The Mystery And Real-Life Tragedy
Was her death an accident or suicide?

Did powerful men in Hollywood drive her to the edge?


THE coroner's report, dated Nov. 19, 1965, was the last chapter in the tragic story of a genuine, strikingly beautiful entertainer. Within the 18-page report labeled "Case No. 20813" was the long-awaited conclusion: Dorothy Jean Dandrige, Hollywood's first authentic Black sex symbol, had died from acute drug intoxication due to an overdose of Tofranil, an antidepressant. She was only 42.
When the final curtain rang down, the star of such movies as Carmen Jones and Porgy and Bess was found lying on the bathroom floor of her Sunset Strip apartment. It marked the end of the troubled life that was punctuated by pain, sorrow, disappointment and one heart-breaking tragedy after another. But there were triumphs, too, prompting those who knew her best to compare her life to a bright, shiny apple that has internal bruises. On the outside she was beautiful and surrounded by all the trappings that befit a star. But on the inside she suffered from the personal turmoil that wreaked havoc on her soul.



This year (September 8) marked the 28th anniversary of Dorothy Dandridge's death, and her name still evokes some special thoughts and feelings. For many who knew her personally or simply worshipped her from afar, the adulation, the memories and the mysteries still remain. And that continuing interest has led to the birth of several screenplays based on the sex goddess' life, with the mention of such stars as Janet Jackson, Jasmine Guy and former Miss America Vanessa Williams being cast in the lead role.



Dandrige, a 5-foot-5, honey-colored woman, was a ravishing beauty who had a sensual swagger. She became the silver screen's hottest Black sex symbol and was described at one time as one of the five most beautiful women in the world. Her beauty, grace, good singing voice and acting ability all came into play during the transformation of her life into a classic Hollywood tale -- one with a bittersweet mixture of joy and pain. First there was the fruit of her labor -- the fame, the $100,000 per movie, a collection of jewels, a mansion in Hollywood Hills and a white Thunderbird car that was accentuated by the matching white beaver coat in which she wrapped herself. She was a star among stars.



Sadly, though, whatever glory she grasped from that pedestal was often overshadowed by the seemingly inevitable and heavy doses of disaster and despair -- two failed marriages, an abortion after an affair with producer/director Otto Preminger, a child who suffered brain damage, a floundering career, loss of a fortune in bad investments, eight lawsuits from creditors, the foreclosure on her elegant home and, finally, the embarrassment of bankruptcy. "There's no doubt that the tragedies, some of them extreme in nature, directly contributed to Dorothy's death," says Earl Mills, who began serving as Dorothy's manager in 1951 and was still in that position when she died. "Each tragic event took a little bit more out of her and eventually there was nothing else to take."



The tragedy that took the most involved her daughter, Harolyn, who was mentally retarded as a result of brain damage suffered at birth. Dorothy, who at the time was married to Harold Nicholas of the dancing Nicholas Brothers, was constantly burdened with guilt and depression because she believed she was responsible for the child's condition. It was two years after the birth that she learned the horrible truth -- Harolyn's mentality, doctors said, wouldn't develop beyond that of a four-year-old.



It was speculated that somehow, before delivery, the infant's supply of oxygen had been interrupted. Dorothy believed she waited too long to go to the hospital. But it was later said, however, that the brain damage could have been caused during delivery. "Dottie never got over the overwhelming guilt she felt because she thought she was responsible for her child's condition. She lived with that thought every day of her life," says Geraldine Branton, who at one time was married to Harold's brother, Fayard Nicholas, and was Dorothy's best friend. "You could never convince her she wasn't at fault. And nothing she did made up for what she felt she had done."



Harolyn was taken from doctor to doctor in a desperate attempt to find a cure for her problem. There was none. Dorothy sank deeper into her depression, and at the same time, her marriage to Harold Nicholas was crumbling. They drifted apart, and after seven years their marriage ended in divorce in 1949.



Now the walls seemed to be closing in on Dorothy. She felt she had failed as a mother and a wife. And now without a husband, without money and with a child to care for, she had to get back to what she knew best -- performing. But before renewing the career she had put on hold after her marriage, she reacquainted herself with famed vocal coach and composer Phil Moore. Years earlier, he had worked with Dorothy and her sister, Vivian, when they were billed as "The Wonder Children" and, later, as "The Dandridge Sisters" (which included Etta Jones).



