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Pinky (1949)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
November 1949 (USA)
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Tagline:
The love story of a girl who passed for white! more
Plot:
Pinky, a light skinned black woman, returns to her grandmother's house in the South after graduating from a Northern nursing school...
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Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another 1 nomination
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User Comments:
Sincere drama of racial bigotry with outstanding performances...
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Cast
(Credited cast) | Jeanne Crain | ... | Patricia 'Pinky' Johnson |
| Ethel Barrymore | ... | Miss Em |
| Ethel Waters | ... | Pinky's Granny |
| William Lundigan | ... | Dr. Thomas Adams |
| Basil Ruysdael | ... | Judge Walker |
| Kenny Washington | ... | Dr. Canady |
 | Nina Mae McKinney | ... | Rozelia |
| Griff Barnett | ... | Dr. Joe McGill |
| Frederick O'Neal | ... | Jake Walters |
| Evelyn Varden | ... | Melba Wooley |
| Raymond Greenleaf | ... | Judge Shoreham |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
John Ford was the original director of the film, but after seeing dailies Darryl F. Zanuck felt Ford wasn't connecting with the material. Zanuck called Elia Kazan in New York and asked him to take over the film. Kazan felt he owed Zanuck for his film career, and agreed to do the movie without even looking at the script. He flew to Los Angeles and started filming the next Monday.
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Quotes:
Melba Wooley:
Cousin Em, what do you mean, gettin' sick like this?
Miss Em: When you're eighty years old, you expect to be sick. Sit down.
Melba Wooley: Now, now. Naughty, naughty. Eighty years *young* is what we say.
Miss Em: I don't. It's old, and I won't have it minimized. Takes a lot of livin' to get there, and pure, cursed endurance. Eighty years young indeed!
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Miss Em: When you're eighty years old, you expect to be sick. Sit down.
Melba Wooley: Now, now. Naughty, naughty. Eighty years *young* is what we say.
Miss Em: I don't. It's old, and I won't have it minimized. Takes a lot of livin' to get there, and pure, cursed endurance. Eighty years young indeed!
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Two Bob Mermaid (1996)
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This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (18 total)
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Elia Kazan took over the helm of PINKY when John Ford requested replacement as having no real interest in the story. He not only took over, but he did a superb job.
Personally, it took awhile for me to get over the idea of casting JEANNE CRAIN as a light-skinned black, but she does some of her best work here. Same can be said of Ethel Waters and Ethel Barrymore, and not surprisingly, all three actresses were nominated for Oscars. Undoubtedly, all benefited by Kazan's firm direction.
The story is essentially written to show the racial bigotry that existed (and still does) in many parts of the South. Without going into plot development, let's say the ending is a bit predictable, but the film still remains powerful and sensitive in its treatment of the subject matter.
In 1949, this was a daring film for Fox to make, risking the possibility of hurting the reputation of its most popular box-office star at that time, Jeanne Crain. But credit goes to Darryl F. Zanuck for permitting his studio to make films like THE SNAKE PIT and GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT, risky and controversial. The box-office results and critical acclaim justified the risk.
Well worth seeing, absorbing and sensitive.