The Second version of "Imitation of Life" was superior to the first only Sarah Jane's character had a back story; something the Hays office didn't allow Peola to have in the original. Beyond that the remake was a soap opera having little to do with the Fanny Hurst novel it was supposedly based on. Most of the plot and even the names of the characters were changed. It shared the Hayes office dictated ending with the original movie but little else.
Whether or not either version of "Imitation of Life" , or most of the other "tragic mulatto" movies reflect the reality of light skinned blacks, in the past when racism was acceptable, is questionable. Far from rejecting ones family the act of passing for white was enabled by relatives. Sometimes an entire family, or at least the parents, would hide their background in order to achieve social and professional success.
"Lost Boundaries" (1949),based on William Lindsey Whites book about Dr. Albert Chandler Johnston who really did pass for white in a small town in New Hampshire,is the only movie I can think of about the subject. True, the family members were played by white actors and some might quibble with how the children react when they learn about their background, all though finding your black after assuming you were white would have really been a jarring experience during the forties, but it remains very good, if little known film.
Anatole Broyard first passed for white when he entered the military, during World War Two, in order to escape the bad treatment and lack of opportunity in the then segregated armed forces. He continued to pass after the war because he feared being pigeon holed as a "Negro" writer and, much later, a black literary critic. His wife and his close friends knew his secret but he didn't let his children in on their background until shortly before his death. Philip Roth, who knew Boyard personally, was inspired to write the "The Human Stain" by his story. Unfortunately his story got into the same tragic mulatto rut with Colman Silks completely rejecting his family and his identity.
Another passing story that would make a good movie is that of Anita Florance Hemmings who entered Vassar in 1893; forty years before the first acknowledged black student was admitted into the well known women's college. She did so with the help of her parents who falsified her birth records. Her roommate became suspicious of her background and had her father hire a detective investigate Ms. Hemmings background and uncovering her background. Since graduation was a few weeks away college administration decided to let her graduate with the rest of her class.
This wasn't the end of Ms. Hemming and passing for white. In 1903 she married Dr. Andrew Jackson Love, a New York City physician who had passed for years, and they continued to live as whites. As seems to be the pattern in these situations they chose to not "burden" there children with the knowledge of their background
Lena Horne appeared as Julie, or to be more exact a actress playing Julie, in "Show Boat", during an opening scene in "When the Clouds Roll By" where Jerome Kern, the subject of the film looks in on the production. While she sings part of "Can't Stop Loving That Man" she doesn't really appear in a scene from the play and she is in too much "light Egyptian" make up to be a passing character. Helen Morgan, who originated the part, never did very little to change her appearance. Oddly, during what is supposed to be tribute to Jerome Kern at the end, Ms. Horne sings "Why Was I Born" in minimum make up.
With all of the speculation, on the Dorothy Lamour discussion board, about possible African American ancestry, "Lulubell" may well have had black women in the title role. That is Wild Speculation of course but, given the treatment and restriction telented people like Fredie Washington, Lena Horne and other light skinned actors went threw, during the thirties and fourties it wouldn't be surprising that those who could would pass as white. Carol Channing talked about passing in her biography. Meyel Oberon kept her East Indian ancestry secret with the help of her mother. Most who decided to move their racial identity to "The Sunny Side of the Street" will never be known.
TAG LINE: True genius is a beautiful thing, but ignorance is ugly to the bone.
reply
share
ciocio-2
14 years ago
Thanks to DigitalDiva and andrewwjohnson for such interesting, informative posts. BTW, I haven't gotten to read Ms. Channing's bio, but thought I read in an interview that she found out much later in life about her African heritage. Am I misremembering?
reply
share
andrewwjohnson
14 years ago
I haven't read the biography either or anything about when Carol Channing found out about her background on any Internet site. One thing I did find was her obviously black grandmother had sent her father to live with light skinned (white ?) relatives so he would have a chance at life when he grew up. She also minimize her contact with him for the same reason. That would seem to indicate Ms. Channing's parents were not exactly talking about black ancestry at the kitchen table in fact they didn't tell her till she was sixteen.
As I noted, far from the "tragic mulatto" stereotype of children denying their identity and their parents, it was often one or both parents their racial identity from their children. It is not hard to understand why, in the past, those, who had struggled with looking white but being classified as black, would want to protect his or her children from facing the same struggle.
TAG LINE: True genius is a beautiful thing, but ignorance is ugly to the bone.
reply
share