Movie of the Week: PINKY (Review)

Pinky was the featured film for the week of April 28-May 5.

From Wikipedia

Pinky, a light skinned black woman (played by Jeanne Crain), returns to her grandmother's house (Dicey Johnson, played by Ethel Waters) in the South after graduating from a Northern nursing school. Pinky tells her grandmother that she has been "passing" for white while at school in the North. In addition, Pinky has fallen in love with a young white doctor, Dr. Thomas Adams (William Lundigan), who knows nothing about her black heritage. Pinky says that she will return to the North, but Granny Johnson convinces her to stay and treat an ailing white woman, Miss Em (Ethel Barrymore). Meanwhile, Dr. Canady (Kenny Washington), a black physician from another part of the state, visits Pinky and asks her to train some African American students, but she declines. Pinky nurses Miss Em but is resentful because she seems to feel that she is doing the same thing her grandmother did. Pinky and Miss Em slowly develop a mutual respect for one another. Mrs. Em leaves Pinky her property when she dies, but relatives of the deceased woman contest the new will in court. [IMDb Plot Summary - remainder contains spoilers]

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I was going to do a video review for Pinky, but I know I would be better at getting my irritations and frustrations out in writing.

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Story/Writing

*Warning: Mention of Rape/Attempted Rape & Harassment* 

To be honest, there were a few moments in this film that I found to be unrealistic (like Pinky's white boyfriend holding her close in a courtroom full of racist white people without as much as a "gasp" from them), but overall, this was a really good story and I was not expecting it to be as good as it was. It stirred so many emotions for me--sadness, anger, pity, rage. Pinky goes places that I did not expect a 1949 film to go--in the same way that I didn't expect No Way Out to go to some of the places it went. 

My only problem with the writing is the erasure of Pinky's blackness (or her history as a black woman). To me, it seemed as though the writers of this film made the assumption that mixed race black people (or fair enough to "pass" black people) were incapable of relating to or understanding the (Southern) black experience. It would have been one thing if Pinky had grown up passing for white her entire life, or if she'd gone her entire life not knowing that she was black. Not the case! Pinky was born and raised by her grandmother, Dicey (played by Ethel Waters) in a shack on what I believe used to be a plantation, but for some reason, when she returned from nursing school, she was completely out of the loop about how the "Colored section" of the community lived. The character wasn't defiant or rebellious, but she was unwittingly doing and saying things that would have immediately lead to imminent danger for a darker person:

For example, early in the film, a stressed Pinky thought it would be a good idea for her to "take a walk" along the road of a racist town by herself--at night. She would soon be harassed by two white men in a car--because she was a woman. When she informed the men that she was black, they turned up the hostility--chasing her in their car and almost raping her. This goes to show that if Pinky were a dark or brown-skinned black woman, (she probably wouldn't have been walking along the road by herself at night, for starters), chances are, these men would have assaulted her immediately. Light or not, a black woman would not have been walking up a dark country road by herself in Mean White People Town unless she was a "bad mother--shutyomouf!". Pinky was nowhere near it. 

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Characters/Acting

Jeanne Crain

I can't say that I was able to "overlook" Luise Rainer as "O-Lan" in The Good Earth or Susan Kohner as "Sarah Jane" in Imitation of Life (1959), but I can say that I their performances were good enough for me to "tolerate" them. For me, Jeanne Crain's performance wasn't good enough for me to "tolerate" her as 'Pinky'. Whenever she mentioned being "colored" or "Negro" I couldn't restrain myself from rolling my eyes. She didn't make me (almost) believe her. Don't get me wrong, her performance was good, but it wasn't standout (and certainly not worth an Oscar nomination, in my opinion). 

The majority of supporting cast, however, gave very memorable performances--a rare occurrence in my previous viewings and reviews. 

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Jake and Rozelia

First of all, I was a bit saddened to witness Hollywood's first black Leading Lady playing such a small role twenty years after her big debut (in fact, Nina Mae McKinney's second Hollywood role--only a year after her debut--was uncredited). I was also irritated that Jake Walters and Rozelia--the only other black characters (besides Pinky, Dicey, and Dr. Canady, who we only see in two scenes) were two of the movie's most despicable characters. Nonetheless, Ms. McKinney and Frederick O'Neal (as Jake, a man whose actual profession I'm still clueless on--he owed (and stole) a lot of people's money, that's all I know) played their roles well enough to stay embedded on the audience's brain. At least mine.

