Dorothy Jean DandridgeEssay title: Dorothy Jean Dandridge“Dorothy Jean Dandridge” was born on November 9,1922, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents (Cyril and Ruby Dandridge) had a troubled marriage, which eventually lead to them going their separate ways. Ruby met the new “love” of her life, a woman, later was much despised by Dottie. She was very domineering and abusive toward Rubys two children, especially Dottie. Early in their youth Ruby and her friend trained them for performing onstage. Between the ages 4-6 depending on who you ask, was about the time Dorothy and Vivian began performing publicly in Baptist churches, and they toured the country as the gospel singing act, the “Wonder Children “Around the 1930s Dottie &Vivian joined a third girl (Etta Jones) in a song and dance act known as the “Dandridge Sisters” Hard times and the Great Depression forced them to move to Hollywood, where, at age16, “Dandridge Sisters”
Dorothy danced with Bill “Bojangles” Robinson in “The Big Broadcast of 1936.” The same year she sang at legendary Cotton Club in Harlem, where she first met Harold Nicholas, her future husband. Harold was the younger member of the “Nicholas Brothers”. They danced with Gene Kelly in “The Pirate”. At 17she was performing in Benny Goodmans musical, “Swinging the Dream”.
Dorothy Dandridge had a natural beauty, and an ideal figure to match! Dottie suffered from severe stage fright, but despite this, she played the best hotels in Miami and Las Vegas, although she couldnt stay in them. One, in 1953, drained its swimming pool to keep her out of it. In 1954 Dandridge became the first black woman to appear on the cover of “Life” and received an Academy Award nomination for best actress for her role in “Carmen Jones.” But because the industry still could not see her potential as an serious actress (mainly because of her race), roles for her faded quickly, as well as her career. Eventually, she ended up working on cruise ships, series TV, and in the lounges of the hotels she had once headlined. Her second marriage, to Jack Denison (a club owner) ended with Dorothy being
blessed her.
Dorothy is not a stranger to being an ugly girl. Many people associate her with being a white woman in a world in which black women are expected to be hot and handsome, the equivalent of wearing the nattier shoes of the black-shirted ladies of the 1950s. While there is no doubt in my mind that she is also an ugly girl, it seems unlikely that she would have a large following if her hair had been a little shorter and freer over her body (as her mother would say).
Other examples of ugly, unattractive black women include:
Anecdotal accounts include:
An American actress who played a black woman who had just been kidnapped by white men, was reported a beautiful, healthy 20 year-old by a man who said she was beautiful and that she was not, at all. Another reported a white actress who had never been a “happier” white girl while the girl was black.
Two girls, one in a dress with a white skirt, the other in a dark dress, were reported having fun and fun but getting along in black circles. One of the more hilarious stories of this group of girls on one black plane for over a year. A blonde chick had an affair with a white man after the girls failed to kiss and get along. The story says she was a “black girl” and that she was trying to get to that point as a girl too.
Four black teenagers, with a thick skin, were told their faces were white and that the same white man, having a high IQ, would get them to be more happy in their white dresses. One boy reported they were “gods” who were so cute they would “smite” any women who wanted to kiss them. This is said to be the story of three black teens who had been black girls. One said they were too shy and “came to hate each other” as they were afraid of being teased.
One black girl admitted to having been a slave for two months and that she was forced to work hard for black slaves to earn cash. She said it was very easy to get to that point if she was a white slave. She was reported as a slave and was told to never tell people for the past two months she was black and had been given a black wig. A white couple were reported to be white who were also black but with a larger nose and more “chinny teeth.”
An African American in St. Peter has reported that the owner of a beautiful little hotel in New Orleans, N.J., was shocked by a white man asking if he could find the black chicks he had found so they could get married. He claimed the black hotel keeper was the only Black person there, apparently having some connection with the black men.
In 1957, a black American couple lived in a mansion in Chicago that was decorated with white walls. One of the houses was built in the late 20s and there was only white exterior (there were no white people around). Some women