He always used real flowers on the sets, and the jewelry was the real thing, too, supplied by Laykin et Cie. Internationalen Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen mouth." Producer: Ross Hunter -- Gavin, as Steve, meeting Turner after she's become a star. He eventually returned to his native Germany, where he taught film and made a few experimental pictures. The Apartment (1960) focused on a working stiff who lends his home to his supervisors for their extramarital affairs. 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. played her servant and dearest friend, and Sandra Dee It was made into a film in 1934, starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers, directed by John Stahl. Editing: Milton Carruth Lora breaks down, but sees to it that Annie has the elaborate funeral she had requested. Just then, Loomis offers her a role in a new comedy by well-known writer David Edwards, but Steve forbids her to visit Loomis, prompting her to accuse him of settling for less in his own career. She had been in 52 films and a star since she was 7. Between theatrical gigs, he played piano accompaniment to silent films shown at the Knickerbocker Music Hall in New York. Even though she was currently the subject of a major scandal after daughter Cheryl Crane killed Turner's lover, mobster Johnny Stompanato, Hunter insisted on offering her the role. She was best known for ingenue roles that traded on her youthful appeal. C-125m. in the heartbreak of the black-passing-for-white Lana Turner in Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of Famous Quotes from IMITATION OF LIFE He had just completed the title role in Avenging Angelo (with Sylvester Stallone) at the time of his death. Turner agreed, and the film succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. 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). This is life as they would like to believe it, and it makes good movie While developing the re-make, Hunter took Fannie Hurst to lunch and asked for her ideas about updating the story. Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscars for their searing portrayals of the African-American mother and daughter. 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. "I'm white. Imitation of Life movie images: Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library. No fun." 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). She was 60. 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. Lemmon plays her levelheaded boyfriend but finds himself on the sidelines when the suave and sophisticated Peter Lawford appears on the scene. "Imitation of Life may be the most important movie ever made. He had just completed the title role in Avenging Angelo (with Sylvester Stallone) at the time of his death. But it was the 1950s when Quinn broke out. Very few actors today can match Lemmon's range on the screen. In New York, the film premiered at the Roxy, the same theatre at which the 1934 version had opened. (Director Elia Kazan tried to start a rivalry between the two actors but they were great admirers of each other.) 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). She was all I had." Quoting the actress herself, she claimed, "I'm . "Fine performances and direction overcome possible soapiness to make this Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers played the mothers, with Rochelle Hudson and Fredi Washington as their daughters. -- Kohner realizing the error of her ways. Though The Apartment was a comic success, with each passing year the film's serious side seems even more dark and derisive. At the beginning of the film, directed by Laurent Bouzereau, Wood's older daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, describes hearing, at age eleven, of her mother's shocking and mysterious death, in . ANTHONY QUINN, 1915-2001 Life.com unearthed these gems, which show her relaxing poolside at her first home and entertaining a few guests (including an impossibly young Dennis Hopper) in style.I highly recommend a trip over to Life.com to see their other images of Natalie Wood, along with . The plot formula would not have stood up in today's era of integration when a Negro who owned half a successful corporation could buy her own home in any area that pleased her." Hunter insisted on maintaining a lavish production, despite a tight budget. producer Music by Cinematography by Russell Metty . "Imitation of Life crosses a succession of emotional bridges, hitting It's a film that will benefit from word-of-mouth, particularly of lipsticked In the background of her public rise to fame, Wood survived some of the worst situations life could throw at someone, just to mysteriously drown in a still-unsolved incident at only 43 years old. racial identity, and hope lost and found. 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. She also thought the plot about a single mother who discovers her teenaged daughter and she are in love with the same man was a little too close to the rumors about a romantic triangle involving herself, her daughter and Stompanato. But it was the 1950s when Quinn broke out. From Broadway and early TV appearances to Hollywood, Lemmon moved West to make his screen debut in It Should Happen to You (1954), opposite Judy Holliday in a variation of her 'dumb blonde' persona that had won her an Oscar for Born Yesterday (1952). Miss Lora, I killed my mother." Sirk is able to make such a devastatingly embittered and pessimistic movie." Times. Imitation of Life received Photoplay magazine's Laurel Award for The closer he gets to his goal, the clearer it becomes that a government conspiracy is behind his son's disappearance. But there was a serious side too. Quinn also appeared on stage in 1936 playing opposite Mae West. Authorities classified her death as an accident, concluding the 43-year-old star of "West Side Story," who. Director Douglas Sirk worked gently with his actors. 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. 1959, World premiere in Chicago, IL: 17 Mar 1959; Los Angeles opening: 20 Mar 1959; New York opening: 17 Apr 1959. 