Frederick O'Neal (photographed by Carl Van Vechten)

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Judge Shoreham

This character (played by Raymond Greenleaf) really didn't become significant until near the film's end. In fact, his "shining" moment (more like Mr. Greenleaf's) was his last moment on the screen--and I will tell you, what he says and does will cut you like the sharpest of knives.


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Melba Wooley

This character annoyed and frustrated me to no end--and you know what I always say: If a character makes you mad, then the actor did their job. Evelyn Varden did an amazing job as "Melba Wooley"--Miss Em's greedy and trouble-making cousin. You will not forget this character or the actress!

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Dicey & Miss Em

Ethel Waters

Ethel Waters and Ethel Barrymore both received the Oscar-nomination for 'Best Supporting Actress' for their work in this film, and the nominations were well deserved. Of course, the character of "Dicey" is your typical "mammy" stereotype--she does domestic work for Miss Em and is painfully devoted to the woman. Nonetheless, like most of the actresses who played these kinds of characters, Ethel Waters played Dicey Johnson seamlessly. 

Ethel Barrymore (photographed by Carl Van Vechten)

Miss Em is an ailing, no-nonsense woman who's actually beloved for her sharp tongue. This was the first time I'd seen a film with Ethel Barrymore in it, so as a first time observer of her work, I thought to myself: "Either Ethel Barrymore was as strict as Miss Em in real life, or she was extremely good at what she did..." I'm going to assume that the latter is the answer, especially since she was a member of acting dynasty known as "the Barrymore Family".


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Overall Thoughts

Overall, I thought Pinky was a well-written story. There were some moments that made me yell "Oh, come on, really, Pinky?!", but then, there were a lot of moments that were absolutely real and realistic--moments that filled me with anger and sadness because I knew that something like that, whatever it was, happened often in Southern communities of the time (and sometimes, still happens today). 

Of course, it was especially disappointing to not see a black actress playing this part. Black Hollywood's "it girl", Lena Horne campaigned for the role, as did the blossoming starlet, Dorothy Dandridge, but of course, neither actresses would win the role. Fredi Washington, Hollywood's go-to actress for "passing" roles had long left Hollywood for good, plus, she was 46 years old at the time of the film's release. Even the movie's own Nina Mae McKinney could have been a good candidate, but I guess that 37 would have been a bit too old for a recent college grad, as well. The studio could have gone for a big name like Lena or unknown, but to avoid controversy and violating miscegenation laws, Fox Studios decided that it would be "best" to cast a white actress, and that they did (the film still met some "miscegenation violation" trouble, anyway). The majority of Jeanne Crain's lukewarm performance (that even director Elia Kazan commented on) pained me to watch and the whole time, all I could think was "Lena Horne...Lena Horne...Lena Horne...".


However, what's done is done. I do recommend that people watch this movie for both historical and entertainment purposes.


*Watch Pinky on Youtube*



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All photos used in this post were obtained from Wikipedia. They are being used for informational purposes only. If the rightful owner(s) of any of these photos wishes to have them removed, please contact me, and I will do so immediately. (Adrienne)

Movie of the Week: Imitation of Life (1934) - Review

This week, I watched the original film adaptation of Fannie Hurst's novel of the same name, Imitation of Life.

"Bea Pullman (played by Claudette Colbert) and her daughter Jessie (first played by Juanita "Baby Jane" Quigley) have a hard time making ends meet since Bea's husband died. Help comes in the form of Delilah Johnson (played by Louise Beavers), who agrees to work as Bea's housekeeper in exchange for a room for herself and her daughter Peola (first played by Sebie Hendricks). 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 (finally played by Fredi Washington) seeks a new life passing for white. Bea's love for her daughter is tested when she and Jessie (finally played by Rochelle Hudson) fall for the same man (Stephen Archer, played by Warren William)." [IMDb]

General Thoughts

I hope this doesn't make me sound uppity--in fact, I hope it makes me sound grateful, which I am--but every once in awhile (often, actually) I thank God that I was born in the time in which I was born. While watching this movie, I had to say another 'Thank You'.  The plot summary above mentions that as the years went by, Bea and Delilah's "friendship deepens", but if me getting only 20% of the profits from the sales of my pancake recipe equals "friendship"...if me sleeping in a small bedroom downstairs in the huge house that my pancake recipe bought equals "friendship"; if me having to stay downstairs while you have a party (thrown with the money made from my pancake recipe) equals friendship, then count me completely out. No time traveling for me.

