MovieChat Forums > Imitation of Life (1959) Discussion > Zorah Neale Hurston and other fun facts

Zorah Neale Hurston and other fun facts

posted 11 years ago by ClassicMovieholic
6 replies | jump to latest

Fannie Hurst, author of the original novel was inspired by her relationship with her black personal assistant, the now very famous Harlem Renaissance writer, Zora Neale Hurston. Thus, you might say that the character of "Annie" in the 1959 film (Delilah in the original) could be said to be based on Zora Neale Hurston. Unlike Annie, however, Hurston was a brilliant and stylishly modern author, folklorist and anthropologist. You may have read her most popular novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, in high school. She was one of the first female "superstars" of African American Literature, and a primary influence on authors Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.

Both Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes initially praised Imitation of Life for its daring explorations of race and gender, but later retracted their statements after poor reaction from a fellow black critic.

A frequent criticism of the 1959 film is that "white" actress Susan Kohner plays the light-skinned Black girl, as opposed to the casting of an actual light-skinned black actress (the marvelous Fredi Washington) in the 1934 film. In fact, Susan Kohner is Mexican-Jewish, and thus could be called "bi-racial" though not of African American ancestry.

Susan Kohner's mother was Mexican Actress Lupita Tovar, whose claim to fame was Universal's 1931 Spanish language version of the horror classic Dracula. A very beautiful woman, Tovar was born in 1910, and is still alive as of May, 2014. Here's to the continued long life and good health of this supercentenarian matriarch of a multigenerational hollywood dynasty!

Susan Kohner's sons directed the teen smash hits, American Pie, and Twilight: New Moon...go figure.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] marbleann 10 years ago

It sounded like a great book about self hared in the black race. Something that still goes on now, even worse.

But I wonder how you folks giving the BIG OK on having a white woman(Mexican is ethnicity not a race} play the part of Sarah Jane would like it if a Susie was played by a very light skin black person. I am sure they could of dug one up in Hollywood like they dug Susan Kohner up. Oh wait we probably would never have seen the movie. Or they could of done the right thing like they did in the original have a black actress play the daughter.

[–] ClassicMovieholic 10 years ago

(Mexican is ethnicity not a race}

That's why I put "biracial" in quotes.

But I wonder how you folks giving the BIG OK on having a white woman(Mexican is ethnicity not a race} play the part of Sarah Jane would like it if a Susie was played by a very light skin black person.

I'd be just fine with it, as long as she looked enough like Lana Turner to be believable as her daughter. Quite a few contemporary black or partially black actors and actresses successfully play white characters without distraction. And even at the time there were celebrities and entertainers of black or partial-black ancestry who "passed." The wonderful blonde torch singer Ina Ray Hutton for instance. Notably, Fredi Washington was encouraged to pass for the sake of her career, but refused to do so. Incidentally, I'm a huge fan of Fredi Washington, and applaud the producers of the brilliant 1934 film for the then radical decision to cast an actual black actress in a "passing" role that would typically be occupied by a white actress.

[–] marbleann 10 years ago

There as a actor use to hang out in parents neighborhood Frank Silvera. He was a Jamerican but he as very light skin. and he always played Mexicans or Italians. This guy was not passing he as very much pro black and started a theater group.

I have to disagree. I am pretty sure if Lana's daughter was being played a black it would not go over at all. They would deny it. There are plenty white actress's that passed but I find white people would never believe it. When some infers that Lauren Hutton was passing no one will believe. Merle Oberon used her mother as a maid so no one would catch on her being half Asian.

[–] ClassicMovieholic 10 years ago

Well, I must have misunderstood the question. I thought you meant, how would people on this post feel about a black actresses playing the part of a distinctly white character (assuming she was physically believable as Lana Turner's daughter), not how would people at the time would have felt.

Yes, of course people of the era would have been shocked, and disbelieving. But I personally would have no problem with it, and I stand by that answer. Merle Oberon had to deny her heritage at the time, but could have a very successful career now with her heritage, and modern audiences have no problem accepting her as the white characters she played with the full knowledge of her background.