Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. Her second marriage was to Jack Denison in 1959. I went backstage, and when I saw him, I said, Oh my goodness, he is just beautiful. He simply said, Dorothy.. Ruby created a song-and-dance act for her two young daughters, Vivian and Dorothy, under the name The Wonder Children. [6] At first, Dandridge refused to go to the hospital without him. WebOn Sept. 8, 1965, about a week after Nicholas 22nd birthday, Dandridge was found dead of an accidental overdose in Hollywood. By Hadley Hall Meares [66] In the 1969 movie The Lost Man, a character Dorothy Starr (played by Beverly Todd) says that she named herself after Dandridge. In fact, she is so passionate about cinema that she decided to pursue cinematography as a full-time career, and is now pursuing film studies at the New York Film School. Dorothy Dandridge. She tried to climb out of her financial hole by working constantly in nightclubs, but it was never enough. [5] Williams was said to have had a bad temper and to have cruelly disciplined the children. Born November 9, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Ad Choices, Her Favorite Things: Julie Andrewss (Not Always) Loverly Life. At the time due to its controversial subject matter, the film was only available in limited release. Take a look at these color photos to see Initially reported to be the result of an embolism, additional findings pointed to an overdose of an antidepressant. These are the only known songs Dandridge recorded on vinyl. Dorothy singing, 1962. She describes the scene: Ever since early childhood she had liked to sit at the piano and play do-re-meover and over for hoursonce in a while she turned around coyly on the stool and wanted me to applaud. There was a disastrous marriage to failing nightclub owner Jack Denison, which was filled with drinking and intense fights. But when taken to his hotel suite, she found herself not at a party but alone with Cohnwho started to tell her all he could do for her career. Through social media posts, court records, and other primary sources, author Kathleen Hale forensically reconstructs their lives before the crime, and the night they were killed. [56], On September 12, 1965, a private funeral service was held at the Little Chapel of the Flowers;[57] Dandridge was cremated[57] and her ashes interred in the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Dandridge was born in 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, to entertainer Ruby Dandridge (ne Butler) and Cyril Dandridge. She continued her performances in nightclubs and appeared on multiple early television variety shows, including Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town.[16]. The effect, and his subsequent viewing of her freer, looser appearances in the 'soundies' material,[17] helped earn her the title role. Never settle for anything less.. Several songs she sang, including her version of "Cow-Cow Boogie" were recorded on soundies and are not included on this list. He had a free and easy style of living, talking, and thinking, she recounts, and he hadhell want to kill me for thisa touch of Errol Flynn about him. Dandridge found comfort in cooking food from her childhood and invited Lawford into her kitchen sanctuary. Dandridge later regretted following his advice. Curtis's relationship to the term nepo baby has evolved over the last few months. Dandridge first gained fame as a solo artist from her performances in nightclubs, usually accompanied by Phil Moore on piano. Dandridge's stardom took off internationally after she appeared in a sold-out residence with Desi Arnaz in 1951 at the Mocambo club in Los Angeles. Harolyn's delayed birth required the use of forceps. [10] As a part of The Dandridge Sisters, she also appeared in The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1936) with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, A Day at the Races with the Marx Brothers, and It Can't Last Forever (both 1937) with the Jackson Brothers. "[62] Both Dandridge and Berry were from Cleveland, Ohio, and were born in the same hospital. [28], In MGM's The Decks Ran Red (1958), Dandridge co-starred with James Mason, Broderick Crawford, and Stuart Whitman as Mahia, a cook's wife aboard a tired World War II surplus freighter enduring a mutiny. She is the first African-American film star to be nominated for the It was three years before Dandridge followed up her Academy Awardnominated performance with Island in the Sun. Dandridge travelled to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France in May 1955 to promote Carmen Jones. The film, co-starring Trevor Howard and Edmund Purdom, plotted a jewel robbery and its aftermath. Wait here, she saidShe returned to my dressing room with Gene