Anniversary Celebration of "Imitation of Life"

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Anniversary Celebration of "Imitation of Life"

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is having a special celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Douglas Sirk/Ross Hunter film "Imitation of Life" on Friday.

They will be showing the final Sirk/Hunter collaboration at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Hollywood.

The movie is based on a 1933 novel by Fannie Hurst and is a remake of a 1934 film by the same name.

The story revolves around an actress, played by Lana Turner, who has no time for her daughter and the actress' housekeeper whose own daughter, who is light-skinned, tries to pass for white.

The Sirk/Hunter deals particularly with a woman more focused on her career than on getting married, which was a radical idea for the time.

Juanita Moore, who played the housekeeper, and Susan Kohner, who portrayed her daughter, both received Oscar nominations for their work in the movie.

The event will feature a new print of the film. Actresses Moore and Kohner, who have remained close since the movie, will also discuss the film with Kohner's filmmaker sons.

Gina Wilhelm Actress