Dorothy Dandridge

An enlightened bio of a regretably glossed-over star. This book is, however, about more than just Dorothy---it reveals much about the history of Hollywood in general, and black entertainers in particular. Read it definitely for the story of this beautiful, talented woman, but read it also for TinselTown info you won't find thus condensed anywhere else.

Even though I liked the Telefilm, and thought Halle Berry was the obvious choice to play Miss Dandridge (both were born in Cleveland), I was somewhat disappointed with it, after having read this book first. Dorothy's many trials and heartaches were only lightly touched upon in the film version. This book reads like a well written novel, starting from her early years as a child performer. The physical, verbal, and sexual abuse at the hands of her mother's lesbian lover. The failed marriages, and financial ruin. And most heartbreaking of all, the birth of her extremely mentally challenged daughter. But there are the triumphs also. Like making the cover of Life magazine, and receiving a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for the 1954 film "Carmen Jones." A first for an African-American actress. Unfortunately, the making of this film marked the beginning of an affair with the director Otto Preminger, that would end on a very sour note. Something she apparently never fully recovered from. Even being verbally abused by the same director during the making of "Porgy and Bess." Another great aspect of this book, is the social background of Black Los Angeles and Hollywood during the '30s, '40s and '50s. And who could ever imagine, Dorothy riding the streets of L.A. with her good friend Louis Armstrong, and him puffing on a marijuana joint? A must read for those interested in the history of Black Hollywood and Tinseltown in general.

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 meager 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 produced during the 1930s-1940s. Following a string of bit roles in motion pictures, her celebrity reached an apex in this country with the release of Carmen Jones, and 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 South. By no fault of her own, Dorothy could only watch helplessly as her career, probably the only true constant in her life, slowly declined.I enjoyed this book very much, and I enjoyed watching Bogle on A & E's Biography episode on Dorothy. The movie with Halle Berry is also a good companion to this biography, though I thought the portrayals of Dorothy's mother tended to differ. Since the movie was based on another book, I would be more inclined to read Bogle's account.

Although I read this book over a year ago, I cannot help but sing its praises at this time. With the current HBO bio starring Halle Berry bringing much-deserved attention on Miss Dandridge, it is fitting that Bogle's definitive book receives recognition. This is a perfect look into the life of an actress who because of her race and the times was not allowed to succeed in an industry limited in its appreciation for people of color. As each page is read, the reader becomes totally engrossed in the life of Miss Dandridge, the people who supported and hindered her, and the important role that she played in opening doors for black actors who followed. Like Jackie Robinson and other "firsts," Dorothy Dandridge deserves a place in the history books. This fine book makes a fitting tribute to a legend.

Only a few moments ago,I finished reading this book.Spellbound,enchanted,and heart-broken I sat for 1 week completly glued to this true,shocking and well-done biography.The author(Donald Bogle)deserves more credit for doing this book than I could ever convey but to Mr. Bogle -THANKS!I gave this book a 5 star rating,based on the content and the touching manner in which the author told the true story of the life,heartaches,dissapointments and triumphs of the late but,not forgotten Hollywood Goddess of the 1950's -Miss Dorothy Dandridge.I would personally recomend this book to anyone.I myself,knew little of the woman who's life this book was based upon,outside of seeing a movie she once starred in-Carmen Jones.After reading the biography I have more of an appreciation for her both as the star AND the PERSON she was(in my eyes-the star she IS). -Arevoir,Miss Dandridge -you are not forgotten:' )