Cook, theatrical editor for Life, and she suggested to him that he do a picture spread of me., The subsequent 1951 spread in Life was as big a boost for my career as anything Harry Cohn could do, Dandridge remembers. Dandridge became completely obsessed with Preminger. [12] She had small roles in Lady from Louisiana with John Wayne and Sundown with Gene Tierney, both in 1941. As an African American singer, Dandridge confronted early on the segregation and racism of the entertainment industry. No one will ever know how I wept, she writes of their relationships demise. [29] Despite being universally panned, the film generated a respectable audience. The Idaho Murders, Part 1: How 4 College Kids Lived and Loved. WebA coroner's report dated November 19, 1965, stated that Dorothy's death resulted from acute drug intoxication due to an overdose of the antidepressant Tofranil. Whites werent quite ready for full acceptance even of me, purportedly beautiful, passable, acceptable, talented, called by the critics every superlative in the lexicon employed for a talented and beautiful woman., Pills and Champagne would dull the painbut the haunting never ceased until her death by an accidental overdose in 1965, at the age of 42. [53] Dandridge was scheduled to fly to New York the next day to prepare for her nightclub engagement at Basin Street East. While making Carmen Jones, Dandridge became involved in an affair with the film's director, Otto Preminger, who also directed Porgy and Bess. WebDorothy Dandridges Death Cause and Date Born (Birthday) Nov 9, 1922 Death Date September 8, 1965 Age of Death 42 years Cause of Death Drug Overdose Place of Death With Hollywood filmmakers unable to create a suitable role for the light-skinned Dandridge, they soon reverted to subtly prejudiced visions of interracial romance. It was in the shelters that I developed an affinity with the English which has been with me always, she writes. Except this: I knew that to everyone else she was hideous., Due to the brutal medical norms of the times, Dandridge was eventually convinced by doctors to give Lynn to a caretaker. [9] Dandridge first appeared on screen at the age of 13 in a small part in an Our Gang comedy short, "Teacher's Beau" in 1935. In 1940, Dandridge appeared in her first solo film role. Dorothy Dandridge could do it all: sing, act, dance. In 1955, she was featured on the cover of Life magazine and was treated like visiting royalty at that years Cannes Film Festival. [23] Testimony from O'Hara, as well as from a disgruntled former magazine editor named Howard Rushmore, revealed that the magazines published false information provided by hotel maids, clerks, and movie-theater ushers who were paid for their tips. WebDorothy had been in a horrible marriage with tap dancing superstar, Harold Nicholas. Dorothy Dandridge was an actress and popular singer. delay in her labor after Nicholas left her at home without car keys, the publication printed untrue stories about her. Showbiz Post. Every product on this page was chosen by a Harper's BAZAAR editor. The judge ordered Hollywood Research to stop publishing questionable stories based on paid tips. The stories with questionable veracity most often centered around alleged incidents of casual sex. I threw myself away on a few men, thinking I might as well have an orgasm as there isnt much else.. This contract was the familys ticket out of povertya little like having a deal with MGM for white folks.. Honestly, he said, I cant understand anybody eating it., One evening, when Lawford appeared with Gary Coopers patrician wife, Rocky, Dandridge decided to perform a little experiment. Remember The Nigerian Witch Boy Who Was Left To Starve To Death? [40] They had an unhappy marriage, which deteriorated because of Nicholas' womanizing and inattentiveness. The moth-men flicker around you, but they dont get burnedyou do if you dont watch out.. Scubby.comis your No. By the time they shot 1959s infamous Porgy and Bess, costarring Sidney Poitier, the relationship was over, and Preminger was verbally abusing her in ways he usually meted out to lesser actors. Dandridge paved the way for so many black actresses today and was a woman of many firsts. [7], During the Great Depression, work virtually dried up for the Dandridges, as it did for many Chitlin' Circuit performers. Use dorothy dandridge death graphics, cliparts, stamps, and stickers with our free photo editor to create unique dorothy dandridge death images, original icons and custom dorothy dandridge death pictures and display your artistic talents. Celebrity News Dorothy Dandridge's Life in Photos See the star's rise from nightclub singer to on-screen siren. On her own, she danced with Harold Nicholas of the dancing Nicholas Brothers in the 1941 Sonja