Pinky (1949)

Jeanne Crain portrays the title character, a light-skinned Black woman sent to the North by her grandmother to attend nursing school where she managed to pass for white and fell in love with a doctor. Now returned to the South, she must come to terms with her heritage and the decisions she made. It’s very strange that a white actor was cast to play Pinky when there were multiple light-skinned Black actresses clamoring for the role, but even beyond that Pinky as a character feels completely removed from all parts of her background sans a loyalty to her dedicated grandmother Ethel Waters. Waters also remains a one-dimensional character; her kindheartedness, especially as shown to the white woman whose shadow she lives under, being her one overlying trait. Regardless the film does not offer a positive view of the South where a white woman is to be protected but a Black woman is to be attacked and disbelieved.

Oscar nominations: Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Actress in a Supporting Role (2)