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In 1955 20th Century Fox choose Dandridge to play the supporting role of Tuptim in ''[[The King and I (1956 film)|The King and I]]''. The character was a slave, which made Dorothy say "no." But after some convincing from Fox cheif, [[Darryl F. Zanuck]], that the role was a good one, Dorothy said "yes." But when Dorothy's previous director, Otto Preminger told her the role was too small, and that she had just shown the world that she could handle a starring role in a major motion picture. And so he suggested she turn the role down. Dorothy once again turned the part down. Not making this film started the slow, but steady decline of her career.
In 1955 20th Century Fox choose Dandridge to play the supporting role of Tuptim in ''[[The King and I (1956 film)|The King and I]]''. The character was a slave, which made Dorothy say "no." But after some convincing from Fox cheif, [[Darryl F. Zanuck]], that the role was a good one, Dorothy said "yes." But when Dorothy's previous director, Otto Preminger told her the role was too small, and that she had just shown the world that she could handle a starring role in a major motion picture. And so he suggested she turn the role down. Dorothy once again turned the part down. Not making this film started the slow, but steady decline of her career.


==After ''Carmen Jones'' and Career Decline==
==After ''Carmen'' and Career Decline==
{{Ref improve section|date=February 2011}}
By 1956, still under contract to Fox, Dandridge hadn't made any films since ''Carmen Jones''. Fox still believed that Dorothy was a star, but just didn't know how to promote her. One of the head chiefs at Fox once said "She's a star, but we don't have any films to put her in or leading men to cast her opposite." In 1957 Dorothy's luck came back when Darryl F. Zanuck cast Dandridge as Margot, a restless young West Indian woman,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rippy | first1=Marguerite H. |year= 2001|others=Daniel Bernardi (Editor) |title=Classic Hollywood, classic whiteness |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |year = 2001 |chapter=Commodity, Tragedy, Desire - Female Sexuality and Blackness in the Iconography of Dorothy Dandridge | chapterurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=WCu88MddF1gC&pg=PA194#v=onepage&q&f=false|page= 194 |isbn=1234567890| accessdate= February 4, 2011}}</ref>
By 1956, still under contract to Fox, Dandridge hadn't made any films since ''Carmen Jones''. Fox still believed that Dorothy was a star, but just didn't know how to promote her. One of the head chiefs at Fox once said "She's a star, but we don't have any films to put her in or leading men to cast her opposite." In 1957 Dorothy's luck came back when Darryl F. Zanuck cast Dandridge as Margot, a restless young West Indian woman,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rippy | first1=Marguerite H. |year= 2001|others=Daniel Bernardi (Editor) |title=Classic Hollywood, classic whiteness |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |year = 2001 |chapter=Commodity, Tragedy, Desire - Female Sexuality and Blackness in the Iconography of Dorothy Dandridge | chapterurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=WCu88MddF1gC&pg=PA194#v=onepage&q&f=false|page= 194 |isbn=1234567890| accessdate= February 4, 2011}}</ref>
<!--Comment: The NY Times review at the time [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D05E0D8143EE23BBC4B52DFB066838C649EDE] referred to Dandridge's 'Margot' as being Negro, Dandridge herself, in a "Jet" interview, referred to the character as being 'West Indian'.-->
<!--Comment: The NY Times review at the time [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D05E0D8143EE23BBC4B52DFB066838C649EDE] referred to Dandridge's 'Margot' as being Negro, Dandridge herself, in a "Jet" interview, referred to the character as being 'West Indian'.-->

Revision as of 00:16, 7 February 2011

Dorothy Dandridge
from The Decks Ran Red (1958)
Born
Dorothy Jean Dandridge

(1922-11-09)November 9, 1922
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedSeptember 8, 1965(1965-09-08) (aged 42)
West Hollywood, California, U.S.
OccupationActress/Singer
Years active1935–1961

Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.[1]

She performed as a vocalist in venues such as the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater. In 1954, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Carmen Jones, and, in 1959, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Porgy and Bess. In 1999, she was the subject of the HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. She has been recognized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Dandridge was married and divorced twice, first to dancer and entertainer Harold Nicholas (the father of her daughter, Harolyn Suzanne) and then to Jack Denison. Dandridge died of an accidental drug overdose, at the age of 42.[2]

