Beloved flick will always have a special place in my heart

My latest Advertiser article is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Martha Queen Williamson nee Hackett, and two unforgettable childhood friends, Ann Purchase and Violet Jarvie.

“Sarah Jane has to learn that the Lord must have had his reasons for making some of us white and some of us black. How do you explain to your child she was born to be hurt?” – Annie Johnson in Imitation of Life.

One of the most beloved and talked about movies ever produced by Hollywood, the Universal International Pictures 1959 production of Imitation of Life was directed by German-born Douglas Sirk and photographed by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Russell Metty.

During a collaborative effort in the fifties, the pair elevated the soap opera-melodrama into an art form, producing glossy Technicolor dramas that established heartthrob Rock Hudson as an international star, playing the romantic hero in Magnificent Obsession (1954), All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Written On The Wind (1956).

Although these classics were mega box office hits in the history of the studio, they were generally regarded by movie critics as unimportant. However, today, they are recognised as cinematic masterpieces and ironic commentaries on American life and society.

Imitation of Life was Douglas Sirk’s final Hollywood picture and is a film about race in the late fifties in an America that has loudly articulated, but certainly not resolved, civil rights.

The principal roles were played by Lana Turner (Lora Meredith), Juanita Moore (Annie Johnson), John Gavin (Steve Archer), Sandra Dee (Suzie) and Susan Kohner (Sarah Jane).

The story begins in post-war 1947 at a crowded New York beach, where widowed Lora Meredith loses track of her little daughter Suzie. She finds her being cared for by Annie Johnson, a homeless, kindhearted African-american with a white daughter, Sarah Jane.

Lora offers them temporary accommodation and Annie persuades Lora to let her stay to look after the household and take care of the two children, giving Lora the opportunity to pursue a career as a Broadway star.

Imitation of Life is a lovely film photographed in Eastman Colour and an accomplished production with superb performances, earning newcomer Moore an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress; Kohner was also nominated in the same category.

But the movie misses Rock Hudson’s soulful presence. Hudson was replaced by John Gavin, who is fine as the photographer and love interest for Turner, but lacking in star quality, especially when playing opposite Turner and Dee.

Turner delivered one of her best performances and would soon become identified and recognised as the suffering woman in “women’s pictures” like Portrait In Black (1960) and Madame X (1966).

The on-screen look of Turner became a key marketing factor in her later films. The glamorous star always had a three-way full-length mirror outside her studio trailer so that she could check her appearance before going on the set.

For Imitation of Life, she became a clothes horse for Jean Louis, the reigning king of Hollywood stylists, who designed 34 spectacular gowns worn by Turner in the film and, valued at $78,000, the most expensive wardrobe for the time.

To complete the illusion of surface glamour, producer Ross Hunter also arranged to borrow a million dollars worth of real jewels from Laykin et Cie to be worn with Turner’s costumes. Two security guards were on call when the jewels were in use during filming.

The end result is dazzling; is there any celebrity today who could match the natural beauty and glamour of Turner?

Director Douglas Sirk had a unique philosophy that movies should not only be watched but “felt”. His resume of Hollywood pictures have a distinctive visual style unmatched by any other director.

It was difficult to find a dry eye in the cinema when the movie screened at the Odeon in Coatbridge during the winter of 1959. I cried openly and a kind patron gave me a small tub of ice cream as comfort food.

A week later it opened at the Pavilion in Airdrie where I enjoyed another show with my mother. It became her all-time favourite.

A movie masterpiece and the highest grossing film of 1959, Imitation of Life will always have a very special place in my heart.

Making an impression Imitation of Life, released in 1959, was one of the most beloved and talked about movies ever produced by Holywood

Screen icon Lana Turner’s look became a key marketing factor in her later films