117 represent imitation of life ( 1934 ) release 1 half 6/1934 and view 9/9/08 . cole porter anything go premiere in new york city . kevin represent this surprising eleventh hour addition to the list leave me wonder what could possibly compel u to skip it in the first place . claudette colbert ( play beatrice and in her third film this year ) team with louise beaver ( a delilah ) in an absorbing drama about two very different single mom and their daughter and their successful pancake business and and a lifetime of friendship . at the center of the movie be the relationship between delilah and her light skin daughter peola ( play by fredi washington a an adult and in pretty much the role she be bear to play ) . the drama of this story be so powerful and that all the other subplots take a back seat and include the plot of bea and her daughter jessie ( rochelle hudson ) fall for the same man . this be the one film that dive in head first with the hard question for which there be no easy answer . i would like to have see more scene between jessie and peola interacting a grown woman . my only problem with fredi washington performance be that it be hard for me to buy that she be 19 year old . other than that and her performance be so gut twistingly poignant that it be sometimes hard to watch . doug represent a chance meeting between two single mom lead to a lifelong friendship in imitation of life and a movie that be a rather late addition to the odyssey and but one i be very glad we look at . not since little woman have i see a melodrama where everyone be so nice to each other . we have already see claudette colbert in a wide variety of role in a short amount of time represent connive roman queen and scheme egyptian queen and spoil runaway heiress and and so forth . here we get to see another side of her represent loving and work mom . louise beaver a delilah pave the way for african american in the cinema . the movie deal with a lot of dodgy territory for the mid 30 and and put a black woman in a front and center support role be just the start of it . delilah daughter peola ( fredi washington a a teenager ) be a mulatto and and deal with alienation at try to relate to her black mother but prefer to pass a white . contract player alert represent warren william join claudette on screen again after play caesar in demille cleopatra . another welcome contract player be ned spark ( 42nd street and gold digger of 1933 ) and who play a passing business man who help put bea on the right track . spoiler alertother drama develop a bea daughter jessie fall for steve who be after bea . after size up her daughter interest in steve and she beg him to keep his distance ( she must have see mildred pierce already ) . i will say this though represent i have hear that most guy and when they grow up and fall for woman similar to their mother . if the reverse be true for girl and then jessie fall for steve kind of indicates that he the right guy for bea . end spoiler great performance and good drama attach to the script base on fannie hurst novel lead to a high recommendation for this one . last film represent it a gift ( 1934 ) . next film represent the man who know too much ( 1934 ) .