Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
A life unfulfilled...
She was a beautiful actress and singer whose star shone too briefly. Dorothy Dandridge, a fragile boned beauty with skin often described as "cafe au lait", was sadly a victim of her own circumstances.
She rose to the top of her profession with her first starring role and became the first black woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. But, just as fast as her success was achieved, so did it begin to fade.
She knew it was hard, close to impossible, for a black actress to maintain a long running career in Hollywood because the roles were simply not there. She once said, "If I were white, I could capture the world".
Dorothy had the drive and the talent to make it but the color of her skin held her back and her life soon began a downward spiral which in the end turned tragic.
The movie
This movie talks about the first color actress, “Dorothy Dandridge” who has life with unfaithful. Dorothy talks with Geri about her life in the past and cut the old picture about her life. Then she takes pills and call with Earl before she take a bath and die when Earl met her.
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was born in Cleveland Ohio's City Hospital on November 9, 1922. Her mother was an aspiring actress named Ruby Dandridge. Her sister is Vivian Dandridge. They live with her aunty. Dorothy and Vivian made friends at the dancing school with a girl named Etta Jones; the three girls would make a terrific singing trio.
On the first day of rehearsals at the Cotton Club, Dorothy met Harold Nicholas, who with his brother, Fayard Nicholas made up the famous Nicholas Brothers dancing team. Dorothy and Harold resumed dating. So, her aunties thought that she had sex with him. She wants to check that it made her to fear sex.
Then, she got marry with Harold Nicholas, did not prove to be the ideal husband. He spends most of his free time on the golf course. . Dorothy blamed her lack of sexual experience for Harold's wanderings. When she became pregnant, she hoped that their child was kept Harold at home. A daughter, Lynn (short for Harolyn), was born on September 2, 1943.
Lynn was not acting normally. She was a very hyper child who cried incessantly. She was not learning to talk and worse, she acted as though she did not recognize those around her. Dorothy was determined to find out what was wrong with Lynn and took her to every doctor she could find. Dorothy and Harold their marriage was over.
Ruby and Geneva agreed to look after Lynn while Dorothy tried to re-establish her career. She still wanted to act in films but she realized that that possibility was slim. She did not relish the thought of returning to nightclubs, but felt that she had little other choice. She met with Phil Moore, an arranger she had worked with while in The Dandridge Sisters, and he was optimistic about working with her again.
The nightclub reviews were very good and gave her the much needed publicity that would help her get film work in Hollywood. She was offered the role of Melmendi in Tarzan's Peril in 1951. Dorothy first balked at playing a jungle queen but after reading the script she didn't think it was that bad.
Earl Mills came to meet Phil Moore, heard someone singing so; he asked Phil Moore that who signs the song. He met Dorothy Dandridge, Ava Dardner and Marilyn Monroe. She returned to the nightclub scene in May of 1951 and opened in Hollywood's top club, The Mocambo. This very successful appearance led to offers to appear in Paris (Cafe de Paris), New York (La Vie en Rose) as well as numerous guest television appearances.
She was the first black woman to perform at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. She was only allowed to do her act and was forbidden to talk with patrons or use any of the hotel facilities such as the elevator, lobby, swimming pool or bath rooms.
MGM planned to make an all black drama called Bright Road, Dorothy, especially, got good notices. There was a role just over the horizon that Dorothy had been dreaming of for many years. And Dorothy was determined to get it.
Leading roles for black actors in Hollywood were very scarce so when Dorothy heard that an all black production of Carmen Jones was being planned, she knew this was the role sh
e had dreamed of. The project was the mastermind of Austrian director Otto Preminger. Preminger was a director who liked to take risks and he was not afraid of controversy. Preminger also could see that black actors were underused and not given the chance to show their full potential and he wanted to do something about it. Preminger also had a reputation of being a tyrant on the set and he was often brutal with his actors.
Dorothy arranged a meeting with Preminger to discuss Carmen Jones. He was under the impression that she was interested in the part of Cindy Lou; When Dorothy informed him that she was only interested in the role of Carmen; Preminger told her that she was not right for the part. Dorothy was furious but determined to change his mind. She bought a wig, a skirt and a low cut blouse that she wore off the shoulder. She met with Preminger again and he could not believe the transformation. He had found his Carmen.
Almost immediately, however, Dorothy had doubts about her own ability to play the part because she thought that the Negro people can not accept. This time it was Preminger's turn to convince her that she could do it. Dorothy cooked him his favorite dinner of cold steak and cucumbers and after dinner one thing lead to another. It would be the start of a long and troubled relationship.
Dorothy Dandridge
A life unfulfilled...
She was a beautiful actress and singer whose star shone too briefly. Dorothy Dandridge, a fragile boned beauty with skin often described as "cafe au lait", was sadly a victim of her own circumstances.
