Research Catalog

Born to be hurt : the untold story of Imitation of life

Title
Born to be hurt : the untold story of Imitation of life / Sam Staggs.
Author
Staggs, Sam.
Publication
New York : St. Martin's Press, 2009.
Supplementary Content
  • Contributor biographical information
  • Publisher description

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextRequest in advance PN1997.I455 S73 2009Off-site

Details

Description
viii, 422 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations; 22 cm
Summary
"Born to Be Hurt is the first in-depth "biography" of Imitation of Life. Lana Turner - on the brink of personal and professional ruin after her mobster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, was stabbed by her daughter, Cheryl Crane - starred as glamorous actress Lora Meredith. Juanita Moore played what she called the greatest role up to that time for an African-American actress: Lora's stalwart maid and dearest friend, Annie. And America's cutie-pie, Sandra Dee, and powerful newcomer Susan Kohner rounded out the quartet as the two girls, one sunny and blond and popular, the other tortured and black-passing-for-white." "Sam Staggs traces the movie's arc from the original story in Fannie Hurst's novel right through the writing and casting to the filming, the promotion, the controversy over its themes, and the reception it received. He's unearthed new details about director Sirk, legendary producer Ross Hunter, and all the stars, and gives Imitation of Life its due as influential to several generations of film fans. In Born to Be Hurt, Staggs combines vast research, extensive interviews with surviving cast members, and superb storytelling to create a rich work about one of the twentieth century's most iconic movies."--BOOK JACKET.
Subject
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. [379]-384) and index.
Contents
Introduction. Recapturing the Past -- 1. A Small Giant -- 2. The Good and Faithful Servant -- 3. A Few Things in Movies -- 4. Susan Sightings -- 5. An Intimate Confession from Susan Kohner -- 6. Becoming Sarah Jane -- 7. If Love Could Kill -- 8. Will Lana Win the Oscar? -- 9. "Take Away the Sweater and What Have You Got?" -- 10. A Portrait of the Artist as Hero and Bully -- 11. Sirk du Soleil -- 12. Hitler's Madman -- 13. The Shaky Megastar and the Sepia Hollywood Hope -- 14. Locations, Locations -- 15. Two Little Girls -- 16. "Was Jesus White or Black?" -- 17. Sorrow Set to Music -- 18. The Rocking Chair Blues -- 19. The Lady and the Bullfighter -- 20. No Beefcake, Please, We're Republican -- 21. Pretty Baby -- 22. "If Troy Donahue Can Be a Movie Star, Then I Can Be a Movie Star" -- 23. Further Down the Credits -- 24. Jack Weston and the Citizen's Arrest in Beverly Hills -- 25. Joel Fluellen -- 26. The Kind of Playwright Who Flings His Manuscript in the Fire -- 27. "My Family at the Studio" -- 28. The Business of Glamoo -- 29. "Turn Again to Life, and Smile" -- 30. The Case of the Missing Screenwriter -- 31. Gowns by Jean-Louis -- 32. Underscore -- 33. The Unknown Mogul -- 34. "Goin' to Glory" -- 35. Hallelujah! -- 36. Nobody Liked It but the Public -- 37. The Compromised Oscar -- 38. Mr. and Mrs. Weitz -- 39. A Late Encounter with L. T. -- 40. Imitation of Half-Life -- 41. Gentlemen Prefer Lypsinka -- 42. There Once Was a Lady Named Fannie -- 43. John M. Stahl -- 44. No Falling Diamonds -- 45. The Bizarre, Conflicted Reality of the Era -- 46. Miss Bea, Aunt Delilah, the Tragic Mulatto, and the Movie Star Spy -- 47. Reflection of Life.
ISBN
  • 9780312373368
  • 0312373368
LCCN
  • 2008029885
  • 40016486630
OCLC
  • ocn234176069
  • 234176069
  • SCSB-5461205
Owning Institutions
Columbia University Libraries