Imitation of Life (1934)
Don’t even bother seeing the remake. It’s inferior, it’s offensive, and it just doesn’t fit the times of the late-1950s. In the early 1930s, at a time when the staircase dance between Shirley Temple and Bill Robinson was banned from theaters showing The Little Colonel, it was very fitting to produce the film Imitation of Life. This drama directly contrasts two women’s lives and how their races interfere with their mutual success. In the perfect, and chilling, scene that showcases the message of the movie, Claudette Colbert says goodnight to her friend, business partner, and housemate. She goes up the sweeping staircase to her bedroom, and Louise Beavers trudges down the back stairs to the lower level.
At the start of the movie, both women are poor, single mothers. Louise knocks on Claudette’s door one morning responding to the advertisement (she thought was placed) for a domestic worker. Claudette didn’t post the ad, and she can’t afford to hire anyone, but Louise offers to work for her room and board; and after she helps calm down a very hectic morning, Claudette agrees. The two ladies soon put their heads together and decide to open up a breakfast diner with Louise’s miracle pancake recipe. Claudette will be the brains behind the operation (which makes sense because no bank or investor would take a meeting with Louise in 1934), and Louise will stay in the kitchen (which makes sense because it’s her recipe and Claudette can’t cook).
However, as the years pass and they become extremely wealthy, that’s where their paths diverge. Claudette wears absolutely gorgeous gowns and raises her daughter in high society, but Louise still lives in the lower level of the house and rubs Claudette’s feet after a hard day’s work. It’s a very interesting example of race relations from the early 1930s, and also features the groundbreaking theme of “passing”.
The question begs, why was Hattie McDaniel (who, ironically, is an extra in this movie) singled out for her performance in Gone With the Wind? Why was a stereotype honored, rather than a truly moving performance about a woman trying to make a better life for her daughter? Of course, we know the answer. Hollywood wanted to reward an actress who was content to make a career of playing domestics. Hollywood didn’t want to put Louise Beavers on a pedestal and tell African-American audiences to aspire for more, just as she did in her movies. Here at Hot Toasty Rag, we had no social agenda to push. Louise Beavers was the first woman of color to receive a nomination. You might wonder who beat her out of her Best Actress award; rent The Painted Veil to see Greta Garbo’s Rag winning performance.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Hattie McDaniel movies here!
At the start of the movie, both women are poor, single mothers. Louise knocks on Claudette’s door one morning responding to the advertisement (she thought was placed) for a domestic worker. Claudette didn’t post the ad, and she can’t afford to hire anyone, but Louise offers to work for her room and board; and after she helps calm down a very hectic morning, Claudette agrees. The two ladies soon put their heads together and decide to open up a breakfast diner with Louise’s miracle pancake recipe. Claudette will be the brains behind the operation (which makes sense because no bank or investor would take a meeting with Louise in 1934), and Louise will stay in the kitchen (which makes sense because it’s her recipe and Claudette can’t cook).
However, as the years pass and they become extremely wealthy, that’s where their paths diverge. Claudette wears absolutely gorgeous gowns and raises her daughter in high society, but Louise still lives in the lower level of the house and rubs Claudette’s feet after a hard day’s work. It’s a very interesting example of race relations from the early 1930s, and also features the groundbreaking theme of “passing”.
The question begs, why was Hattie McDaniel (who, ironically, is an extra in this movie) singled out for her performance in Gone With the Wind? Why was a stereotype honored, rather than a truly moving performance about a woman trying to make a better life for her daughter? Of course, we know the answer. Hollywood wanted to reward an actress who was content to make a career of playing domestics. Hollywood didn’t want to put Louise Beavers on a pedestal and tell African-American audiences to aspire for more, just as she did in her movies. Here at Hot Toasty Rag, we had no social agenda to push. Louise Beavers was the first woman of color to receive a nomination. You might wonder who beat her out of her Best Actress award; rent The Painted Veil to see Greta Garbo’s Rag winning performance.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Hattie McDaniel movies here!