She rose to the top of her profession with her first starring role and became the first black woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. But, just as fast as her success was achieved, so did it begin to fade.
She knew it was hard, close to impossible, for a black actress to maintain a long running career in Hollywood because the roles were simply not there. She once said, "If I were white, I could capture the world".
Dorothy had the drive and the talent to make it but the color of her skin held her back and her life soon began a downward spiral which in the end turned tragic.
The movie
This movie talks about the first color actress, “Dorothy Dandridge” who has life with unfaithful. Dorothy talks with Geri about her life in the past and cut the old picture about her life. Then she takes pills and call with Earl before she take a bath and die when Earl met her.
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was born in Cleveland Ohio's City Hospital on November 9, 1922. Her mother was an aspiring actress named Ruby Dandridge. Her sister is Vivian Dandridge. They live with her aunty. Dorothy and Vivian made friends at the dancing school with a girl named Etta Jones; the three girls would make a terrific singing trio.
On the first day of rehearsals at the Cotton Club, Dorothy met Harold Nicholas, who with his brother, Fayard Nicholas made up the famous Nicholas Brothers dancing team. Dorothy and Harold resumed dating. So, her aunties thought that she had sex with him. She wants to check that it made her to fear sex.
Then, she got marry with Harold Nicholas, did not prove to be the ideal husband. He spends most of his free time on the golf course. . Dorothy blamed her lack of sexual experience for Harold's wanderings. When she became pregnant, she hoped that their child was kept Harold at home. A daughter, Lynn (short for Harolyn), was born on September 2, 1943.
Lynn was not acting normally. She was a very hyper child who cried incessantly. She was not learning to talk and worse, she acted as though she did not recognize those around her. Dorothy was determined to find out what was wrong with Lynn and took her to every doctor she could find. Dorothy and Harold their marriage was over.
Ruby and Geneva agreed to look after Lynn while Dorothy tried to re-establish her career. She still wanted to act in films but she realized that that possibility was slim. She did not relish the thought of returning to nightclubs, but felt that she had little other choice. She met with Phil Moore, an arranger she had worked with while in The Dandridge Sisters, and he was optimistic about working with her again.
The nightclub reviews were very good and gave her the much needed publicity that would help her get film work in Hollywood. She was offered the role of Melmendi in Tarzan's Peril in 1951. Dorothy first balked at playing a jungle queen but after reading the script she didn't think it was that bad.
Earl Mills came to meet Phil Moore, heard someone singing so; he asked Phil Moore that who signs the song. He met Dorothy Dandridge, Ava Dardner and Marilyn Monroe. She returned to the nightclub scene in May of 1951 and opened in Hollywood's top club, The Mocambo. This very successful appearance led to offers to appear in Paris (Cafe de Paris), New York (La Vie en Rose) as well as numerous guest television appearances.
She was the first black woman to perform at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. She was only allowed to do her act and was forbidden to talk with patrons or use any of the hotel facilities such as the elevator, lobby, swimming pool or bath rooms.
MGM planned to make an all black drama called Bright Road, Dorothy, especially, got good notices. There was a role just over the horizon that Dorothy had been dreaming of for many years. And Dorothy was determined to get it.
Leading roles for black actors in Hollywood were very scarce so when Dorothy heard that an all black production of Carmen Jones was being planned, she knew this was the role sh
e had dreamed of. The project was the mastermind of Austrian director Otto Preminger. Preminger was a director who liked to take risks and he was not afraid of controversy. Preminger also could see that black actors were underused and not given the chance to show their full potential and he wanted to do something about it. Preminger also had a reputation of being a tyrant on the set and he was often brutal with his actors.Dorothy arranged a meeting with Preminger to discuss Carmen Jones. He was under the impression that she was interested in the part of Cindy Lou; When Dorothy informed him that she was only interested in the role of Carmen; Preminger told her that she was not right for the part. Dorothy was furious but determined to change his mind. She bought a wig, a skirt and a low cut blouse that she wore off the shoulder. She met with Preminger again and he could not believe the transformation. He had found his Carmen.
Almost immediately, however, Dorothy had doubts about her own ability to play the part because she thought that the Negro people can not accept. This time it was Preminger's turn to convince her that she could do it. Dorothy cooked him his favorite dinner of cold steak and cucumbers and after dinner one thing lead to another. It would be the start of a long and troubled relationship.
Carmen Jones was released in November of 1954 and it was a resounding success. It was heavily rumored that she would receive an Academy Award nomination. She refused to listen to the gossip but when the nominations were announced in February of 1955, she read her name along with Audrey Hepburn, Jane Wyman, Judy Garland and Grace Kelly. Dorothy Dandridge was the first black woman to be nominated in the category of Best Actress. But when the winner was announced in late March, the surprize winner was Grace Kelly for her role in The Country Girl.
