Born to Be Hurt
eBook - ePub

Born to Be Hurt

The Untold Story of Imitation of Life

  1. 464 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Born to Be Hurt

The Untold Story of Imitation of Life

About this book

In a passionate and witty behind-the-scenes expose, the author of All About "All About Eve" takes on the classic 1959 Douglas Sirk film starring Lana Turner Few films inspire the devotion of Imitation of Life, one of the most popular films of the '50s--a split personality drama that's both an irresistible women's picture and a dark commentary on ambition, motherhood, racial identity, and hope lost and found. Born to be Hurt is the first in-depth account of director Sirk's masterpiece. Lana Turner, on the brink of personal and professional ruin starred as Lora Meredith. African-American actress Juanita Moore played her servant and dearest friend, and Sandra Dee and Susan Kohner their respective daughters, caught up in the heartbreak of the black-passing-for-white daughter in the 1950s. Both Moore and Kohner were Oscar-nominated as Best Supporting Actress. Sam Staggs combines vast research, extensive interviews with surviving cast members, and superb storytelling into a masterpiece of film writing. Entertaining, saucy, and incisive, this is irresistible reading for every film fan.

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Yes, you can access Born to Be Hurt by Sam Staggs in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Film History & Criticism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Introduction: Recapturing the Past
  7. 1. A Small Giant
  8. 2. The Good and Faithful Servant
  9. 3. A Few Things in Movies
  10. 4. Susan Sightings
  11. 5. An Intimate Confession from Susan Kohner
  12. 6. Becoming Sarah Jane
  13. 7. If Love Could Kill
  14. 8. Will Lana Win the Oscar?
  15. 9. “Take Away the Sweater and What Have You Got?”
  16. 10. A Portrait of the Artist as Hero and Bully
  17. 11. Sirk du Soleil
  18. 12. Hitler’s Madman
  19. 13. The Shaky Megastar and the Sepia Hollywood Hope
  20. 14. Locations, Locations
  21. 15. Two Little Girls
  22. 16. “Was Jesus White or Black?”
  23. 17. Sorrow Set to Music
  24. 18. The Rocking Chair Blues
  25. 19. The Lady and the Bullfighter
  26. 20. No Beefcake, Please, We’re Republican
  27. 21. Pretty Baby
  28. 22. “If Troy Donahue Can Be a Movie Star, Then I Can Be a Movie Star”
  29. 23. Further Down the Credits
  30. 24. Jack Weston and the Citizen’s Arrest in Beverly Hills
  31. 25. Joel Fluellen
  32. 26. The Kind of Playwright Who Flings His Manuscript in the Fire
  33. 27. “My Family at the Studio”
  34. 28. The Business of Glamoo
  35. 29. “Turn Again to Life, and Smile”
  36. 30. The Case of the Missing Screenwriter
  37. 31. Gowns by Jean-Louis
  38. 32. Underscore
  39. 33. The Unknown Mogul
  40. 34. “Goin’ to Glory”
  41. 35. Hallelujah!
  42. 36. Nobody Liked It but the Public
  43. 37. The Compromised Oscar
  44. 38. Mr. and Mrs. Weitz
  45. 39. A Late Encounter with L. T.
  46. 40. Imitation of Half-Life
  47. 41. Gentlemen Prefer Lypsinka
  48. 42. There Once Was a Lady Named Fannie
  49. 43. John M. Stahl
  50. 44. No Falling Diamonds
  51. 45. The Bizarre, Conflicted Reality of the Era
  52. 46. Miss Bea, Aunt Delilah, the Tragic Mulatto, and the Movie Star Spy
  53. 47. Reflection of Life
  54. Acknowledgments
  55. Selected Bibliography
  56. Notes
  57. Index