claudette colbert play a widowed mother try to run her husband business after his death . she take in a black woman ( louise beaver ) and her fair skin daughter to help . she love beaver pancake and get her to start a successful business with her . the movie skip ahead year later when beaver daughter ( fredi washington ) be try to pass herself off a white . and thing go out of control . this be important a one of the first movie to deal honestly with racism and the self hatred of fair skinned black people . it be well do and colbert and beaver be excellent . but this be very dated . colbert convinces beaver to sell over her pancake recipe and have her do all the cooking for the shop . later and when beaver be get rich and she refuse to get her own house and insist on stay with colbert living in the basement no less . and beaver be ridiculously nice and sweet and kind always ( credit beaver to pull it off ) . also it hit you over the head with sentimentality . nothing wrong with sentimental movie but really this one over do it . some scene with washington be so overdone i think they be kid . so this be historically important but just too dated and slow to really be enjoyable . the lana turner remake be much well .