After Moore boosted her confidence and taught her to mask her shyness, Dorothy found private care for her daughter and hit the nightclub circuit. She was like a little girl trying to be brave in a very frightening world at the time she took her first big-time job at the Mocambo in Hollywood. "I had no material and no confidence," she said of that engagement, "and to top it off, I was shy. But the people just seemed to like to look at me."



They really liked what they saw -- the flawless figure, the dreamy eyes, the smooth cafe au lait complexion, the sensuous mouth and the smooth elegance. She went on to conquer international audiences and break attendance records at hotels, including New York's Waldorf-Astoria.

There, Dorothy became the first Black to sing in the hotel's world-famed Empire Room, and over the years she integrated many of the other previously "White only" night spots. Although some Blacks accused her of having "gone over to the other side" because of her romances with White men, she uses her career as a platform to speak out for civil rights. She refused to perform in any club that wouldn't set aside a special table near the stage for members of the NAACP in the city in which she was scheduled to perform. She was proud of that and frequently wore an "EQUALITY" button that the National Urban League was distributing in those days.

Dandridge's singing career continued to blossom, and all the time she exhibited a joyous and tranquil facade. But as was the case so many times in her life, what seemed to be reality really wasn't. She suffered inside and fought hard to hide the tears. The truth is, she hated everything about working in nightclubs -- the cigarette smoke, the liquor; the men who ogled her and those who threw themselves at her. But this was the only way to make the much-needed money, and she believed it was the best way to achieve her ultimate goal -- movie stardom.

In 1953, her perservance paid off. After bit parts in some forgettable, low-budget films, she starred opposite Harry Belafonte in MGM's all-Black production of Bright Road. A year later, Carmen Jones, the '50s' most lavish all-Black production, based on Bizet's opera Carmen, made her an international star. Again starring with Belafonte, she took the title role and twisted it around her finger, playing a sultry factory worker who corrupts Belafonte, dumps him and is killed by him for her unfaithfulness.

The performance won her worldwide acclaim and an Oscar nomination as Best Actress of the Year, another first for a Black. She was turning up on all the major magazine covers, and for men -- both Black and White -- she had become the No. 1 object of their desire. When she thought that she had finally achieved her dream, tragedy struck again. Racism stil had its place in Hollywood. Dorothy Dandridge had been elevated to leading-lady status, and on the screen leading ladies make love to leading men. But Hollywood wasn't prepared for what it created.

With the exception of Belafonte and Sidney Poitier, there were no romantic Black male leads. And with Dorothy's sex appeal, her character had to sizzle. Producers didn't know how to handle an intimate Black-White relationship on screen, and, with no solutions in sight, they ignored it.

So after her performance in Carmen Jones raised some great expectation for the future, her bubble suddenly burst. Roles didn't come her way. It was three years before she appeared in another film, Island in the Sun, where she was cast in her first interracial love role -- a role that had to be limited to little more than hand holding.

Surely the lack of roles greatly frustrated this Cleveland-born star, but the compromises made in the few roles she got infuriated her. She was a perfectionist, a strong woman who had the courage to face the controversies that her characters might have created. "Dorothy was probably as frustrated as any actress could be who was Black," says Brock Peters, who(starred with her in Carmen Jones. "She had the talent and the looks, but she couldn't find an open door so those talents could be displayed regularly and appreciated by the audiences she developed through Carmen Jones."

Ironically, it was the sexy role in Carmen Jones that brought Dorothy international fame, but, friends say, that was an image she didn't like and one she tried desperately but unsuccessfully to shake. Producers always wanted to cast her in the role of the girl with no sense of mortality, a passionate woman of easy virtue. There were no offers to play diversified, untyped characters. "Dottie absolutely hated the sexpot image and, subsequently, she felt that her good looks were a curse," says Branton. "She wanted people to take her seriously, so much so that the had hoped to make enough money to produce a script of her own -- a script that had some social significance."