Henie musical Sun Valley Serenade. Her parents separated just before her birth. In 1955, Dandridge became the first Black woman to be nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. This may have resulted in the brain damage that left her requiring lifelong constant care. She lost to Grace Kelly for The Country Girl. Keep away from the wolves, he said, adding, like me., During World War II, the Dandridge Sisters were booked at the Palladium in London, a city Dandridge adored even as being there meant she had to find shelter from German bombs. When the jury and press visited Grauman's Chinese Theatre to determine whether O'Hara could have performed various sexual acts while seated in the balcony, as reported by a magazine published by Hollywood Research, Inc., this was discovered to have been impossible. 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. WebIn 1965, the seemingly bankrupt and depressed star was found dead at age 42, and reports stated that she had overdosed on anti-depressants. [46] Dandridge was private about her daughter's condition; she didn't publicly speak about it until a 1963 appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. Because of her rejection of stereotypical black roles, she had limited options for film roles. [20] Her success as a headliner led to the hotel booking other black performers, such as the Count Basie Orchestra with vocalist Joe Williams, Pearl Bailey, and Lena Horne. All the rest is nothing, and all the rest has been nothing. I had bitter nights of weeping. Her mother Ruby was five months pregnant with Dorothy when she left her husband, Cyril Dandridge, taking Dorothys older sister, one-year-old Vivian, with her. In 1959, Dandridge starred in a low-budget British thriller, Malaga, in which she played a European woman with an Italian name. According to Dandridge: If you find yourself suddenly projected into a Caucasian orbityou have an inner experience that is hard on the nerves. This curtailed invasive tabloid journalism until 1971, when Generoso Pope, Jr. moved the National Enquirer, which he owned, from New York to Lantana, Florida, where there were fewer restrictions. Dandridge soon suffered a nervous breakdown. The group landed gigs at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem and performed with top acts such as the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra and .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Cab Calloway. Also that year, Dandridge appeared as part of a Specialty Number, "Chattanooga Choo Choo", in the hit 1941 musical Sun Valley Serenade for 20th Century Fox. Broke, Dandridge was forced to put Lynn in a state mental institution. Although she was known for her 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. WebFree dorothy dandridge death graphics for creativity and artistic fun. The two were wed on September 6, 1942. For a time it seemed Premingers advice was working. WebRare photo of Dorothy Dandridge and her daughter Harolyn Sequayah Chaney 1k followers More information Rare photo of Dorothy Dandridge and her daughter Harolyn Vintage Black Glamour Vintage Beauty Vintage Soul Vintage Vibes Diahann Caroll Hiphop Dorothy Dandridge Black Actresses Black Celebrities More information More information Ill chop them up fine and make them into an hors doeuvre. 9. Dandridge did appear in one more role worthy of her talents, opposite Sidney Poitier in the Academy Award-winning Porgy and Bess (1959). Early on in Dandridges career, when she took a brief hiatus to start a family with ex-husband Harold Nicholas, Dandridge gave birth to a daughter, Harolyn.She was born in 1943 with severe and permanent brain damage that required daily To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. WebDorothy Dandridge was born on November 9, 1922, to Ruby Dandridge. The film was controversial at the time of its release for its portrayal of an interracial romance that Dandridges character was involved in. She wanted a starring role and a contract with a big Upon entering Premingers office, Dandridge encountered a type she knew well. *. Were going to fix it so you be something else than that.. [33]On 31 March 1962, Dandridge sang in the Le Paon Rouge nightclub of the Phoenicia Intercontinental as the guest of honour. Ill serve chitlings the way theyve never been served before. She had WebBiography. In this edition of the Old Hollywood Book Club, Julie Andrews pulls back the curtain on her life. She was forced to sell her Hollywood home and place her daughter in a California state mental institution, Camarillo State Hospital. Dandridge starred in the Otto Preminger directed film Porgy And Bess alongside Sidney Poitier. Here, the actress films a scene for the movie with her costar, Harry Belafonte. Dandridge met Las