Dorothy Dandridge

by Donald Bogle

Available once again, the definitive biography of the pioneering Black performer—the first nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award—who broke new ground in Hollywood and helped transform American society in the years before Civil Rights movement—a remarkable woman of her time who also transcended it.  “An ambitious, rigorously researched account of the long-ignored film star and chanteuse. . . . Bogle has fashioned a resonant history of a bygone era in Hollywood and passionately documented the contribution of one of its most dazzling and complex performers."— New York Times Book Review

In the segregated world of 1950s America, few celebrities were as talented, beautiful, glamorous, and ultimately influential as Dorothy Dandridge. Universally admired, she was Hollywood's first full-fledged Black movie star. Film historian Donald Bogle offers a panoramic portrait of Dorothy Dandridge’s extraordinary and ultimately tragic life and career, from her early years as a child performer in Cleveland, to her rise as a nightclub headliner and movie star, to her heartbreaking death at 42.  Bogle reveals how this exceptionally talented and intensely ambitious entertainer broke down racial barriers by integrating some of America's hottest nightclubs and broke through Tinseltown’s glass ceiling. Along with her smash appearances at venues such as Harlem’s famed Cotton Club, Dorothy starred in numerous films, making history with her role in Otto Preminger’s Carmen Jones, playing opposite Harry Belafonte. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress—the first Oscar nod for a woman of color. But Dorothy’s wealth, fame, and success masked a reality fraught with contradiction and illusion. Struggling to find good roles professionally, uncomfortable with her image as a sex goddess, coping with the aftermath of two unhappy marriages and a string of unfulfilling affairs, and overwhelmed with guilt for her disabled daughter, Dorothy found herself emotionally and financially bankrupt—despair that ended in her untimely death. Woven from extensive research and unique interviews, as magnetic as the woman at its heart, Dorothy Dandridge captures this dazzling entertainer in all her her strength and vulnerability, her joy and her pain, her trials and her triumphs.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, African American, Race, African American Literature, Music

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Donald Bogle is one of the foremost authorities on Black representation in films and entertainment history. His books include Running Press's Hollywood Black; the groundbreaking Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks; the award-winning Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams; the bestselling Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography; and Brown Sugar, which Bogle adapted into a PBS documentary series. He was a special commentator and consultant for Turner Classic Movies’ award-winning series Race and Hollywood. Bogle teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He lives in Manhattan. — Running Press

Reviews

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothy Dandridge was known as the "african American Marilyn Monroe! Bogle does a wonderful job!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothy Dandridge was one of Hollywood's first iconic black stars. She was dubbed 'the black Monroe', but was a true original. Actually, she was a friend of Marilyn Monroe and there are many parallels in their lives and careers. The major difference being that, whatever else she suffered, Marilyn did not have to endure racism. Dorothy was raised by a neglectful mother and an abusive 'aunt'. Her father was excluded from her life. She sang and danced from an early age, and was financially supporting her family by her teens. Her first marriage ended in divorce, after her young husband's infidelities drove her to attempt suicide. Their daughter was brain-damaged, and Dorothy suffered lifelong guilt at being unable to care for her. Against the odds, Dorothy became a succesful nightclub singer and later made the transition to movies, most notably in Otto Preminger's Carmen Jones. However, the prevailing racism of the time hindered Dorothy from rising in the ranks of stardom, a role for which she was eminently qualified. An abusive second marriage drove her to bankruptcy. In her final years, Dorothy was a shadow of her former self, paranoid and frequently intoxicated. She died of a drug overdose, which may have been intentional. It's a truly heartbreaking story, and when you look at the careers of Whitney Houston and others, you have to wonder how much has really changed. Nonetheless, Dorothy was an inspirational figure, ahead of her time. She deserves to be remembered alongside Monroe and other screen goddesses, and biographer Donald Bogle achieves this in style, setting her story against the backdrop of entertainment history from a black American perspective.

[Wilhelmina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe Ms. Dandridge's outcome in her life and career would have been different if she had a better support system. Thrown out to do whatever her mother told her to do, just get on stage, any stage, made Dorothy shy and quiet. She was very talented but her skin color was always the deal breaker. Too light, OK we'll let you have a dressing room. To tan or dark you'll get ready in the bathroom or closet. This extremely talented woman's self esteem was crashing to the ground. She finally got a break in the critically acclaimed motion picture-opera CARMEN JONES. The part was tailor made for her. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress(quite an accomplishment for a black actor) for her performance in her breakout role. Suddenly, she was a star but she felt so alone in her splendor. Poor choices in men, depression, and drugs were apart of this "splendor" and an outcome that was truly tragic.

