He lives in Dallas, Texas. 8. By all accounts, O'Connor was nothing like Archie Bunker; in fact, O'Connor was an active anti-drug crusader, partly the result of his son's drug-related suicide. Lora Meredith. He was busy in a variety of films during this periods - notably Parrish (1961) and Rome Adventure (1962) - but also starred in the TV series Surfside 6 (1960) and Hawaiian Eye (1962 and predating Hawaii Five-O by several years). 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). 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. is black." daughter in the 1950s. films. Natalie Zacharenko (later Natasha Gurdin) was born of Russian immigrants. Lora breaks down, but sees to it that Annie has the elaborate funeral she had requested. performances. Imitation of Life became Universal's top-grossing film to that time, and Turner's most successful film ever. Famous Quotes from IMITATION OF LIFE "I'm sorry, Mama. (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.) 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. 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). This video shows clips from the original 1934 film "Imitation of Life" directed by John Stall . After Lana Turner's success in Peyton Place (1957), which pointed to a new career for her as the star of big-screen soap operas, she was Universal's only choice for the female lead. previous biographies of movies: All About All About Both Moore and Kohner were 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. AWARDS & HONORS Closed captioning. Imitation of Life. 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. Imitation of Life received Photoplay magazine's Laurel Award for Lemmon brought a new comic persona to Hollywood films. Music: Frank Skinner These Natalie Wood massive butt photos are positive to depart you mesmerized and awestruck. As Ensign Pulver, a deckhand who avoids work whenever possible, Lemmon won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar®. (It also produced one of TV's oddest spinoffs in1994's 704 Hauser about a multi-racial family living in Archie Bunker's old house. "If the dramatist's club want to eat and sleep with you, you'll eat and sleep with them. (Director Elia Kazan tried to start a rivalry between the two actors but they were great admirers of each other.) Natalie Wood was 42 when she died. 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. One of the most mysterious aspects of Natalie's death is the setting, as Entertainment Weekly reported back in 1992. As Ensign Pulver, a deckhand who avoids work whenever possible, Lemmon won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar®. Produced - inevitably - by Ross Hunter. It was made into a film in 1934, starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers, directed by John Stahl. Stop trying to shift people around as though they were pawns on a stage." 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). Lemmon waived his salary to act in Save the Tiger (1973), the 'great American tragedy' of a businessman at the end of his rope. Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel He was a fixture in movies during the 1950s, playing an assortment of heartthrobs and borderline tough guys. As Mahalia Jackson started singing, she lost control and fled to her trailer in tears. Critic's Notebook; Black Films: Imitation Of Life? Born as Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on July 20, 1938 in San Francisco to Russian immigrant dad and mom, she was an American actress. 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). She is survived by her son Dodd; and two granddaughters -Alexa and Olivia. (PDF) Globale Christentmer | Claudia Jahnel - Academia.edu Lora discovers that Annie and Sarah Jane have no place to go, and although she is poor herself, having come to New York in search of an acting career, she invites the two to stay the night in her small apartment. 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). 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). 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. By Cino Niles & Jeff Stafford 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. 60+ Hot Pictures Of Natalie Wood Which Are Just Too Hot To Handle (1954), another lightweight romantic comedy. Meanwhile, Lora and Susie argue over Steve. Imitation of Life (1959) - IMDb 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. 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. Actress Lora Meredith claws her way to stardom only to realize the daughter (Sandra Dee) she has neglected for years is now a stranger to her and --worse yet-- her rival for the love of a younger man. Eve, Close-Up On Sunset Boulevard, and When material -- at least for a matinee." C-125m. The couple were married on a train of rebel soldiers. 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. That's when she started to develop a serious interest in movies. 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. 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. 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. In 1965, his relationship with an Italian costumer created a minor scandal when it was revealed that the couple had two children. In Missing (1982), directed by the uncompromising Costa-Gavras, Lemmon played a patriotic father searching for his kidnapped son in Latin America. She was meant to be an "executive consultant" at Paramount but actually making movies is quite a different matter than writing about them so Kael lasted only five months. 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). The film's treatment of race, considered daring in its day, provides a powerful view of liberal sentiments at the birth of the civil rights movement. Natalie Wood | Biography, Movies, Death, & Facts | Britannica They even staged a press conference with the stipulation that Turner would not answer any questions about the case. But both women suffer heartbreak caused by their daughters. (1972), The Front Page (1974) and Buddy Buddy (1981). Cinematography: Russell Metty 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. 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. Quinn also appeared on stage in 1936 playing opposite Mae West. ANTHONY QUINN, 1915-2001 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. One unanticipated result was that Quinn married DeMille's daughter the following year; they appeared together in Phil Karlson's Black Gold (1947) and had five children. During the publicity tour for the film, one reporter asked Susan Kohner if she had "minded" playing a black character. 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. (1954), another lightweight romantic comedy. - Imitation of Life movie images: Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library. But there was a serious side too. Why Natalie Wood's Daughter Is Confronting Robert Wagner About Wood's In April of 1958, Lana Turner's teenage daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed Lana's mobster lover, Johnny Stompanato, to death. "I'm white. 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 met Darin in 1960 in Portofino, Italy, where they were both cast in Come September with Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida as the older romantic couple. Troy Donahue died September 2nd at the age of 65. 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). 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. -- Kohner realizing the error of her ways. 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. -- Troy Donahue, as Frankie, confronting Susan Kohner, as Sarah Jane, about her race. By Lang Thompson Too adult for her own good - Los Angeles Times White! 