Vegas restaurant owner Jack Denison soon after her relationship with Preminger ended, and they got married on June 22, 1959. She won her first starring film role in 1953s Bright Road, playing an earnest and dedicated young schoolteacher opposite Harry Belafonte. Dandridge's first credited film role was in Four Shall Die (1940). Cold steak. [6] The sisters toured the Southern United States almost nonstop for five years (rarely attending school), while Ruby worked and performed in Cleveland. WebIn Everything and Nothing: The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy, the star and cowriter Earl Conrad recall a singular Hollywood life cut devastatingly short. They applauded too. Died September 8, 1965 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. I realized that we were in a gameI to get him, he to lose me. My mother and Auntie Ma-Ma slept the length of the bed, and Vivian and I were at their feet. And even if it had been a success, it wouldnt have been enough. On September 8, 1965, Dandridge was found dead in her Hollywood home at age 42. As well as being nominated for an Oscar, Dandridge presented the Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the 29th Academy Awards. According to The New York Times, Dandridge once said, "If I were Betty Grable, I could capture the world." If it is possible for a human being to be like a haunted house, she writes, maybe that would be me., The primary ghost in Dandridges life was her only child, Harolyn Suzanne Lynn Nicholas, born in 1943 during her first marriage to dancing legend Harold Nicholas. We count down the list of Dandridges many achievements in pictures. WebDorothy Dandridge, in full Dorothy Jean Dandridge, (born November 9, 1922, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.died September 8, 1965, West Hollywood, California), American singer and film [39] While she was in labor, Nicholas left her stranded at her sister-in-law's home without the car when he went to have sex with her best friend. Branton told biographers that during the long conversation, Dandridge veered from expressing hope for the future, to singing Barbra Streisand's "People" in its entirety, to making this cryptic remark moments before hanging up on her: "Whatever happens, I know you will understand. [46][51] Dandridge moved into a small apartment on Fountain Avenue in West Hollywood, California. Dandridge was found dead on the floor of a West Hollywood apartment from an overdose of antidepressants on Sept. 8, 1965. With her sultry looks and flirtatious style, Dandridge became the first African American to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. And her talent elevated her to the highest ranks of fame. During her early career, she performed as a part of The Wonder Children, later The Dandridge Sisters, and appeared in a succession of films, usually in uncredited roles. Despite the behind-the-scenes controversy, the film received favorable reviews and was one of the year's biggest successes. Here, the actress poses in a geometric one-piece as the press catches her taking a dip in the Mediterranean Sea. Dandridge was a sensation in Carmen Jones and garnered an Oscar nomination for the role. (She and Nicholas were separated, formally divorcing in 1951.) Christine loves all things cinema, and she's been that way ever since she was a little girl. Dandridge appeared in one of her most well-known films, Porgy and Bess, in 1959. Otto was ugly, she writes. Dandridge starred in Island In The Sun in 1957 alongside Harry BelafonteandJoan Collins. However, in the years that followed her success with Carmen Jones, Dandridge had trouble finding film roles that suited her talents. 1 destination for the latest breaking news stories, trending topics and shocking real life stories. The Dandridge Sisters were a success. The singer and actress landed the part of Helen Fielding in Four Shall Die. The Different Types of Features and Security Protocols Offered by Top-Rated VDRs, Heres Who Can Get Medical Marijuana Card In Florida, How to Design a Kitchen Youll Love: 8 Tips to Help You, 6 Etiquettes To Follow When Giving Corporate Gifts in Canada. As a teenager, Dandridge began earning small roles in a number of films. In May 1951, Dandridge had a spectacular opening at the Mocambo nightclub in West Hollywood after assiduous coaching and decisions on style with pianist Phil Moore. The girls performed throughout the South, playing Black churches and other places. A Splash of Excess in a Tasteful Fashion Week, Hayley Williams Is Our March 2023 Music Director, Why We're All Obsessed With '90s Beauty (Again), Christina Sharpe Wrote Our Cultural Landscape. [25][26], In 1957, after a three-year absence from film acting, Dandridge agreed to appear in the film Island in the Sun