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Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Lonette McKee | ... | Mignon Dupree | |
Rosanne Katon | ... | Esther Jeter | |
Ned Bellamy | ... | Lieutenant Bedford | |
Jack Rader | ... | C.J. Forrester | |
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Jack Lundi Faust | ... | Janitor (as Fernando Lundi Faust) |
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Lisa Henke | ... | Telephone Operator (as Lisa Phelps) |
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Laddy Ashley | ... | Lieutenant Bedford's Secretary |
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Rita Crafts | ... | Louise |
Sandy Brooke | ... | Blonde Bombshell | |
Johnny Crear | ... | Leo Gaines | |
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John Childers | ... | Sound Assistant |
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John MacBride | ... | Sound Engineer (as John McBride) |
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Gaye Kruger | ... | Musical Singer |
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Oliver Woodall | ... | Musical Dancer |
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Joseph T. McKenna | ... | Musical Dancer |
An African American woman rises to prominence in a fictional movie studio in the 1940s by passing as a white woman, affording others some dignity in the business that frequently portrayed movies as an illusion of a purely "white world".
I was lucky to view this film in class with decent sound. From what I understand, most the sound is barely audible on most prints. Sad, because Illusions is an example of race that is not often seen in the media. One of the few other examples I can think of is Alex Haley's Queen, but that took place over a hundred years ago, whereas Illusions is slightly more modern (and therefore hits closer to home), having taken place during WW2. But the issue of "passing" for the majority is not something the majority often thinks about, and I feel that many of my classmates were quite surprised by this film. That's a good thing though.