Does anyone remember Susan Kohner

[stuart.uk]

I imagine even among movie buffs Susan Kohner is an actress long forgotten.

As far as I believe she was part Mexican and East European. This would explain the diverse roles such as a Half-Breed Indian in The Lost Wagon and a young Italian woman, who has a brief romance with Audie Murphy in his war time biopic To Hell And Back . In both those films her characters came over as nice and innocent.

So I was somewhat amazed today when I watched the second half of Imitation Of Life with Lana Turner and Sandra Dee. Susan played a young teenege daughter of Turner's closest friend, a negro woman. Susan was able with ease to pass her self of as white, though that meant denying her relationship with her mother, inorder for her to persue her career as a showgirl on the stage. If she'd let that be known she was actually a Negro girl, she'd have been fired from her job, such was life in the mid 1950s.

It would be very easy to be unsympthetic to Susan's character, because at times she was cruel to her mother, even disowing her at one point. However, she found with her pale complexion she was, providing no-one knew of her true origians, able to grab oportunities that wouldn't have been available to her if her skin had been darker. Also playing a showgirl Susan was able for at least one film to shed away from her goody goody image and play a more sexier role than usual. She looked pretty good! The film ended with her arriving at the church after her mother's funeral, pubically proclaiming she was in fact her mother. At the end it was clear Lana was going to take over from her best friend and look after the girl as if she was her own, which in itself was probably daring for the 50s.

Susan was also leading lady to Sal Mineo in The Gene Krupa Story. Susan retired young from movies in 1964, aged 28 to raise a family.

[phil noir]

Hello Stuart -

I don't remember Susan Kohner as such, because I'd never heard of her before I saw her in Imitation of Life a year or so ago - but I have to say she stood out for me in this film. She was head and shoulders above all the other soapy performances on offer. (I really could not believe in Lana Turner as a great stage actress, for example.) Susan Kohner really lifted the whole story for me.

[TikiSoo]

I love Susan K and wish I had been named for her rather than Susan Hayward! Check IMDB for many interesting facts about her; I believe she was the daughter of an actress and in turn her sons produce very popular films today-the American Pie series.

She made too few films (imho) before retiring young to concentrate on her family. I agree, she is the brightest spot in Imitation of Life but my absolute favorite role of hers was in All The Fine Young Cannibals She plays a spoiled bored rich girl that you want to hate, but then redeems herself at the end. I don't want to spoil it for you by saying more than that. But catch it next time TCM airs it-if you love Susan K you'll enjoy this film and her role in it.

[sandykaypax]

Susan Kohner is the daughter of Mexican actress Lupita Kovar. Her sons Chris and Paul Weitz both work in Hollywood--I believe that they are the producers of the American Pie series of films, among others.

I just started reading Sam Staggs' book about the making of the Lana Turner version of Imitation of Life. Apparently, Susan Kohner and Juanita Moore were both very gracious and helpful to Staggs with their memories and thoughts on making the film.

I've only seen Kohner in Imitation of Life. It seems that she retired from acting in 1964 to raise a family. She certainly was pretty.

Sandy K

[stuart.uk]

All The Fine Young Cannibals is to me a modern day version of Wuthering Heights. If Natalie Wood was the modern day Cathy would Susan be Isobela

[Vienna]

I only know Susan from IMITATION OF LIFE and THE LAST WAGON - a fine actress. A shame she had a short career.

[mongoII]

Of course we remember Susan Kohner. I just featured her birthday on my CANDIDS thread last week.