest what he wanted and ask how he or she felt about it. 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. Mature for her age, Sandra's mother kept the lie going when she began her modeling career. Susie, who has suffered from her busy mother's lack of attention despite the material advantages Lora has provided her, looks forward to taking a trip with Steve and Lora, but the plans are canceled when Lora excitedly accepts a coveted role in an Italian film. Born to be Hurt will be available from most major bookstores and online book retailers on February 17th. 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. Quinn worked with Marlon Brando who he had replaced in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire. No fun." (1954), another lightweight romantic comedy. Troy Donahue died September 2nd at the age of 65. Lemmon was truly a one-of-a-kind actor and his track record for acclaimed performances is truly remarkable: 8 Oscar nominations (he won Best Supporting Actor for Mister Roberts (1955) and Best Actor for Save the Tiger (1973), a Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, 8 British Academy Award nominations, 4 Emmy Award nominations, numerous Golden Globe nominations, a two-time Best Actor winner at the Cannes Film Festival, the list goes on and on. He also occasionally played Helen Hunt's father on Mad About You. 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). 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. "I'm going up and up and up, and nobody's going to pull me down!" 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) saucy, and incisive, this is irresistible reading for When no arguments could convince her to return to the church and shoot the scene, her makeup woman slapped her in the face, breaking her out of her hysterics. At the age of 11 he won a sculpture award and shortly after began studying architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright. Quoting the actress herself, she claimed, "I'm . But that's just one of many incidents in a life that can only be described as colorful. At a suburban theatre in the Philadelphia area, the manager stood in the lobby at the film's end with a box of Kleenex for sobbing patrons. While Mankiewicz's contribution had clearly been underappreciated, most of Kael's conclusions and even some of her factual basis have been disproven though she never bothered to revise the essay. 2023 Turner Classic Movies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Quinn was a pope in The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), an Islamic leader in The Message (1976), a thinly disguised Aristotle Onassis in The Greek Tycoon (1978) and an assortment of gangsters, con men, military leaders and what have you. These Natalie Wood massive butt photos are positive to depart you mesmerized and awestruck. She was all I had." TCM REMEMBERS JACK LEMMON 1925-2001 (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.) In addition to the usual writer's assortment of jobs (seamstress, cook, retail clerk) she started writing about film in 1953; her first review was of Charlie Chaplin's Limelight which she disliked. "Stunningly produced but dully acted, making its racially sensitive plot seem But it was the 1950s when Quinn broke out. is black." Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel 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). -- Moore's deathbed confession. 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." She had been hospitalized for the last two weeks for treatment of kidney disease, and had developed pneumonia. Internationalen Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen 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." African-American actress Juanita Moore Problems arise when Lemmon falls for his boss's paramour - it gets even more complicated when she tries to kill herself in his pad! one of the most popular films of the '50s--a split Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel Natalie Wood first saw Robert Wagner when she was just 10 years old and swore she was "going to marry him" someday, per People. Sarah Jane is furious, exclaiming, "I'm somebody else, I'm white." Universal-International Pictures Co., Inc. Hollywood, California, United States; Los Angeles--Moulin Rouge nightclub, California, United States, SYNOPSIS His parents were involved in Pancho Villa's revolutionary struggle and must have made a striking couple since the father was half Irish and mother Mexican Indian. For a brief, quicksilver period of the early '60s, Sandra Dee was the quintessential sweet, perky, All-American girl, and films such as Gidget and Tammy Tell Me True only reinforced the image that young audiences identified with on the screen. by Frank Miller, Imitation of Life is one of only two dramatic films to feature gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. tale of two intertwined families, in which the materialist optimism is -- Gavin, as Steve, meeting Turner after she's become a star. The Apartment (1960) focused on a working stiff who lends his home to his supervisors for their extramarital affairs. He combined elements of screwball and slapstick comedy with his own self-deprecating humor to create satiric portraits of the contemporary American male. Imitation Of Life (1959) -- (Movie Clip) A Falling Star! One cold day, Annie brings Sarah Jane's galoshes to school, where she discovers that her daughter has been trying to conceal her race from her classmates. He combined elements of screwball and slapstick comedy with his own self-deprecating humor to create satiric portraits of the contemporary American male. Yet she would prove her versatility as a performer the following year - 1959, when she scored in the three biggest films of the year:A Summer Place, a brooding melodrama with fellow teen-heartthrob, Troy Donohue; Imitation of Life, a glossy, Ross Hunter sudser; and of course Gidget, the archetypical, sand and surf movie. 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. If a novelist had invented a character like Quinn, she would be accused of unbelievable invention. Natalie Wood would have been 75 today. 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 "I think it's impeccably made Hollywood trash - a watchable, laughable, -- Troy Donahue, as Frankie, confronting Susan Kohner, as Sarah Jane, about her race. By Lang Thompson 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. Is it true? Director Douglas Sirk worked gently with his actors. He returned to the U.S. for his Broadway debut in 1958 and shortly after started to appear on numerous TV shows like The Untouchables and Naked City. Viva Zapata! On February 2, 1959, Hollywood Reporter reprinted the following wire sent by LA Tribune editor Almena Lomac to numerous white publications: "Imitation of Lifeis a libel on the Negro race. The drama of Annie that is rejected by her daughter, in a time when color of people was a watershed, is heartbreaking and the best subplot. By the late `60s, as "youth culture" movies became more confrontational and less frivolous with references to open sexuality and drugs in the American landscape, Dee's career began to peter out. Hunter insisted on maintaining a lavish production, despite a tight budget. Both Kohner and Moore won Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress. 