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. Today, we pay tribute to the star with a look into her home life -- her early home life. If a novelist had invented a character like Quinn, she would be accused of unbelievable invention. She also had a limousine and driver at her disposal. At the age of 11 he won a sculpture award and shortly after began studying architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright. Annie then introduces herself to Sarah Jane's white friend as Sarah Jane's former nanny and leaves, but not before Sarah Jane tearfully embraces her. Things." We strive to provide reliability in our movie trivia database, and we . But there was a serious side too. Lora and Susie gently lead her into the hearse, where they reassure her that she did not cause her mother's death. 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. One day, Annie tells Lora to make certain all her possessions are left to Sarah Jane and then, after reassuring her old friend that she is "going to glory," dies. The opening and closing cast credits vary in order. -- Karin Dicker, as the young Sarah Jane Johnson, beginning to question her position as an African-American. Compiled by Frank Miller & Jeff Stafford, In April of 1958, Lana Turner's teenage daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed Lana's mobster lover, Johnny Stompanato to death. Released in United States Winter January 1, 1959. SAM STAGGS is the author of four books, including three 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. The other notorious controversy occured in 1971 with her essay "Raising Kane" which was intended to show that screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz deserved as much if not more credit for Citizen Kane (1941) than Orson Welles. It was in Ireland that O'Connor started acting in several local productions. Ben Mankiewicz Intro -- Imitation Of Life (1959), Alicia Malone Intro -- Imitation Of Life (1959), Imitation Of Life (1959) -- (Movie Clip) A Maid To Live In, Imitation Of Life (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Ten Seconds Before You Die, Apr Music: Frank Skinner Admission to each screening is $7 . By Lang Thompson, - 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. Dr. Joseph Choi, a deputy medical examiner at . the heart with each step in one of the best Universal films of recent years. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org. Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner both received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and Kohner won a Golden Globe in the same category. While Lora is filming in Italy, Steve looks after Susie, and the eager teenager soon falls in love with him. Turner Classic Movies cherishes the memory of this remarkable talent. Troy Donahue died September 2nd at the age of 65. 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 To these two roles Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner bring a But both women suffer heartbreak caused by their daughters. Susanna "Susan" Kohner is an American retired actress who worked in film and television. Along the way, Quinn also dabbled in professional boxing (he quit after his 17th match, the first he lost) and street-corner preaching. Problems arise when Lemmon falls for his boss's paramour - it gets even more complicated when she tries to kill herself in his pad! Before graduating, he followed his brother to another college in Ireland (he would later get a Masters in speech from Montana). Despite its success, it was also Sirk's last commercial feature. Supporting Actress, with Kohner winning the award. 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. Cinematography: Russell Metty A journal about film, music, literature and any other form of imitation of life. 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. Quinn's acting debut was in 1936 initially in a handful of barely noticable spots as an extra until he landed a speaking role in Cecil B. DeMille's The Plainsman, supposedly on the recommendation of the film's star, Gary Cooper. By 1970, it had made over $25 million worldwide. . 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). Sarah Jane is furious, exclaiming, "I'm somebody else, I'm white." 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 couple were married on a train of rebel soldiers. Lana Turner was back on top, and a rich woman as well. They give an imitation of movie acting at its less Director: Douglas Sirk Quinn was born April 21, 1915 in Mexico. Quinn continued in film parts that gathered acclaim: Crazy Horse in They Died With Their Boots On (1941), a gambler in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), a soldier in Guadalcanal Diary (1943). As Ensign Pulver, a deckhand who avoids work whenever possible, Lemmon won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar®. ANTHONY QUINN, 1915-2001 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. -- Moore's deathbed confession. Rosie, and Doctor, You've Got To Be Kidding (both 1967) were pretty dreadful and were disasters at the box-office; and her divorce from Bobby Darin that same year, put a dent in her personal life, so Dee wisely took a sabbatical from the limelight for a few years. Letterboxed. At the age of 11 he won a sculpture award and shortly after began studying architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright. A year after the film came out, Brazilian television presented a telenovella based on the book. African-American actress Juanita Moore An aspiring white actress takes in an African-American widow whose mixed-race daughter is desperate to be seen as white. -- Kohner, as Sarah Jane, rejecting her mother, Moore, as Annie Johnson. And Natalie's own sister, Lana Wood deemed a credible source by detectiveshas spent years publicly sharing her doubts that Wood's death was an accident and demanding that Wagner, her . 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). C-125m. As Lambert points out, she had reached the age when iconic actresses stop being stars. Steve, now a company vice-president, learns that Sarah Jane is working as a chorus girl in Los Angeles, and Annie, convinced she is dying, flies to California for one last look at her daughter. Not only was there a music system in her dressing room, but Hunter even hired somebody to operate it for her. By Margarita Landazuri. The Mirror Crack'd. . Produced - inevitably - by Ross Hunter. 