Imitation of Life (1934)

Bea Pullman and her daughter Jessie have had a hard time making ends meet since Bea's husband died. Help comes in the form of Delilah Johnson, who agrees to work as Bea's housekeeper in ... See full summary »

Director:

John M. Stahl

Writers:

Fannie Hurst (novel), William Hurlbut (screenplay)

Stars:

Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Rochelle Hudson

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Claudette Colbert	...	Beatrice Pullman
Warren William	...	Stephen Archer
Rochelle Hudson	...	Jessie Pullman
Ned Sparks	...	Elmer Smith
Louise Beavers	...	Delilah Johnson
Fredi Washington	...	Peola Johnson
Juanita Quigley	...	Baby Jessie Pullman (as Baby Jane)
Alan Hale	...	Martin the Furniture Man
Henry Armetta	...	The Painter
Wyndham Standing	...	Jarvis the Butler

Storyline

Bea Pullman and her daughter Jessie have had a hard time making ends meet since Bea's husband died. Help comes in the form of Delilah Johnson, who agrees to work as Bea's housekeeper in exchange for a room for herself and her daughter Peola. Bea comes up with a plan to market Delilah's pancake recipe. The two soon become wealthy and as the years go on, their friendship deepens. Their relationships with their daughters, however, become strained. Ashamed of her mother, Peola seeks a new life by passing for white. Bea's love for her daughter is tested when she and Jessie fall for the same man.

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Plot Keywords:

pancake | housekeeper | friendship | passing for white | ichthyologist | 

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Taglines:

Claudette Colbert at her finest in Imitation of Life (re-release)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Imitación de la vida

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although cast as the daughter of Louise Beavers (Delilah), Fredi Washington (Peola, age 19) was in reality less than two years younger than her onscreen mother. She was, however, considerably slimmer than the matronly Beavers, which enabled the pair to "pass" as mother and daughter.

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Goofs

When baby Jessie falls into the bathtub going after her rubber ducky, there is an obvious edit between her falling in and the splash of water coming out of the tub. Note the shifting of the towel and the shadows from the light coming in through the window on the tile wall behind the tub.

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Quotes

Jessie Pullman, Age 18: After all, what's the good of algebra and all that stuff to a girl?

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Crazy Credits

Reissue prints of this film, issued after Carl Laemmle's ouster and retirement from Universal, read "The New Universal Presents [Claudette Colbert and Warren William in 'Imitation of Life']" rather than "Carl Laemmle Presents [Claudette Colbert and Warren William in 'Imitation of Life']"

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Mouth (2008)

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Soundtracks

Home, Sweet Home
(uncredited)
Music partly composed, and arranged by H.R. Bishop from a Sicilian air
Played by the band at the end of the party

User Reviews

I want my quack quack

People, people, why does everyone judge this movie confection through the looking glasses of 2006?? There was probably some "imitation of life" to the movie when it was made, no matter how silly or stereotypical it might have been, even for its time. If anything, this movie at least attempted to show two women in business being rewarded for their efforts and hard work. Yes, the 20/80 split when the pan cake business went incorporated might seem unfair now, but it was better than the 1950's film where Annie just waits on Ms. Lora, dolling out wisdom with a spoon full of sugar. I was much more perplexed why Jessie would be interested in a fish scientist who said he was 37 but looked more like 57!