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 rest of his career might be summed up by the year 1991 when he gathered critical acclaim for his appearance in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, was nominated for a Razzie as Worst Actor in Mobsters, co-starred with Bo Derek in Ghosts Can't Do It, worked beside John Candy and Macaulay Culkin in Chris Columbus' Only the Lonely and made a film so obscure it appears to have never appeared on video. Lemmon waived his salary to act in Save the Tiger (1973), the 'great American tragedy' of a businessman at the end of his rope. Cast & Crew Read More Douglas Sirk Director Lana Turner Lora Meredith John Gavin Steve Archer Sandra Dee Susie Meredith, age sixteen Susan Kohner Sarah Jane [Johnson], age eighteen Robert Alda Allen Loomis Photos & Videos View All In exchange for her small room, Annie offers to keep house and look after Susie while Lora seeks acting and modeling jobs. 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). 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. (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.) A modern source reported that Sirk had read the novel before directing this film, but had not seen the 1934 film. "Fine performances and direction overcome possible soapiness to make this picture and a dark commentary on ambition, motherhood, It was Wright in fact who suggested the possibility of acting to Quinn and even paid for an operation to cure a speech impediment. Katalog Catalogue. Music: Frank Skinner -- Karin Dicker, as the young Sarah Jane Johnson, beginning to question her position as an African-American. Was considered to play the role of the young daughter of Lana Turner in the classic melodrama directed by Douglas Sirk. Best Drama. 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. By Cino Niles & Jeff Stafford In the early Sixties she engaged in an infamous and surprisingly bitter debate with critic Andrew Sarris among others about the merits of auteurism, the French-born philosophy that believes the director is the chief creative person behind any film. Among the directors citing Sirk as an influence on their own work are John Waters and the late Rainer Werner Fassbinder. 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. As the long cortege moves slowly along the street, Sarah Jane pushes through the crowds, flings herself on her mother's coffin, and weeps hysterically. At around 8 a.m., Wood's body was found about a mile south of the couple's yacht, off an isolated cove known as Blue Cavern Point. Archie became such an icon that his chair is now preserved in the Smithsonian. give an imitation of life. 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. Based on the novel by Fannie Hurst Eve, Close-Up On Sunset Boulevard, and When Though The Apartment was a comic success, with each passing year the film's serious side seems even more dark and derisive. Quinn again won Best Supporting Actor playing painter Paul Gauguin Lust for Life (1956) which at the time was the shortest on-screen time to win an acting Oscar. She wrote for several small publications and did a radio show on the groundbreaking network KPFA before finally landing a job at the high-profile McCall's only to be fired shortly after she panned The Sound of Music (1965) (which she called The Sound of Money). Later, Lora invents a lie that gets her into the office of Allen Loomis, a well-known theatrical agent, but when he tries to make love to her, arguing that a successful actress must be willing to satisfy such requests, she angrily leaves. 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. Not many actors can boast that they've inspired a Bob Dylan song but Anthony Quinn - who passed away June 3rd at the age of 86 - was one of the select few. Archie became such an icon that his chair is now preserved in the Smithsonian. Natalie Wood was 42 when she died. Supporting Actress, with Kohner winning the award. 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. (1952) provided him a wonderful role which he used to win a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. With her fetching blonde curls and pretty face, Dee found herself moving up quickly on the modeling ladder. Quinn divorced DeMille's daughter and married the costumer. But beneath that comedian's facade, the actor had a very serious side, which occasionally surfaced in such films as Days of Wine and Roses (1962) or Costa-Gavras' political thriller Missing (1982). (Plume). Years later, the pair met on Natalie's 18th birthday for a date. 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. The film was a major box office success. From sexual antics to social critique, Lemmon and Wilder sharpened their comic knives on the hypocrisies they saw in American culture. Meanwhile, Lora and Susie argue over Steve. In April of 1958, Lana Turner's teenage daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed Lana's mobster lover, Johnny Stompanato, to death. A August 21, 1958 Hollywood Reporter article states that thirty members of the Donn Arden Revue appeared in the musical number shot at the Moulin Rouge nightclub. Miss Lora, I killed my mother." Back home, Annie tells Lora, who has just returned from Europe, that she will no longer interfere in her daughter's life, adding that she does hope to help her wayward daughter somehow. She was 60. "All the kids talking behind my back! He went to Columbia University and started acting in small theatrical roles which eventually led to film appearances, the earliest ones uncredited. He always used real flowers on the sets, and the jewelry was the real thing, too, supplied by Laykin et Cie. The outcome of this boycott is not known. Kael was born June 19, 1919 in Petaluma, California but moved with her family to San Francisco during her teens. Screenplay: Eleanore Griffin, Allan Scott, based on the novel by Fannie Hurst Cinematography: Russell Metty 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. 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. 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. The same year Imitation of Life hit movie theatres and became a best seller all over again, the book's inspiration, Zora Neale Hurston, died forgotten and penniless in Florida.
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