Born to Be Hurt : The Untold Story of Imitation of Life

by Staggs, Sam

• ISBN13: 9780312605551
• ISBN10: 0312605552
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-16
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Summary

Few movies inspire the devotion of Douglas Sirk's 1959 drama "Imitation of Life"an irresistible story of two single mothers raising daughters together and also commentary on ambition, sex, and racial identity.Born to be Hurtis the first in-depth "biography" of "Imitation of Life." Lana Turner, on the brink of personal and professional ruin after her mobster boyfriend Johnny Stompanato was stabbed by her daughter, starred as glamorous actress Lora Meredith. Juanita Moore played the greatest role up to that time for an African-American actress: Lora's loyal maid and dearest friend. And America's cutie pie, Sandra Dee, and powerful newcomer Susan Kohner played the daughters, one sunny and blonde and popular, the other tortured and black-passing-for-white. Staggs traces the movie's arc from Fannie Hurst's novel through the writing and casting to the filming, the promotion, and the reception it received. InBorn to be Hurt, he combines vast research, extensive interviews with surviving cast members, and superb storytelling to create a rich, revelatory work about one of the twentieth century's most iconic movies.

Author Biography

Sam Staggs is the author of four film books, including Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard and When Blanche Met Brando: The Scandalous Story of “A Streetcar Named Desire”.  He has written for a variety of publications, including Vanity Fair and Architectural Digest. He lives in Dallas, Texas. 

Table of Contents

Introduction: Recapturing the Past	p. 1
A Small Giant	p. 5
The Good and Faithful Servant	p. 22
A Few Things in Movies	p. 32
Susan Sightings	p. 40
An Intimate Confession from Susan Kohner	p. 49
Becoming Sarah Jane	p. 55
If Love Could Kill	p. 60
Will Lana Win the Oscar?	p. 69
"Take Away the Sweater and What Have You Got?"	p. 73
A Portrait of the Artist as Hero and Bully	p. 80
Sirk du Soleil	p. 92
Hitler's Madman	p. 98
The Shaky Megastar and the Sepia Hollywood Hope	p. 104
Locations, Locations	p. 112
Two Little Girls	p. 118
"Was Jesus White or Black?"	p. 121
Sorrow Set to Music	p. 126
The Rocking Chair Blues	p. 130
The Lady and the Bullfighter	p. 141
No Beefcake, Please, We're Republican	p. 148
Pretty Baby	p. 160
"If Troy Donahue Can Be a Movie Star, Then I Can Be a Movie Star"	p. 171
Further Down the Credits	p. 182
Jack Weston and the Citizen's Arrest in Beverly Hills	p. 194
Joel Fluellen	p. 200
The Kind of Playwright Who Flings His Manuscript in the Fire	p. 209
"My Family at the Studio"	p. 217
The Business of Glamoo	p. 228
"Turn Again to Life, and Smile"	p. 239
The Case of the Missing Screenwriter	p. 244
Gowns by Jean-Louis	p. 255
Underscore	p. 263
The Unknown Mogul	p. 270
"Goin' to Glory"	p. 279
Hallelujah!	p. 287
Nobody Liked It but the Public	p. 292
The Compromised Oscar	p. 303
Mr. and Mrs. Weitz	p. 305
A Late Encounter with L. T.	p. 310
Imitation of Half-Life	p. 317
Gentlemen Prefer Lypsinka	p. 326
There Once Was a Lady Named Fannie	p. 333
John M. Stahl	p. 338
No Falling Diamonds	p. 343
The Bizarre, Conflicted Reality of the Era	p. 353
Miss Bea, Aunt Delilah, the Tragic Mulatto, and the Movie Star Spy	p. 360
Reflection of Life	p. 372
Acknowledgments	p. 375
Selected Bibliography	p. 379
Notes	p. 385
Index	p. 399
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.