opposite an ensemble cast, including James Mason, Harry Belafonte, Joan Fontaine, Joan Collins, and Stephen Boyd. Christine Haveford In her perceptive, often humorous autobiography, Everything and Nothing: The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy, published in 1970five years after her deathDandridge and cowriter Earl Conrad lay out her search for love in candid, often luscious prose. On November 1, 1954, Dorothy Dandridge became the first black woman featured on the cover of Life. Death Year: 1965, Death date: September 8, 1965, Death State: California, Death City: West Hollywood, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Dorothy Dandridge Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/actor/dorothy-dandridge, Publisher: A&E Television Networks, Last Updated: April 19, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. Angela Bassett on What an Oscar Win Would Mean For Her, At the Costume Designers Guild Awards on Monday night, the, Three A-list actresses, two of the most volatile men in Hollywood, and the awards campaign that defined the 2000sand it all got overshadowed by the nose.. It wasn't long before the singing group found themselves on the screen. In the 1950s, Dandridge was singing at El Rancho in Las Vegas. I thought, Ill serve them chitlings in a tall stemmed glass, she writes. Will she ride the term to Oscar gold? After her divorce in 1951, Dandridge returned to the nightclub circuit, this time as a successful solo singer. She was too lovely and sophisticated, a model, a beautiful butterfly. Dandridge was unimpressed with his unimaginativeness, retorting, Im an actress. Her next role, as the eponymous lead in Carmen Jones (1954), a film adaptation of Bizet's opera Carmen that also co-starred Belafonte, catapulted her to the heights of stardom. I wonder if I can convey how many of these you will meet if you are a roving singing star, she writes. After her solo debut, Dandridge's talents led her to a successful film career. Around 1930, Dandridge moved to Los Angeles, California, with her family. It received mixed reviews from critics and achieved only minor success. Dandridge married Harold Nicholas in 1942, but their union proved to be anything but a happy one. WebDandridge went on to appear in minor roles on films and television from 1940 through the early 1960s. One day a creepy lackey convinced her to attend a party being held by Columbia studio head and notorious sexual predator Harry Cohn. Living on the road was hard and cramped, especially in the hot, racist South. Sonny and Cher made their first live UK appearance at the 100 Club in London, 1965. [23] Four months after her out-of-court settlement for $10,000, she and actress Maureen O'Hara, the only other star who testified at the criminal trial, were photographed shaking hands outside the downtown-Los Angeles courtroom where the highly publicized trial was held. Dorothy Jean Dandridge was born on November 9, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ruby Dandridge (ne Ruby Jean Butler), an entertainer, and Cyril H. Dandridge, a cabinet maker and minister. [54] A Los Angeles pathology institute determined that the cause of death was an accidental overdose of the antidepressant imipramine. By nights end Lawford and Dandridge peeled away from the party and found themselves alone in his car on a lovers lane: Peter put his arms around me and began kissing me in a delightful, gallant English style, if kisses can have nationality, she writes. A Brief History of Oscar Voting Scandals, From Mary Pickford to Andrea Riseborough. When Dandridge threatened to leave the film, the script and her wardrobe were retooled to her liking. She may have been allowed on stage, but in some venues, she couldn't eat in the restaurant or use certain facilities because of the color of her skin. He intimated that it was good for the picture, for the people involvedIf star and director know each other heart and souland the restthe spark of it all might well leap into the beauty of the film.. But they would remain friends and star together in the films Bright Road, Carmen Jones, and Island in the Sun. Her funeral service was held on September 12, 1965, at the Little Chapel of the Flowers . I found an old wig which, I was told, Cornel Wilde wore in one of his pictures, she writes. This was Dandridge's first, and only, on-screen kiss with a white actor. [61] 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. After a number of personal problems on September 8, 1965, Dandridge was found dead in her Hollywood home. The whole family, including the hated Auntie Ma-Ma, went on the road. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. [citation needed] The continuing publicity buzz surrounding Dandridge's wardrobe got her featured on the April 1951 cover of Ebony. Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password. Dorothy's family moved to Hollywood around 1930. You occupy a position somewhat like a flame in relation to hovering moths. When the language of love merges with the argot of psychiatry, Dandridge writes, a routine difference of opinion over a fouled-up dinner engagement could sound like this: Harry: Look, lets not start rejecting each other. Some pre-release publicity invited the belief that Dandridge received her first, and only, on-screen kiss with a white actor (Howard) in this film. WebFind a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2097/dorothy-jean-dandridge: accessed ), memorial page for Dorothy Jean Dandridge (9 Nov 19228 [8], The Wonder Children were renamed The Dandridge Sisters in 1934. These films were noted not only for showcasing Dandridge as singer and dancer and her acting abilities, but also for featuring a strong emphasis on her physical attributes. Although Kelly won the award for her performance in The Country Girl, Dandridge became an overnight sensation. When it was released in June 1959, it drew mixed reviews and failed financially. Me: I expected you at eight oclock. Soon, they became a fixture at clubs across the country and began opening for acts like Cab Calloway and Jimmie Lunceford (pictured). The peak of Dandridge's career was earning the starring role in Otto Preminger's musical Carmen Jones. Shed hug me tight, crushing into my breasts, Dandridge writes. Dandridge signed a three-year contract with 20th Century Fox for a starting salary of $60,000 per film in 1955. Although Dandridge had worked in film for years, she didn't land a starring film role until 1953, when she appeared in Bright Road as teacher Jane Richards. WebDorothy Dandridge is pictured with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a Freedom Rally in Los Angeles on May 26, 1963. [63] She is featured as the most prominent figure in a mural on an exterior wall of Hollywood High School. The film was controversial for its time period, and the script was revised numerous times to accommodate the Motion Picture Production Code requirements about interracial relationships. Its a man, and hes in New York now. The agent told Harry the same thing; there was only one person more beautiful than he, and it was a woman and she was now in New York. Jones" / "The Lady's in Love with You". Some people kill themselves with drink, others with overdoses, some with a gun; a few hurl themselves in front of trains or autos. [6] Dandridge and Justin did have an extremely intimate, loving embrace that succeeded in not breaching the code. Among the missed opportunities from this period, Dandridge turned down the supporting role of Tuptim in The King and I (1956), because she refused to play an enslaved person. I was supposed to reach a sympathetic hand across the table, and he would pick it up from there. "[9] Several hours later, Dandridge was found naked and unresponsive in her apartment by her manager, Earl Mills. God knows what; maybe we would both get right down on the floor, for there wasnt even a casting couch in this barren office. WebThe Nicholas Brothers were the most celebrated black tap-dancing duo in motion pictures, and Dorothy Dandridge, not yet 20, was center voice in the Dandridge Sisters. You could have found things to do. It was later ruled that her death was caused by a accidental barbiturate overdose. There was something about Dandridge's look that captivated audiences, probably her signature curled hair and tangerine-hued lips. He took over on me exactly as he would one of his moving picture productions. But some campaign tactics have been more effectiveand legalthan others. Youll have to pay full fare for me from now on.. She continued to appear occasionally in films and on the stage throughout the rest of the 1940s, while also performing as a band singer in films with some good company: Count Basie in Hit Parade of 1943 and Louis Armstrong, Atlantic City (1944) and Pillow to Post (1945). The work was nothing, the applause nothing, the fortune made, that was nothing, and who knows, perhaps in my fury I let it all go.. WebDorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 September 8, 1965) was an American actress, singer and dancer. Nicknames Dottie Dottie Mae Miss D Bessie Mae The Black Bombshell. Your email address will not be published. In the morning I rose like an automaton, went through my paces, off to the gym where I whirled like a dervish, then on through the rest of the dizzying day. Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge starred together in Carmen Jones directed by Otto Preminger in 1954. Astrological Sign: Scorpio. 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