[Sophia Flemming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donald Bogle does an excellent job in chronicling Dorothy Dandridge's life.

Readers see how Dandridge grew up and was pushed to become a performer as her mother wanted. Throughout the book, we see Dandridge struggle with being a black female Hollywood performer. As Bogle tells her tales, the realization comes that Dandridge is a head of her time. She cannot completely flourish in an industry where black entertainers are not prized like White entertainers.

If you want to read a book exposing further how black entertainers were treated in the early 20th century, read Dorothy Dandridge.

[Tim Collingwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned things I didn't know before, and it makes me want to do more to put her name out there and let her story be known. It's a great read!

[Karmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appreciate Donald Bogle's continued research on Dorothy.

In this book you will find out more about Dorothy from her relatives, friends, co-stars and acquaintances. Many are open about what it was like to be in her presence.

As I read this I can picture Dorothy right in front of me.

So much reference as well.

Well worth the read if you want to find out more facts about her.

[Chanel · Rating 5 out of 5]

She was before her time. But she paid the cost for today's black actresses. I thank this author for providing this information about her to us.

[Monica Lay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing To Cry About Now

Dorothy Dandridge was such an accomplished woman. A true pioneer. She broke so much ground. She went all the way to the top and came tumbling all the way back down. She was always nervous and jittery and unsure of her talent, but talented she was. Her beauty was truly unique and inspired awe. She made many mistakes just like we all do. But she was a true star. I'm sure she's pleased to see that her living and suffering were not in vain. She might have been a martyr---dying so that others may live. The Patron Saint of The Black Actress. She was the first black woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar and the first to be nominated for an Oscar AND a Golden Globe. She had other noteworthy firsts, too. The first one doing the weird thing that's never been done suffers greatly. She just about lost her mind to pills, alcohol and misery. The fall from grace, the broken romances, the disabled daughter (most especially) broke her heart and her early death broke ours. But Dorothy, aka Dottie, visited her BFF Geri one night in the astral and assured her girl, "I have nothing to cry about now."

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon original publication I read Mr. Bogle's biography of Dorothy Dandridge. It was and is an unusual accomplishment as the research and craft of writing by Mr. Bogle is exceptional. He is a very very good writer, relying on interviews of people who knew Ms. Dandridge well including former spouse Harold Nicholas, director-producer Otto Preminger (with whom she was personally and professionally involved), her sister Vivian and friend Geri.

I recently decided to revisit the book and am in the process of reading it currently. Mr. Bogle added a new introduction to the book in this e-book (in my case Nook e-reader) format. Once again, I am enjoying "Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography" a great deal.

[Kathy Houser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be a sad read for some but I enjoyed learning about this wonderful actress from the earlier days of Black Hollywood. Dorothy never found her place in movies, she wanted to play in mainstream movies where she did not need to be cast as the Black actress, just another human being who happened to be Black. She made a few well received movies such aa Porgy and Bess and Carmen Jones. She was an adored and kind sweet woman who never found the husband who would love and cherish her. She had a lot of tragedies and hardships in her life- but she just kept plugging- until the age of 42 when she was just "too tired to go on." There are several good clips of her dancing with the Nicholas Brothers and acting in her movies on youtube. She certainly had star power and charisma.

[Karmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appreciate Donald Bogle's continued research on Dorothy.

In this book you will find out more about Dorothy from her relatives, friends, co-stars and acquaintances. Many are open about what it was like to be in her presence.

As I read this I can picture Dorothy right in front of me.

So much reference as well.

Well worth the read if you want to find out more facts about her.

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my fave books-her life was fascinating and heartbreaking and Mr. Bogle captures it all wonderfully!

[Kisha Efai · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.6 ⭐️
The breathtaking beauty and undeniable talent that was Dorothy Dandridge had the terrible misfortune of being restricted. Due to racist Amerikkka, her star in Hollywood was not allow to shine. She was deprived of opportunities to showcase her stunning and charismatic skills in a fitting way. The world was truly robbed of experiencing a phenomenal gift.

Bogle’s work was detailed and well researched. Allowing the reader to share Dandridge’s journey filled with triumphs and heartbreaks.
Ms. Dandridge is ICONIC in the words of Harry BelaFonte “ Dorothy Dandridge was the right woman, in the right place, at the wrong time.”