Early life

Dorothy Dandridge was born on November 9, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Cyril Dandridge (October 25, 1895 – July 9, 1989),[3][4] a cabinetmaker and minister, and to Ruby Dandridge (née Butler), an aspiring entertainer. Dandridge's parents separated shortly before her birth.[5] Ruby Dandridge soon created an act for her two young daughters, Vivian and Dorothy, under the name of "The Wonder Children." The daughters toured the Southern United States for five years while Ruby worked and performed in Cleveland. During this time, they toured almost non-stop and rarely attended school.[6]

At the onset of the Great Depression, work virtually dried up for the Dandridges, as it did for many of the Chitlin' circuit performers. Ruby Dandridge moved to Hollywood, California, where she found steady work on radio and film in small parts as a domestic servant. "The Wonder Kids" were renamed "The Dandridge Sisters" and booked into such venues as the Cotton Club[7] and the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York City.

Career

Dorothy Dandridge's first screen appearance was a bit part in a 1935 Teacher's Beau.[8] In 1937, she appeared as one of the many singers in the Marx Brothers feature film, A Day at the Races.[9] The following year Dorothy, her sister Vivian, and Etta Jones would make a brief appearance in Going Places. In 1940, Dandridge played a murderer in the race film, Four Shall Die. This film provided Dandridge with her first credited film role as Helen Fielding. And though the part was a supporting role and the film was somewhat of a success, Dorothy wouldn't get another big role until a few years later.

The following year Dorothy was cast opposite John Wayne in Lady From Louisiana, playing the small, but somewhat fair part of Felice. That same year she teamed with her furture husband Harold Nicholas to film a brief role in Sun Valley Serenade. Dorothy, Harold, and Harold's brother Fayard Nicholas, appeared in a part described as "Speciality act". In 1942 Dorothy won another supporting role as Princess Malimi in Drums of the Congo. In her next few films Dorothy would play mainly in bit parts, but she managed to get a small role in Hit Parade of 1943. In 1944 Dandridge would play two uncredited roles in Since You Went Away and Atlantic City. In the following year of 1945 she would play again a small role in the musical Pillow to Post. By 1946 Dorothy's luck for winning small roles in films had disappeared. She would only rarely appear in nightclubs and wouldn't make any films.

In 1951 Dorothy now 28 got cast as Melmendi, Queen of the Ashuba in Tarzan's Peril, starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Virginia Huston as Jane. And though Dorothy's role was somewhat on the small side she would be noticed by many. One night while at a party, Dorothy was introduced to music manager, Earl Mills. Mills had agreed to get Dorothy a big career started as a singer. But Dandridge didn't want to keep her singing career going all that strong, instead she rather make a big comeback in the motion picture industry. Even though Earl and Dorothy disagreed on how her career should be, Dandridge signed Mills as her agent. She would next appear as Ann Carpenter in The Harlem Globetrotters. In this film Dandridge really only makes a co-starring appearance, but recieves second billing.

It was after the release of The Harlem Globetrotters, that Dorothy's career fell again. It was then after this fall that Earl arranged for Dorothy to make her first appearance at the Mocambo. She continued to perform in nightclubs around the country, through most of 1952. In December 1952 a Metro Goldwyn Mayer studio agent noticed Dorothy performing in a Hollywood nightclub, and cast her in the lead role in Bright Road, co-starring Philip Hepburn and Harry Belafonte. The film tells the story of how a teacher will do anything to get her students to learn. The film contains nearly a all-black cast. And though Bright Road became a box office flop, Dorothy won a supporting role as herself in Remains to Be Seen.

20th Century Fox and Carmen Jones

In 1954, Dorothy signed a three movie deal with 20th Century Fox. Soon after director and writer Otto Preminger cast Dandridge, along with Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey, Brock Peters, Diahann Carroll, Madame Sul-Te-Wan (uncredited), and Joe Adams, in his all-black production of Carmen Jones.[10] However, Dandridge's singing voice was dubbed by opera singer Marilyn Horne.[11]

Upon release in 1954, Carmen Jones grossed $60,000 during its first week and $47,000 in its second week.[citation needed] The film received favorable reviews, and Dandridge was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming only the third African American to receive a nomination in any Academy Award category (after Hattie McDaniel and Ethel Waters)but the first African American to be nominated for best actress. Grace Kelly won the award for her performance in The Country Girl. At the awards ceremony, Dandridge presented the Academy Award for Film Editing to Gene Milford for On the Waterfront.