Darryl Zanuck wanted her for the role of Tuptim in The King and I. Dorothy did not like the part which she considered nothing more than a slave and was further disappointed to see that it was not the leading role. Preminger advised her not to do it. She turned down the role but her decision would haunt her for the rest of her life. She later felt that her refusal to play Tuptim was the beginning of her downfall in Hollywood.
It seemed that Dorothy now moved in mostly white circles. Her relationship with Preminger would increasingly become strained due to the fact that he was married and they could not be seen in public together. Their relationship was now over and Preminger was particularly harsh with Dorothy during the filming. His reprimands were often so cruel and embarrassing that she would rush from the set in tears.
Dorothy's life seemed to unravel in late 1959. First, she met a handsome white restaurant owner named Jack Denison who pursued her relentlessly. Not many people had kind words to describe Denison and most considered him a gold digger. Dorothy, however, basked in his attentions and when he proposed, she accepted. They were married
Denison (left) not only took over Dorothy's career but he attempted to shut out her friends. He was also very abusive and it is known that he beat her. He was only interested in her money and he took it whenever he could. On top of this, an oil investment that Dorothy had entered into with other Hollywood stars turned out to be a scam and Dorothy lost a large amount of money. She had never handled her money very well and she always relied on other people to handle it for her. To alleviate her troubles, she began to drink heavily.
After almost two years of abuse, Dorothy finally threw Denison out of her house and filed for a divorce. She hoped that things would begin to get better but they only seemed to escalate. Helen Calhoun, whom Dorothy had been paying handsomely through the years to look after Lynn, returned Lynn when Dorothy could not longer pay her. She agonized over what to do and finally she to have Lynn had committed to a state hospital
She declared bankruptcy. She lost her beautiful home Dorothy continued to drink heavily and she would call various friends at night and talk for hours about everything that was going on in her life. She was a very lonely woman and she often sounded disoriented. She was given a prescription antidepressant drug which seemed to lift her spirits. She did get nightclub work again but many critics noticed that her performances did not contain the magic that they once held.
Earl Mills come to help her and told her that he love always her, worked with Dorothy to help her regain her health and put together another nightclub act. She was scheduled to play again in New York but she sprained her ankle which resulted in a fracture in her foot.
On the morning of September 8, 1965, Dorothy had an appointment to have a cast put on her foot. Earl Mills called her early but she asked that he reschedule the appointment for later so that she could sleep a few more hours. Mills tried calling again later in the morning but he could get no answer. He went to Dorothy's apartment but he could not get in. He returned around 2 pm and finally forced his way in. He found Dorothy lying dead on the bathroom floor. She was nude except for a blue scarf around her head.
Dorothy had given Earl a note which read "In case of my death - to whoever discovers it - don't remove anything I have on - scarf, gown or underwear. Cremate me right away. If I have anything, money, furniture, gives it to my mother Ruby Dandridge. She will know what to do. Dorothy Dandridge."
- Dorothy was cremated and buried at the Little Church of the Flowers at Forest Lawn.
- Ruby Dandridge died in 1987.
- Cyril Dandridge died in 1989.
- Vivian Dandridge died in 1991.
- Dorothy's daughter, Harolyn, still lives in a California institution.
This is the song that l like in this movie:
“That’s All” the song that Earl sings for her when he told her that he love her
“Can only give you love
That lasts forever
And a promise to be near
Each time you call
And the only heart I own
For you and you alone
That’s All”
You can found this thing in movie:
- the institutional racism
The movie also examines racism as the black star is not permitted to use white bathrooms or the Vegas pool. In the first situation, she was given a bathroom cup to pee in. In the second situation, the hotel drained the pool and scrubbed it after she dared put her foot in the water.
This is her filmography:
· Tarzan's Peril (1951)
· The Harlem Globetrotters (1951)
· Bright Road (1953)
· Carmen Jones (1954)
· Island In The Sun (1957)
· Tamango (1958)
· The Decks Ran Red (1958)
· Porgy And Bess (1959)
· Malaga (1960)
· The Murder Men (1961)
Bit parts, some unaccredited...
· The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1936)
· A Day At The Races (1937)
· It Can't Last Forever (1937)
· Going Places (1937)
· Irene (1940)
· Four Shall Die (1940)
· Bahamas Passage (1941)
· Lady From Louisiana (1941)
· Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
· Sundown (1941)
· Lucky Jordan (1942)
· Drums of the Congo (1942)
· Hit Parade of 1943 (1943)
· Since You Went Away (1944)
· Atlantic City (1944)
· Pillow To Post (1945)
· Ebony Parade (1947)
· Remains To Be Seen (1953)
Vocabulary:
Patrons =
Dixie cup =
Tofranil =
Booze =
Cremate=
Pathetic=
To starve=
Dime=
Relinquish parental=
Ridiculous=
1 comment:
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