Pinky (1949)

Synopsis: Cid Ricketts's controversial novel about miscegenation comes alive in this deliciously melodramatic film starring Jeanne Crain, Ethel Waters and Ethel Barrymore. Pinky, a proud, fair-skinned black woman, leaves her small southern hometown to attend nursing school up north. In... Cid Ricketts's controversial novel about miscegenation comes alive in this deliciously melodramatic film starring Jeanne Crain, Ethel Waters and Ethel Barrymore. Pinky, a proud, fair-skinned black woman, leaves her small southern hometown to attend nursing school up north. In Boston, Pinky "passes" for white and lives freely, unfettered by racial discrimination. At school, she dates the handsome -- and white -- Dr. Thomas Adam. Ignorant of her racial identity, he falls in love with her. Recognizing the problems associated with inter-racial marriage, Pinky returns home to her hard-working grandmother, hoping to forget Tom. But he's too dedicated to let her go. Instead, he follows Pinky south and tries to persuade her to renounce her origins and marry him in spite of everything. Will she choose a lifetime of love under false pretenses or make a steadfast decision to uplift her race? [More]