And though Carmen Jones became a box office smash hit, it looked as if Dorothy's success had come and left. She wasn't being offered any roles from Fox, nor from any other studios.

In 1955 20th Century Fox choose Dandridge to play the supporting role of Tuptim in The King and I. The character was a slave, which made Dorothy say "no." But after some convincing from Fox cheif, Darryl F. Zanuck, that the role was a good one, Dorothy said "yes." But when Dorothy's previous director, Otto Preminger told her the role was too small, and that she had just shown the world that she could handle a starring role in a major motion picture. And so he suggested she turn the role down. Dorothy once again turned the part down. Not making this film started the slow, but steady decline of her career.

After Carmen and Career Decline

By 1956, still under contract to Fox, Dandridge hadn't made any films since Carmen Jones. Fox still believed that Dorothy was a star, but just didn't know how to promote her. One of the head chiefs at Fox once said "She's a star, but we don't have any films to put her in or leading men to cast her opposite." In 1957 Dorothy's luck came back when Darryl F. Zanuck cast Dandridge as Margot, a restless young West Indian woman,[12] in his controversial film version of Island in the Sun, co-starring stars such as James Mason, Harry Belafonte, Joan Fontaine, Joan Collins, Michael Rennie, and Stephen Boyd. This film was a success which brought Dandridge back to the public eye.

Though Island in the Sun was a success, Dandridge didn't get another film until she was cast in the low-budget foreign production Tamango, which teamed her with Curt Jürgens.[13] The film received fair reviews, but failed to amount greatly at the box office. Dandridge believed that the film failed because she played a slave, a part she vowed she'd never play. But there were still no roles in sight, so she started singing in nightclubs once again.

In July 1958, Dandridge flew to Italy to see if there happened to be any films for her; there were not, but just before she was ready to leave she got word that there was to be a casting for a film and she was being considered for the lead. She went and tested and got the lead role of Mahia in The Decks Ran Red with former co-star James Mason.[13] This film won minor box office success. Soon after the film was released Dorothy returned to Hollywood.

Determined to reinvent her career, she decided to wait on Fox to call for her to make a film. In 1959 Columbia Pictures cast Dorothy in the lead role of Bess in Porgy and Bess; Dorothy was again nominated for a award, this time for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, for her performance in Porgy and Bess. Dorothy was again eager to see if she was to win the award, but she once again lost. A few weeks later Dorothy was released from her 20th Century Fox contract. And though had been with Fox for about five and a half years, she had only made two films (her contract stated she was committed to making three), that was released by them, Carmen Jones (1954), and Island in the Sun (1957).

In 1960 Dorothy managed to get the lead role of Gianna in Malaga, another low-budget forgettable film that came and vanished quickly. She made her last film appearance the next year in The Murder Men. Dandridge played the lead as Norma Sherman, though most of her footage was archival. By the end of 1961 Dorothy had began performing frequently in nightclubs to pay off debt and household bills.

Recordings

Dandridge first gained fame as a solo artist from her performances in nightclubs, usually accompanied by Phil Moore on piano. As well-known as she became from renditions of songs such as "Blow Out the Candle", "You Do Something To Me", and "Talk Sweet Talk To Me", she recorded very little on vinyl. Whether it was because of personal choice or lack of opportunity is unknown.

In 1940, as part of the Dandridge Sisters singing group, Dandridge recorded four songs with the Jimmy Lunceford band:

  • "You Ain't Nowhere" (Columbia #28007)
  • "That's Your Red Wagon" (Columbia #28006)
  • "Ain't Going To Go To Study War No More" (Columbia #26938)
  • "Minnie The Moocher is Dead" (Columbia #26937A)

In 1944, she recorded a duet with Louis Armstrong from the film Pillow to Post:

  • "Watcha Say" (Decca L-3502)

In 1951, she recorded a single for Columbia Records:

  • "Blow Out the Candle/Talk Sweet Talk To Me" (catalogue # unknown)

In 1953, she recorded a song for the film Remains to Be Seen:

In 1958, she recorded a full length album for Verve Records featuring Oscar Peterson with Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and Alvin Stoller (Catalogue #314 547-514 2) that remained unreleased in the vaults until a cd release in 1999. This cd also included 4 tracks from 1961 (with an unknown orchestra) that included one 45 rpm record single and another aborted single:

  • "It's Easy To Remember" (21942-3)
  • "What Is There To Say" (21943-6)
  • "That Old Feeling" (21944-4)
  • "The Touch Of Your Lips" (21945-12)
  • "When Your Lover Has Gone" (21946-1)
  • "The Nearness Of You" (21947-7)
  • "(In This World) I'm Glad There Is You" (21948-10)
  • "I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face" (21949-4)
  • "Body And Soul" (21950-2)
  • "How Long Has This Been Going On?" (21951-6)
  • "I've Got A Crush On You" (21952-3)
  • "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" (21953-3)
  • "Somebody" (recorded in 1961) (23459-2)
  • "Stay with It" (recorded in 1961) (23460-4)

(above two tracks released on Verve Records single #Verve V 10231)

  • "It's a Beautiful Evening" (recorded in 1961) (23461-5)
  • "Smooth Operator" (recorded in 1961) (23462-2)

(above two tracks were aborted for release as a single and remained unreleased until the "Smooth Operator" cd release in 1999). These represent the only known songs Dandridge recorded on vinyl. Several songs she sang were recorded on Soundies. These songs, which include her version of "Cow Cow Boogie", are not included on this list.

Personal life

Dorothy Jean Dandridge married dancer and entertainer Harold Nicholas on September 6, 1942, and gave birth to her only child, Harolyn Suzanne Nicholas, on September 2, 1943. Harolyn was born brain-damaged, and the couple divorced in October 1951.[5]

Dandridge married Jack Denison on June 22, 1959, although the pair divorced amid allegations of domestic violence and financial setbacks. At this time, Dandridge discovered that the people who were handling her finances had swindled her out of $150,000, and that she was $139,000 in debt for back taxes. Forced to sell her Hollywood home and to place her daughter in a state mental institution in Camarillo, California, Dandridge moved into a small apartment at 8495 Fountain Avenue in West Hollywood, California. Alone and without any acting roles or singing engagements on the horizon, Dandridge suffered a nervous breakdown. Shortly thereafter, Earl Mills started arranging her comeback. Unfortunately, the comeback never came to fruition because she died in the early planning stages.

Death

On September 8, 1965, Dandridge spoke by telephone with friend Geri Branton. Dandridge was scheduled to fly to New York the next day to prepare for her nightclub engagement at Basin Street East. Several hours after her conversation with Branton ended, Dandridge was found dead by her manager, Earl Mills. Two months later, a Los Angeles pathology institute determined the cause to be an accidental overdose of Imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant.[14] An alternative source reported, however, that the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office came to a different conclusion, that: “Miss Dandridge died of a rare embolism—blockage of the blood passages at the lungs and brain by tiny pieces of fat flaking off from bone marrow in a fractured right foot she sustained in a Hollywood film five days before she died.”[15] She was 42 years old.

On September 12, 1965, a private funeral service was held for Dandridge at the Little Chapel of the Flowers; she was then cremated and her ashes interred in the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Legacy

Many years passed before the entertainment industry acknowledged Dandridge's legacy. Starting in the 1980s, stars such as Cicely Tyson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Halle Berry, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett (who are all African-American women) acknowledged Dandridge's contributions to the role of blacks in film.

In 1999, Halle Berry took the lead role of Dandridge in the HBO Movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, for which she won an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award,[16] and a Screen Actors Guild Award.[17] When Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Monster's Ball, she dedicated the "moment [to] Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll."[18]