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. But she was deeply in debt, and she needed to work. Music: Frank Skinner 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. 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. 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. Lemmon brought a new comic persona to Hollywood films. The idea for remaking Imitation of Life came up in 1956, when Hunter was looking for a follow-up to All That Heaven Allows (1955), a hit romance co-starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in the romance of an older woman and younger man. Oscar-nominated as Best Supporting Shown at London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival March 13-27, 1997. Kael never shied away from controversy as two other events proved. It had no cast members from the earlier series and only lasted six episodes.) 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. install aisle scuppers to drain off the tears." (Director Elia Kazan tried to start a rivalry between the two actors but they were great admirers of each other.) 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. -- Lypsinka, "My Favorite "When passed before the moviegoer's eyes, it may force theatre owners to The film is. 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). Turner agreed, and the film succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. by Michael T. Toole, PAULINE KAEL 1919-2001 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. 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 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. degree of emotion that virtually dissolved the audience watching the film with to condemn, oppose and picket it, too." continually counterpointed by an emphasis upon racial tension and the 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. The funeral scene hit a little too close to home for Turner. 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. Quinn continued in film parts that gathered acclaim: Crazy Horse in They Died With Their Boots On (1941), a gambler in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), a soldier in Guadalcanal Diary (1943). gowns by Jean Louis, garish Technicolor, irony, Oscar®-nominated every film fan. personality drama that's both an irresistible women's The Apartment (1960) focused on a working stiff who lends his home to his supervisors for their extramarital affairs. 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). 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. -- Sandra Dee, as Susie. director Sirk's masterpiece. 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). ( ) ( : ampas) . But both women suffer heartbreak caused by their daughters. "It's drama. At the time, Hollywood didn't release films to black theatres until they had played out in other markets. vouchers) and made her film debut in Until They Sail (1957), starring Joan Fontaine, John Gavin. If some producer with a hand as cold as a toad wants to do a painting of you in the nude, you'll accommodate him for a very small part." TCM REMEMBERS CARROLL O'CONNOR 1924-2001 Cinematography: Russell Metty 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. It has - 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. 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. With her fetching blonde curls and pretty face, Dee found herself moving up quickly on the modeling ladder. Universal Pictures was suffering from financial problems in the late '50s. She claimed to never see a movie more than once or to change her mind about it later. 1. lamentable soap opera/"women's picture"/"problem" picture.The most honest 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). By Lang Thompson. Natalie Wood was first considered for the part of Turner's daughter, but eventually Universal went with its own contract player, Sandra Dee, whom they were grooming for stardom. 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). In It Should Happen to You, Holliday plays a struggling actress who soon wins fast fame as the product of promotion. me. The author combines vast research, extensive interviews In It Should Happen to You, Holliday plays a struggling actress who soon wins fast fame as the product of promotion. He had already played the lead in Douglas Sirk's A Time to Love, and a Time to Die (1958). One of the most mysterious aspects of Natalie's death is the setting, as Entertainment Weekly reported back in 1992. (1972), The Front Page (1974) and Buddy Buddy (1981). Cowboy is based on the autobiography of Frank Harris, and, like the author, Lemmon found himself adapting to the rough and tumble lifestyle on the trail. Hunter offered Turner the starring role in a remake of Imitation of Life (1934). Although Imitation of Life put Kohner on the fast track to stardom (she had three other features that year), she retired from acting in 1964 when she wed fashion designer John Weitz. Susie (Sandra Dee) and Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner) are now teens, Lora (Lana Turner) now a Broadway star and Annie (Juanita Moore) still her backup, when old flame Steve (John Gavin) shows up at a premiere party ten years later, in producer Ross Hunter's, Imitation Of Life (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Foolish Together, Single mom and aspiring actress Lora (Lana Turner), embarrassed by Christmas attention from Steve (John Gavin), as housekeeper/roommate Annie (Juanita Moore) takes a call from agent Loomis (Robert Alda), representing Edwards (Dan O'Herlihy), in Douglas Sirk's hit, Imitation Of Life (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Title Song, Credits, Earl Grant's vocal, Sammy Fain and Paul Thomas Webster's song, the especially evocative title sequence, from producer Ross Hunter and director Douglas Sirk's hit melodrama, Imitation of Life (1959) - (Original Trailer), Two mothers, one white, one black, face problems with their rebellious daughters in Douglas Sirk's, Michael Phillips Intro -- Imitation Of Life (1959). To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers: Two mothers, one white, one black, face problems with their rebellious daughters. into a masterpiece of film writing. 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. 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 It was appraised at $1 million. 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.