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Halle Berry, Alfre Woodard, and Angela Bassett, there was Dorothy Dandridge, a remarkably talented actress/singer whose own life story may have paralleled, if not exceeded, many of the movies in which she starred in terms of drama and heartache. As a struggling black entertainer in a predominantly white world, shy Dorothy would be seen in her day as a pioneer, breaking color barriers in Vegas nightclubs and within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Sadly, for every rung she climbed there seemed to be a greater force pushing her further back down, eventually into bankruptcy and an untimely demise, but thankfully these same forces have not been able to erase her legacy completely.

Never heard of Dorothy Dandridge? What a shame, especially considering that her friend and colleague Marilyn Monroe, whose own life and death were very similar to that of "Dottie D's", is revered today as some ethereal glamour icon. Indeed, I have even heard Dandridge referred to as the "black Marilyn", bringing to mind exceptional beauty that masked years of career disappointment and failed romances. Reading Donald Bogle's detailed biography, simply titled Dorothy Dandridge, I know that nickname is false. Dorothy was not the "black" anybody, she was Dorothy Dandridge: unique and forever beautiful.

A noted historian of African-Americans in film, Donald Bogle certainly did his homework in researching the forty-one years of one of Black America's first screen goddesses. Interviews with fellow actors, close friends and even people minutely involved in Dorothy's poverty-stricken Cleveland childhood provide the backbone for this enthusiastic and informative portrait. Bogle's story takes us through young Dorothy's first steps in show business with sister Vivian in a vaudevillian act called the Wonder Girls, which played to delighted black audiences packed in Baptist churches and other small venues. Pressed on by her starstruck yet cold mother, Ruby (an actress in her own right), the act moved to Hollywood and evolved into the singing Dandridge Sisters, securing chorus and bit parts in the rare all-black musicals (on stage and film) produced during the 1930s-1940s.

Fame for Dottie D. seemed to take forever to come, and unlike Hollywood legends where fair-skinned damsels are catapulted into stardom after being discovered in drugstores, Dorothy had to literally sing for her supper, touring the U.S. and abroad with a nightclub act she sometimes felt was beneath her talents as a performer, most times singing in clubs and hotels that would not accept black guests, sometimes in clubs where Dorothy was not even allowed to visit the tables of those who had come to hear her sing, despite numerous requests to meet her.

Following a string of bit roles in motion pictures, her celebrity reached an apex in this country with the release of Carmen Jones, an all-black version of Bizet's Carmen. For her performance, Dorothy made history by becoming the first black actress to win an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Though such clout won her the admiration of her peers (and the love of the film's director), the nomination should have won her a better choice of film roles. As Bogle reveals, even the glitter of Oscar gold could not change Dorothy's skin color; pitting a black love interest with an A-list white actor in the 1950s was a risky venture, too risky for film companies who wanted their products to turn profits, particularly in the southern United States. By no fault of her own, Dorothy could only watch helplessly as her career, probably the only true constant in her life, slowly declined.

If you have heard of Dorothy Dandridge and are familiar with her as an entertainer, your perception will be enriched by the portrait of the personal Dorothy that Bogle offers. If it were not enough that Dorothy had to struggle to maintain a career, there was also the heartbreak of two failed marriages, dalliances with a variety of male entertainers, black and white, (some of whom would not be seen in public with her lest their own careers be threatened), and her difficult relationships with her mother and daughter.

Recently I found on the Internet the news that Whitney Houston is trying to bring Dorothy's life to the screen, while Halle Berry is negotiating to star as the actress in a separate HBO project; Donald Bogle suggested that whoever would portray the greatest black actress of the first half of this century would be the greatest black actress of this half. Until the day comes when either film is released, read Dorothy Dandridge. A two-hour film could not possibly contain every moment in such a life, and Dorothy's is certainly a life worth remembering.

[Ostap Bender · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredibly well-researched biography of Dorothy Dandridge from eminent film historian and frequent TCM guest Donald Bogle. First published in 1997 at a time when he had access to many of the people whose lives intersected Dandridge’s, it’s chock-full of details and personal stories that really bring her story to life. And as Bogle put it so perfectly in the preface, this story is three-fold:

“Foremost, it was a personal story about a gifted, complex woman. Then, it was something of a family drama, a web of tangled relationships. And, of course, finally, it was a look at the movie industry and the Black Hollywood that existed within the larger filmland culture.”