As show in this photo from the trailer, New York Daily News was one of many outlets that praised Ms. Beavers' performance.

First off, I was already a little irritated by certain production aspects of this movie--like the fact that even though this movie was supposed to be about Bea and Delilah's friendship and the relationships with their daughters, Louise Beavers and Fredi Washington were listed fifth and sixth in the credits. Then, you have the trailer that features Louise Beavers and Fredi Washington and praises of their performances. The trailer sort of gave me "Look at what colored people can do, now! Come see these Negresses give actual dramatic performances!" vibes. However, I won't complain too much about the actresses getting their props somewhere, some way, and somehow in 1934.

One of the many praises of Fredi Washington's performance in the trailer

I had to keep reminding myself that this movie was made in 1934 to keep from getting irritated by certain things. It was hard, but I got through it. From Delilah's incessant desire to serve and be dependent on Bea to the fact that no one wanted to tell Peola that there was nothing wrong with being black, I found myself letting out exasperated sighs every ten minutes. Let me go into further detail about the latter issue that was mentioned:

In one of the earliest scenes of this movie, a crying Peola (eight or nine years old by this time) comes running back home from school. She's upset because Jessie called her "black". No one asks Peola "Well, what's wrong with that?" We don't get a "That ain't nothin' to be 'shamed about, Peola." Nope. Instead, we get Bea telling Jessie to apologize for "saying something so mean" and Delilah saying there was no need to apologize because Peola would have to accept it soon enough. Then she starts rambling, "It ain't your fault, it mine, and it ain't Lord's, that's what leaves me puzzled..." (not the exact quote, but something like that).

 See, I actually started watching this movie last year and I turned it off right on that part, because no.

Peola has just told her mother she's going away (From ReelSistas)

To be quite honest, it seemed as though Peola was the only person who saw nothing (completely) wrong with blackness itself. Peola hated the conditions and treatment that came with being black at that time, which of course is completely understandable, and she hated that she was "light enough" to change the trajectory of her own life, but was (for the most part) prevented from doing so. Now, this isn't me excusing passing or the hatred of one's heritage, but once again, I don't believe Peola hated blackness, however, I do believe that she hated the fact that she didn't look like what she was and wasn't raised to be what she could be.

Characters and Performances

Claudette Colbert in I Cover the Waterfront

Overlooking her faux-friendship with Delilah, I could admire a character like Bea Pullman. She's what you'd call a "go-getter", she's determined, and a great businesswoman--even though her business was built on someone else's skill. Ms. Claudette Colbert plays the character beautifully--quite naturally, actually.

Louise Beavers (from The Great Katharine Hepburn)

As always, Louise Beavers gave a flawless and convincing performance in the role of Delilah. Like most of the roles she played, she play a subservient "mammy figure", but this character was new and different because her life and personal problems were deemed important and relevant, particularly alongside white characters. Unfortunately (but not suprisingly), Ms. Beavers was snubbed for an Oscar nomination.

Rochelle Hudson in a publicity shot for Show Them No Mercy

I didn't really care too much for Jessie Pullman. From the moment we saw her for the first time as a two year old repeatedly telling her mother that she wants her "quack-quack" (rubber duckie) during her bath, I knew she would irritate me at some point further into the movie. 

How could you not even assume that your mother's handsome male friend is her boyfriend???

But, I always say that if a character irritates you, then the actor is good--so two thumbs up to Rochelle Hudson.

Fredi Washington (From Planet Barberella)

I love me some Fredi Washington and critics were right in praising her performance as Peola. Her theatre experience definitely showed in this film. I think I've pretty much covered how I felt about Ms. Washington's character. Unfortunately, this role would lead to numerous "tragic mulatto" role offers and suggestions to pass for white in real life. Ms. Washington would only make two more movies before returning to New York's stage.

In the trailer for Gold Diggers of 1933

I also found the character of Elmer Smith (played by Ned Sparks), Bea's business partner and self-appointed advisor, to be quite irritating. The guy was just cranky the entire time, but he was the man who made Bea Pullman and Delilah Johnson rich--and once again, unlikable characters = great actors.

 I must also add that Mr. Sparks reminded me (in appearance and performance) of Moses Gunn.

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The "King of Pre-Code" in the trailer for Goodbye Again

I loved Warren William as Bea's ichthyologist boyfriend, Stephen Archer. He added the necessary light, comedic (and of course, romantic) touch for this movie filled with heartbreak and emotion.