Dorothy's search for significant roles continued and, in 1959, she was cast in her last important American film, Porgy and Bess. But by this time, her personal life was becoming totally unglued. She was frantically searching for love, only to be frequently greeted with disappointment and heartache. Men openly took advantage of her trust and generosity. One of her romances involving Otto Preminger was characteristic of her lack of luck with men. The producer-director and Dorothy had become romantically involved during the filming of Carmen Jones, and he relationship, close friends say, progressed to the point of talk about marriage--until she became pregnant. According to these insiders, Preminger walked out, an abortion followed and it was the end of another bitter, unfilling romance.

Before she rebounded, enter White restaurateur Jack Denison who, her friends say, was "the most disastrous and destructive element in Dorothy's life." He was a handsome, smooth-talking man who reportedly jumped at the chance to woo a vulnerable, heartsick woman. In her autobiography, Everything and Nothing: The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy, she said: "Some people kill themselves with drink, others with overdoses, some with a gun; a few hurl themselves in front of trains or autos. I hurled myself in front of another White man."

Denison showed her warmth, admiration and love, then dropped the magic word--marriage. They were wed in 1959. "That marriage was the major catastrophe in her life -- a catastrophe that contributed to her death more than people will ever know," Mills says. "Denison was a con artist who wanted to life off her earnings and have her provide financially for his sinking restaurant business. He put up a good front, but on their wedding night he told her he was broke."

fter that litany of dispair, Dorothy somehow got herself together and by early 1965 had begun to turn her life around. The vitality for which she was known was back, and with it came new job offers. She was scheduled to receive $10,000 for appearing in New York's Basin Street East, another $50,000 would come from an acting role in an American Western, and she already had gotten a $10,000 advance to write her autobiography. Bigger still, though, was the deal she completed south of the border. In Oaxaca, Mexico, she signed a $100,000 contract to do two films there, and she immediately flew back home to prepare for her New York engagement. The next day she was dead, found sprawled on her bathroom floor naked, except for a blue head scarf. She was the victim of tranquilizers.

Authorities never determined whether the actress' death was an accident or suicide. But friends are quick to rule out suicide because she was experiencing such a dramatic, positive turnaround in her life. Perhaps it's fitting that the questions still surround the life and death of Dorothy Dandridge. She was an enigma. And we may never know exactly what occurred in those last few moments of her life. Whatever happened, it brought about a much-too-early end to the life of a brilliant but troubled star.


©1993 Johnson Publishing Co.
©2004 Gale Group

Views: 1163

Comment

You need to be a member of E.FM Radio to add comments!

Join E.FM Radio

Comment by Edie Antoinette on January 13, 2010 at 12:42pm
She was just about as beautiful as they come. I like those pics Sole! Never saw them before. It's funny, but I can relate to Dorothy Dandridge. Most beautiful people are victims of a loveless and jealous society--and unfortunately, those that are the closest to them often prove to be enemies as well. That's a hurting thing, and if I didn't know the truth about God's purposes I would have 'been' gone, just like poor Dorothy....but she will be back, and I am going to have a long conversation with her.

I listened to her voice on her album Smooth Operator..she had a nice voice! There was no need to dub her in Carmen Jones! And come to think of it, so did Harry Belafonte! I don't care for Bald-head Henry Harrison (Otto Preminger)...the scoundrel! *frown*
http://www.amazon.com/Dorothy-Dandridge/e/B000APMYZO/ref=ntt_mus_dp...
Comment by Edie Antoinette on January 12, 2010 at 9:57am
I'll enhance the artice with photos when I get a chance.
Comment by Edie Antoinette on January 11, 2010 at 10:45pm
Unbelievable how people are! Just unbelievable. smh
Comment by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 11, 2010 at 10:17pm
She was such a beautiful woman, so many problems...May she continue to R.I.P