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Dorothy Dandridge has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 671 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1935 Teacher's Beau Dorothy
1935 The Big Broadcast of 1936 Member of the Dandridge Sisters
1936 Easy to Take Member of the Dandridge Sisters Uncredited
1937 It Can't Last Forever Dandridge Sisters Act Uncredited
1937 A Day at the Races Black singer Uncredited
1938 Going Places Member of The Dandridge Sisters Uncredited
1938 Snow Gets in Your Eyes Member of The Dandridge Sisters Uncredited
1940 Irene Member of the Dandridge Sisters Uncredited
1940 Four Shall Die Helen Fielding Alternative title: Condemned Men
1941 Bahama Passage Thalia
1941 Sundown Kipsang's bride Uncredited
1941 Sun Valley Serenade Specialty act
1941 Lady from Louisiana Felice Alternative title: Lady from New Orleans
1942 Lucky Jordan Hollyhock school maid Uncredited
1942 Night in New Orleans Sal, Shadrach's girl Uncredited
1942 The Night Before the Divorce Maid Uncredited
1942 Ride 'Em Cowboy Congoroo Uncredited
1942 Drums of the Congo Princess Malimi
1942 Orchestra Wives Uknown Uncredited
1943 Hit Parade of 1943 Count Basie Band Singer Alternative title: Change of Heart
1943 Happy Go Lucky Chorine Uncredited
1944 Since You Went Away Black Officer's wife in train station Uncredited
1944 Atlantic City Singer Alternative title: Atlantic City Honeymoon
1945 Pillow to Post Dancer Uncredited
1951 Tarzan's Peril Melmendi, Queen of the Ashuba
1951 The Harlem Globetrotters Ann Carpenter
1953 Bright Road Jane Richards
1953 Remains to Be Seen Herself
1954 Carmen Jones Carmen Jones Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nomination — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1957 Island in the Sun Margot Seaton
1958 Tamango Aiché, Reiker's Mistress
1958 The Decks Ran Red Mahia Alternative title: La Rivolta dell'esperanza
1959 Porgy and Bess Bess Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1960 Malaga Gianna Alternative title: Moment of Danger
1961 The Murder Men Norma Sherman Archive footage

Stage Work

Footnotes

  1. ^ Potter, Joan (2002). African American Firsts: Famous Little-Known and Unsung Triumphs of Blacks in America. Kensington Books. p. 81. ISBN 0-758-20243-1.
  2. ^ Bob McCann (2010). Encyclopedia of African-American actresses in film and television. McFarland & company. pp. 87–90. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  3. ^ "Ohio Deaths 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2002 [database on-line]". United States: The Generations Network. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  4. ^ "Social Security Death Index [database on-line]". United States: The Generations Network. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Lyman, Darryl (2005). Great African-American Women. Jonathan David Company, Inc. p. 50. ISBN 0-824-60459-8.
  6. ^ Taylor, Quintard (2003). African American Women Confront the West. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 239. ISBN 0-806-13524-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Mills, Earl (1999). Dorothy Dandridge: An Intimate Biography. Holloway House Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 0-870-67899-X.
  8. ^ Maltin, Leonard (1993). The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang. Crown. p. 279. ISBN 0-517-58325-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Carney Smith, Jessie (2000). Reference Library of Black America. African American Publications, Proteus Enterprises. p. 858. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Green, Stanley (2000). Hollywood Musicals: Year by Year. Hal Leonard. p. 189. ISBN 0-634-00765-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ McClary, Susan (1992). Georges Bizet: Carmen. Cambridge University Press. p. 133. ISBN 0-521-39897-5.
  12. ^ Rippy, Marguerite H. (2001). "Commodity, Tragedy, Desire - Female Sexuality and Blackness in the Iconography of Dorothy Dandridge". Classic Hollywood, classic whiteness. Daniel Bernardi (Editor). University of Minnesota Press. p. 194. ISBN 1234567890. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ a b Earl Mills (1999). "Dorothy Dandridge: An Intimate Biography". p. 174. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  14. ^ Gorney, Cynthia (February 9, 1988). "The Fragile Flame of Dorothy Dandridge; Remembering the Shattered Life Of a Beautiful 1950s Movie Star". Washington Post. pp. E2. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Robinson, Louie (March 1966). "Dorothy Dandridge Hollywood's Tragic Enigma". Ebony. p. 71. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "Halle Berry, Charles Dutton Capture Coveted Primetime Emmy Awards". Jet. 2000-09-25. Retrieved 2008-06-03. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Halle Berry Explains Why 2000 Has Been The Worst And Best Year Of Her Life". Jet. 2000-09-11. Retrieved 2008-06-03. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "Halle Berry's Acceptance Speech." blackfilm.com. March 26, 2002.

References

  • Dandridge, Dorothy & Conrad, Earl. Everything and Nothing: The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy. Abelard-Schuman; 1st edition (1970). ISBN 0200716905. HarperCollins, New Ed edition (2000). - ISBN 0-060-95675-5.
  • Mills, Earl. Dorothy Dandridge: An Intimate Portrait of Hollywood's First Major Black Film Star. Holloway House Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-870-67899-X.
  • Rippy, Marguerite H. (2001). "Commodity, Tragedy, Desire - Female Sexuality and Blackness in the Iconography of Dorothy Dandridge". Classic Hollywood, classic whiteness (Chapter 9). Daniel Bernardi, Editor. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 1234567890. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
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