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Contrary to my obvious irritation to certain aspects of this film, for the most part, I did enjoy watching it. It was beautiful to look at, the actors were beautiful and all gave solid performances. However, even though we were to care for the black and white characters' life and problems equally, I still feel as though Delilah, Peola, and even the black bit players and extras were kept "in their place". It's rare that I prefer a remake of something to an original, but prefer the 1959 film adaptation of Imitation of Life to the original. The second version didn't seem to give off the message of "black=bad, but that's life and you've gotta accept it (and the conditions)" like the first one did.

I'll have to check out the book someday, as well.

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I watched Imitation of Life (1934) on a personal DVD. I don't believe that a (free) link is available online.

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Unless noted otherwise, the images in this post were obtained from Wikipedia. They were used for informational purposes only. If the rightful owner(s) of any of these images wishes to have them removed, please contact me, and I will do so immediately.

--Adrienne

Unsung of the Screen: Fredi Washington (Post Five)

Fredi Washington dated Duke Ellington for a short time, but when she realized he wouldn't marry her she ended the relationship. She began dating Lawrence Brown and they later married, but the marriage ended in divorce.

She later married Anthony Bell, a dentist. Bell passed away in the late 1980s.

Fredi Washington passed away on June 28, 1994 after having a stroke. She was 90 years old.

It is very, VERY important that America, especially Black America recognizes this woman and her contributions to film, civil rights, and racial equality. Please read more about her and put her name further out there. Hopefully a biography or some more information about her comes out to the public. 

Unsung of the Screen: Fredi Washington (Post Four)

After leaving Hollywood, Fredi would become heavily involved in the fight for Civil Rights and against racism in America and in Hollywood as well. 

In 1937, she, Noble Sissle, W.C. Handy, Dick Campbell, and Alan Corelli, became founding members of the Negro Actors Guild of America. She served as the executive secretary, working to help Black actors/actresses get better opportunities in Hollywood. She was also active in the NAACP.

She served as the Entertainment editor for Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.'s newspaper, People's Voice, a newspaper for Black Americans. The newspaper lasted from 1942-1948. Powell was also married to Fredi's sister, Isabel for some years. 

Ms. Washington was also a film casting consultant for 1954's Carmen Jones and also a casting consultant for the Porgy and Bess opera revival in 1952 and the film in 1959. 

Unsung of the Screen: Fredi Washington (Post Three)

With her very fair skin and green eyes, Fredi was often given the opportunity to pass for white to gain more film roles, but turned all of them down. 

In 1935 she told the Chicago Defender:

"I have never tried to pass for white and never had any desire. I am proud of my race." Then she went on to say "In Imitation of Life I was showing how a girl might feel under the circumstances, but I am not showing how I felt."

Some years later she would also state:

"...Frankly, I do not ascribe to the stupid theory of white supremacy and try to hide the fact that I'm Negro for economic or any other reasons, if I do I would be agreeing to be a Negro makes me inferior and that I have swallowed that whole hog all of the propaganda dished out by our fascist-minded white citizens."

Unsung of the Screen: Fredi Washington (Post Two)

When Fredi moved to Harlem with her family, she quit school to pursue an acting career and help her family out financially. She started her career as a dancer in Shuffle Along, one of the few black plays on Broadway. Pretty soon, she moved up to becoming a popular featured dancer because of her talent and looks. Around this time, she also became friends with Josephine Baker who was also getting her start in this play.

Her first movie role was in the 1929 short film Black and Tan where she played a dancer with a heart condition. She had small roles in the classic Paul Robeson film The Emperor Jones and in Cab Calloway's Hi-De-Ho (a short film). Her biggest and most identifying role came in 1934, the year she played Peola in the film classic Imitation of Life. 

Unsung of the Screen: Fredi Washington (Post One)

Fredericka Washington was born in Savannah, Georgia on December 23, 1908. She was the second of five children and her mother, Hattie passed away when she was a little girl. After her mother's death, Fredi was sent to a school for "colored/minority" girls in Philadelphia, because at the time "motherless girls" were considered orphans. Her younger sister Isabel would come as well. Her father Robert had remarried, but his wife died during her pregnancy. His third marriage produced four children, giving Fredi a total of eight siblings. 

While still in Philadelphia, Fredi's family moved to Harlem during "The Great Migration". She and her sister would soon follow them.