I found that in each of these areas, the story was compelling. Dandridge was talented and alluring, but massively insecure, something that stemmed from trauma in so many areas of her life. As a child, her mother Ruby took her sister and her away from their father and told them that he had abandoned them. Her mother began a closeted lesbian relationship with a woman who abused Dorothy through her adolescence, culminating in a humiliating forced vaginal exam to ensure she was still a virgin. She married Harold Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers dancing duo fame) with romantic ideas about a perfect life together, but his frequent adultery and lack of simply being there, even abandoning her on the day their baby was born, ruined their marriage. Their daughter, Lynn was severely mentally disabled, requiring constant care beyond what Dorothy could provide, and was raised in the hands of others. In all of these ways she thought she had somehow failed, with is an incredible shame.

Dandridge’s career is of course detailed, from the earliest days of dancing with her sister to early roles, like the brilliant performance of ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’ number with the Nicholas Brothers in Sun Valley Serenade (1941) and her performance of ‘Taking a Chance on Love’ in Remains to Be Seen (1953), which was apparently the closest approximation to her charismatic nightclub performances. Her breakout role was of course Carmen Jones (1954), for which she garnered the first Oscar nomination for an African American in the Best Actress category. Tragically, just eleven years later at the age of 42, she would be dead.

Dandridge’s rise in the film industry coincided with a fascinating period of transition for African American actors. Long accustomed to being relegated to minor, often degrading roles as servants, some older black actors feared that the NAACP’s push for better roles after WWII might impact their careers – though notably, not Hattie McDaniel, who supported women like Lena Horne and Hazel Scott for presenting a new, more sophisticated image. That’s one of the things I loved about Bogle’s work – he took the time to explore and explain these things which represented the larger context of Dandridge’s life. As he puts it, she “marked a bridge between two generations of African Americans who had been working in films.”

Of Carmen Jones (1954), Bogle writes “Dandridge exuded throughout the film a larger-than-life glamor and allure that had never been afforded Black women in Hollywood cinema before.” As importantly, “From the sound of her voice, with its warm honey tones, to her movements, and, of course, her attitude, her Carmen always seemed to be speaking directly to her Black audiences, saying, ‘The picture may not be real, but I am.’” At the same time, he recognized that director Otto Preminger “wisely understood the power and isolation of Dandridge’s Carmen, whose individuality and sense of emotional/sexual freedom set her apart from her community. It is another Dandridge portrait of the beauty-as-loner. In some respects, in part because of her look, she seems to play out the concept of the tragic mulatto, which depicts the mixed-race character as not being able to function as a part of any community. That may well, strangely enough, explain some of Dandridge’s appeal and the complexity of her screen persona.” This combination – both representing an advance for a community and yet being in some way isolated from it – is emotionally powerful.

Marilyn Monroe was a friend of hers, which is of course ironic because Dandridge was similarly damaged by being overly sexualized by men, tyrannized by Otto Preminger, suffered from depression, and had her life cut short tragically. Even their names – Norma Jean Baker and Dorothy Jean Dandridge – eerily have the same middle name. Regardless, it was astonishing to read just how quickly her fall from grace was, and the depths to which she plumbed. After being on top of the world in Carmen Jones, she struggled to find parts worthy of her, made a career misstep in turning down the role Rita Moreno took in The King and I, was swindled in an oil well venture (along with others), and made a disastrous decision to marry grifter Jack Denison in 1959. Despite her magnetic charm, others whom she loved (like Peter Lawford and Otto Preminger) left her, and her appearance in Hollywood came at a time when Americans were not willing to accept a black woman in leading roles in mainstream films. She had success on the nightclub circuit, but was disillusioned by its racism and its “oversexed club atmosphere.” She increasingly turned to alcohol and antidepressants, which would be her undoing.

While it’s heartbreaking to think what might have been for Dandridge, this is a story of trailblazing and courage during a conservative and racist era. The scrutiny of her innocent involvement at the Actors Lab by the HUAC as well as her simply dancing with white actor Anthony Quinn is represented, a chilling reminder of the period. When friend and fellow actor Joel Fluellen took concerns about the treatment of black actors to the Screen Actors Guild, he was ignored by SAG’s leader at the time, Ronald Reagan, who also had members pledge to a patriotic “loyalty oath.” Hedda Hopper, supporter of HUAC and blacklists, named people and ruined careers, almost including Dandridge’s. As Dorothy so eloquently wrote the California Eagle:

“I have just returned from Europe where I was received with cordiality and respect both professionally and socially. In answering queries about the Negro artist in America, I was ashamed to admit the humiliation to which we are subjected. Europeans are suspicious of pious mouthings about Democracy for other countries when right here in America the most abominable discriminatory practices and ideas are still being perpetuated as reflected in the Hollywood Reporter column.”

