Delilah Johnson in Imitation of Life

E792207

Delilah Johnson in *Imitation of Life* is a Black housekeeper and devoted mother whose business partnership and complex relationship with her light-skinned, passing daughter explore themes of race, identity, and sacrifice in 1930s America.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Delilah Johnson in Imitation of Life canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (39)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character ⓘ
film character ⓘ
appearsIn Imitation of Life (1934 film) ⓘ
appearsInGenre drama film ⓘ
associatedWithTrope mammy stereotype in American film ⓘ
basedOn character archetypes of the mammy stereotype ⓘ
businessPartner Bea Pullman ⓘ
businessType pancake flour business ⓘ
characterTrait devoted mother ⓘ
loyal ⓘ
religious ⓘ
self-sacrificing ⓘ
closeTo Bea Pullman ⓘ
coFoundsBusinessWith Bea Pullman ⓘ
countryOfCitizenship United States ⓘ
createdFor Universal Pictures ⓘ
daughter Peola Johnson ⓘ
ethnicity Black ⓘ
filmGenreContext melodrama ⓘ
filmReleaseYear 1934 ⓘ
firstAppearance Imitation of Life (1934 film) ⓘ
gender female ⓘ
hasChild Peola Johnson ⓘ
hasThemeConnectionWith Peola Johnson ⓘ
languageSpoken English ⓘ
medium black-and-white film ⓘ
narrativeConflictWith Peola Johnson ⓘ
narrativeFocus class and race in 1930s America ⓘ
motherhood ⓘ
passing ⓘ
racial identity ⓘ
sacrifice ⓘ
occupation housekeeper ⓘ
portrayedBy Louise Beavers ⓘ
race African American ⓘ
represents Black maternal sacrifice in Hollywood cinema ⓘ
settingPeriod 1930s America ⓘ
symbolizes constraints on Black women in early 20th-century America ⓘ
worksFor Bea Pullman ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Louise Beavers → portrayedRole → Delilah Johnson in Imitation of Life ⓘ