MovieChat Forums > Imitation of Life (1934) Discussion > Would you be tempted to 'pass ' in 1934 ...

Would you be tempted to 'pass ' in 1934 if you were Peola?

posted 12 years ago by GiaJake
6 replies | jump to latest

The actress who played Peola, Fredi Washington, refused to do so. Even back in those days, Ms. Washington would not pose as white. She certainly could have, and reaped many rewards in her career. More is the pity we were denied FW 's talents, due to the ugly racial prejudice at that time. She was certainly ahead of the curve. I hope that was recognized during her lifetime.

One thing I would never be able to do, 80 years ago or not, was to give up her loving, beautiful mother. I would figure something out to keep her in my life. I couldn't let her go, whether I was "passing" or not.

Does anyone know what they think they might have done in 1934?

[–] openalignment 12 years ago

I'd definitely be tempted, but I'd be too terrified of being found out to go through with it.

I'll still be here tomorrow to high-five you yesterday, my friend. Peace.

[–] bootblack987 11 years ago

Being an African-American in 1934 U.S.??? DAMN RIGHT, I would try to pass if I could!! Thanks to this thread, I read the imdb.com biography about Washington and this is how it ended:

Her best work was as an activist. She was the head of the Negro Actors Guild, helping black performers get a fair chance in the entertainment industry. Hopefully, people who discover her work today will see her beauty and talent shine through and look beyond her skin color, unlike most people of her time.

[–] nihilistic_tyranny 10 years ago

Oh please, I wouldn't just try to pass, I'd join the Klan and burn some crosses just to cover my back! I will be nobody's n*****

[–] bradford-1 9 years ago

Hmmm, let's see. Jim Crowed in education, housing, employment, the military, virtually EVERY aspect of American life except for sharecropping. Not allowed to stay in most hotels, North or South, barred from eating in most restaurants/diners/nightclubs (well, many places might allow you to buy sandwiches and beverages at the special "cullud" window).If you're an entertainer, you are most often cast in stereotyped roles, even on radio where you can't be seen. The eugenics movement wants to sterilize you, and the Klan wants to maim/kill you on general principle. I guess I wouldn't mind passing...

May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] kmc-4 9 years ago

That's the thing, though. If someone decided to pass, it was almost like they were dead to their friends and family. Sometimes, they'd even have a funeral for the person because they know that they couldn't have contact with the person again for fear of him/her being found out.

If I had people in my life who I cared about like Peola did, I wouldn't think of it. However, I could see someone doing it if he/she had been an orphan or if it was a guy off on his own during the Great Depression. I mean, why wouldn't you move and try to make a better life for yourself if you could?

I've heard that distant relatives on my dad's side moved out to California and "passed," but I don't know any details.