Bogle doesn’t shy away from the “abominable discriminatory practices” that Dandridge faced, including black performers like her being headliners at hotels in Las Vegas or Miami Beach, but not allowed to mingle with white audiences, use the front entrances, elevator, or pool. The Last Frontier threatened to drain the pool if she went anywhere near it. Oftentimes they were forced to take a cheap hotel miles away because they couldn’t be guests.

Then of course there was the Production Code office, where in 1954, 66-year-old conservative, anti-Semitic Catholic Joseph Breen still ruled, dictating what Americans could see. Of Carmen Jones he was concerned with what he viewed as lust and immorality, requiring all sorts of changes. Of her film Island in the Sun (1957) the office required a rationale for the “immoral” sin of a pre-marital affair be explained by the shock of discovery of having “black blood,” which among other things Bogle points out suggested “a black woman was sexually ‘looser’ – less moral – than a white one.” There were many other examples, often spurred by the fear of reaction from the Southern market.

The book is certainly a tome, coming in at 649 pages before the extensive notes and bibliography at the end, so personally I would have been as happy had it been a little shorter. At the same time, what an incredible service Bogle did to Dorothy Dandridge here, capturing her life and times so methodically. To his credit, I didn’t feel that he got mired in extraneous details, he was just thorough, and he always presented the bigger picture with great insight. It’s a great read, and will also serve as a great reference.

[Willie Gore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellant written book from the begining to the end. It was a real page turner. If you want to know about whatreally happened to the beautiful actress Dorothy Dandrige this is a must read! Now I am well informwd of who she was and what happened to her life. Thank you Author Donald Bogle , you are certainly great at your craft. Job well done! I reccomend this book for all women and men who love a good true story about what hollywood can do to you.

Thank you, Mr. Bogle

Willie Ann Gore,

[Deodand · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am disappointed by this book. The subject is fresh and interesting, and the book is backed up by research, but Bogle doesn't step out of the way and let Dandridge's story be told. He has sprinkled his own opinions and insights throughout. There are no footnotes either, which I think are important for a work that claims to be in-depth.

There were also some strange grammar choices that clashed. My distaste for this aspect is hard to explain...perhaps the book needed a stronger editor.

[Judith McGee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book upon publication, and recently re-read it on my Nook e-reader. "Dorothy Dandridge: a Biography" remains one of the finest biographies that I have read. I believe the preface to the e-reader version of the book has been revised over the years and it is helpful. The photographs are near the end of the book along with the credits, index and chapter by chapter breakdown of contributors (who are extraordinary ones).

Highly recommended.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting, thoroughly researched and well-written biography of one of the loveliest, finest performers. Bogle deftly portrays the life and the interior essence of Dorothy Dandridge so acutely one cannot help but lament that she had not lived a long and happy life sharing her gifts with us. And come to believe how wonderful she truly was.

[AlexKw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not finish reading this book but it was very interesting. One thing i didn't like was the author kept referencing the shade of her skin color. It was very annoying and seemed like a type of colorist the author was preaching.

[Pamela Greer]

Mr. Bogle is an excellent author and tackles some subjects that many of us want to know about but there are little sources for. A very intimate look at the life of Dorothy Dandridge.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book that contains alot of information I was unaware of.

[Oridisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent, it really explained a lot of things about Dorothy Dandridge I didn't know.

[Krista Lawler · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite biography on Dorothy!

[Chevy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dorothy…beautiful…majestic….goddess…ahead of her time.

[Ketura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important part of American Black history.

[Ellen Kolb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was curious to read this book although I am not familiar with the films of actress Dorothy Dandridge. I have heard her cited by other actresses, particularly women of color, as a model. Donald Bogle's book makes me want to make up for what I've been missing, starting with Carmen Jones.

Bogle writes in such a way that readers already familiar with Dandridge's work can learn more about her. Better yet from my point of view, his book is also a good introduction for people who know nothing about her career. Dandridge was fascinating and gifted, and he guides the reader along her journey to (and through) fame. His research and interviews with Dandridge's friends and colleagues make for a rich story.

[Frank Vagnone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donald Bogle chronicles Dorothy's life until her untimely death in 1965. A beautiful and talented performer, her life was fraught with family issues, insecurities, bad advice and addiction. Through interviews with family members, friends, and acquaintances, Bogle digs deep into Dandridge's short life and also chronicles the Hollywood of 1930's through the 1960's, the prejudices that were still strong in the US and its effect on Negro performers. If you're into Hollywood, then this is a must read

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

a wonderful biography of a fascinating woman.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tell you so.much about a wonderful actress.