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. 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. By using this site, you agree to our updated. They eventually married and she gave birth to a son, Dodd Mitchell Darin in 1961. Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel 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. 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 she was deeply in debt, and she needed to work. Lana Turner in Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of HBO's New Natalie Wood Documentary Doesn't Have the Answers But both women suffer heartbreak caused by their daughters. He continued the same mix of classics and best-forgotten quickies throughout the 1960s and '70s. It was Wright in fact who suggested the possibility of acting to Quinn and even paid for an operation to cure a speech impediment. 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 . Troy Donahue 1936-2001 All seating is unreserved. Natalie Wood, Thelma Ritter. "Miss Turner and the others act unreally and elaborately[They] do not 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. Screenplay: Eleanor Griffin, Allan Scott -- Karin Dicker, as the young Sarah Jane Johnson, beginning to question her position as an African-American. 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). The outcome of this boycott is not known. His romantic visions of the West are soon changed by the hard-living, hard-drinking reality. Lemmon plays her levelheaded boyfriend but finds himself on the sidelines when the suave and sophisticated Peter Lawford appears on the scene. Not only could she not risk another flop, but she wasn't sure she was ready to go back to work. They give an imitation of movie acting at its less 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. by Margarita Landazuri & Frank Miller, In conjunction with the film version, a new paperback edition of Imitation of Life hit bookstores, selling half a million copies. Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner both received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and Kohner won a Golden Globe in the same category. 1959, World premiere in Chicago, IL: 17 Mar 1959; Los Angeles opening: 20 Mar 1959; New York opening: 17 Apr 1959. . Entertaining, 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. Leading man John Gavin was being groomed for stardom at Universal, where he was seen as a younger version of Rock Hudson. 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). -- Bosley Crowther, The New York 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. Wyler for Ben-Hur (1959). A demographic study of the film audience in 1960 surprised executives by revealing that 30 percent of the audience for movies was African-American. 2023 Turner Classic Movies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. In 1979, Kael made a detour to Hollywood by the urging of Warren Beatty. to condemn, oppose and picket it, too." In Cowboy (1958), Lemmon plays a city slicker venturing out on the wild frontier. But she was deeply in debt, and she needed to work. Tragically, Ms. Dee died on February 20 at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. 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). by Frank Miller, Imitation of Life is one of only two dramatic films to feature gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Fiehn, Anne/Lailach, Christian (Redaktion) Katalog der 69. Though The Apartment was a comic success, with each passing year the film's serious side seems even more dark and derisive. Whether playing a cross-dressing jazz bassist or a bickering roommate, Lemmon has kept his fans in stitches for fifty years. Her mix of personal feelings with more abstract aesthetics inspired numerous other critics (sometimes called "Paulettes") and in a few cases even made big hits of movies like Bonnie and Clyde (1967). A year later, Lemmon hit the major leagues when he supported Hollywood heavyweights Henry Fonda, James Cagney and William Powell in Mister Roberts (1955). She had been in 52 films and a star since she was 7. He combined elements of screwball and slapstick comedy with his own self-deprecating humor to create satiric portraits of the contemporary American male. Admission to each screening is $7 . Meanwhile, Sarah Jane tells Susie that she secretly has been seeing her white boyfriend, and that she would rather die than be considered black. Imitation of Life - Trivia - notstarring.com Quoting the actress herself, she claimed, "I'm . Instead of accepting her offer, they made Imitation of Life their major offering for spring 1933. Universal borrowed costume designer Jean Louis from Columbia for the film. -- Lypsinka, "My Favorite Re-released in Tel Aviv January 11, 1991. Music: Frank Skinner It libels our children and the Negro mother [and] should be banned in the interest of national unity, harmony, peace, decency and inter-racial respect. A modern source reported that Sirk had read the novel before directing this film, but had not seen the 1934 film. It was Wright in fact who suggested the possibility of acting to Quinn and even paid for an operation to cure a speech impediment. 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. Things." Editor: Milton Carruth Natalie Wood death: Investigator calls new witnesses "very credible" The book's reviews were mixed, with the best notices going to the depiction of Delilah and the story's racial issues. every film fan. 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. 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. No fun." Authorities classified her death as an accident, concluding the 43-year-old star of "West Side Story," who. 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. Hollywood Reporter noted that in the novel on which the film is based, and in the 1934 film adaptation, the character played by Lana Turner "combined her business acumen with a recipe for pancakes invented by a Negro woman and reaped a fortune. Forty years ago, actress Natalie Wood drowned off the coast of Catalina Island. Viva Zapata! Lemmon won his second Academy Award for the film. Drama Music Romance In rural Texas, Salome, pregnant with Chad's baby, runs away from home and marries wealthy Yale student Tony but, years later, runs into Chad, now a successful musician in New York. continually counterpointed by an emphasis upon racial tension and the The closer he gets to his goal, the clearer it becomes that a government conspiracy is behind his son's disappearance. Executives particularly valued his ability to deliver glamorous productions on relatively small budgets. "Why do we always have to sleep in the back?" The following year came was a Best Actor nomination for George Cukor's Wild Is the Wind (1957). Is it true? Best Known For: Natalie Wood was an actress who starred in 'Rebel Without a Cause' and 'West Side Story.' She died tragically, drowning during a boating trip in 1981. Internationalen Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen Archie became such an icon that his chair is now preserved in the Smithsonian. In 1965, his relationship with an Italian costumer created a minor scandal when it was revealed that the couple had two children. Sarah Jane, meanwhile, claims to have accepted a job in a New York library, but Annie finds her singing and dancing in a seedy New York nightclub. by Frank Miller, Made for $2 million, Imitation of Life grossed $6.4 million during its Turner hesitated about accepting the role, fearing that the combination of the scandal and the recent financial disappointment of Another Time, Another Place (1958) had put her in a very tenuous position. Susanna "Susan" Kohner is an American retired actress who worked in film and television.