Latest Activity

Edie Antoinette left a comment for Old School C
"🤣🤣🤣...Treasure is our site."
Aug 23
Old School C left a comment for Edie Antoinette
"That's good to heat Mama Edie. I don't get here often but when I need to cool out to some…"
Aug 20
Edie Antoinette left a comment for Film Noir
"The Website"
Aug 19
Edie Antoinette left a comment for Old School C
"Hey Honey! What a surprise! I miss you! I'm doing fine. Still maintaining our oasis here even…"
Aug 19
Old School C left a comment for Edie Antoinette
"Hey there Mama Edie. It's been a while. Hope you are doing well. Just checkin witchya."
Aug 19
Film Noir updated their profile
Aug 16
Edie Antoinette commented on Edie Antoinette's blog post test
Jul 30
Edie Antoinette replied to Edie Antoinette's discussion WDCB FM Jazz-DuPage Illinois in the group Jazz Lounge
"WDCB Jazz-DuPage Illinois Pop Up Player"
Jul 1
Edie Antoinette posted a song

 play Summer In The City

Jun 28
Edie Antoinette updated their profile
Jun 28
Edie Antoinette replied to Edie Antoinette's discussion WDCB FM Jazz-DuPage Illinois in the group Jazz Lounge
"Many browsers have changed their settings to prevent autoplay, which may cause the WDCB player…"
Jun 26
Edie Antoinette posted a photo
May 28
Edie Antoinette posted a status
"Content ..."
May 7
The Steppin Zone updated their profile
Apr 22
The Steppin Zone and Jeanette Mack are now friends
Apr 22
JazzWorld joined Shelley "SoleMann" King's group
Thumbnail

E.FM - Black & White Photography

This Group Was Created To Focus On Black & White Photography. It Can Be Your Own Photos Or Any…See More
Apr 16
Edie Antoinette posted songs
Mar 15
Black Heritage was featured
Mar 12
Edie Antoinette liked Black Heritage's profile
Mar 12
Edie2k2 Radio updated their profile
Mar 11

Introspection

Entr'acte



  1. play Norman Brown — Night Drive
  2. play Norman Brown — Feeling
  3. play Norman Brown — Still
  4. play Miles Davis — miles 1
  5. play miles 2
  6. play miles 3
  7. play miles 4
  8. play miles 5
  9. play Marvin Gaye — I Met A Little Girl
  10. play Santana — 01 Singing Winds, Crying Beasts
  11. play Santana — 02 Black Magic Woman-Gypsy Queen
  12. play Mongo — 02. Afro Blue



The history of the Butlers/Raw Soul is dense, but for all of us music nerds, that's normal. It is not totally clear what year the Butlers actually formed but they released their first single in 1963 on Liberty Records. That single was "She Tried To Kiss Me" and another single followed on Guyden entitled "Lovable Girl." After the Guyden single the Butlers took a break not recording another record until the single "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh" was released on the Phila label in 1966. The group also backed Charles Earland and Jean Wells on one Phila single ("I Know She Loves Me"). 


As you might be noticing, the Butlers were doing a fair amount of recording but not achieving much success. The group's recordings sold regionally but never had the promotion to make an impact on the national scene. After the single with Phila, the Butlers moved to the Fairmount label (part of the Cameo-Parkway family) and released a handful of singles, some being reissued singles of the past. The Butlers were with Fairmount for 1966-67 and then moved to Sassy Records. Sassy released the group's greatest single (in my opinion) "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" b/w "If That's What You Wanted." A copy of that 45 sold for just under $500 last summer on eBay. Even though that isn't that much in the world of record collecting--it's still a hefty sum. The Butlers released another single on Sassy ("She's Gone" b/w "Love Is Good") that appears to be even 
harder to come by then the "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" single.

 

The true history become a bit blurred here as the AMG biography states that the Butlers last record was released on C.R.S. in 1974 (". However, between 1971 and that single, Frankie Beverly formed a group called Raw Soul and released a number of singles. Some of the songs recorded by Beverly during this period are "While I'm Alone," "Open Up Your Heart," (both on the Gregor label) and "Color Blind." "Color Blind" was released by the Eldorado label and rerecorded by Maze. Beverly's big break came when Marvin Gaye asked Raw Soul to back him on a tour. Gaye helped Beverly/Raw Soul get a contract at Capitol. Beverly decided to take the group in a different direction, a name change occurred, and Maze was created. 

The above isn't the most complete history of Beverly but hopefully someone will know a way to get in touch with the man or his management because a comprehensive pre-Maze history needs to be done on Frankie Beverly (his real name is Howard, by the way). Below you'll find every Frankie Beverly (pre-Maze) song available to me right now ("Color Blind" will be up soon). 

If you have a song that is not included below, shoot it over to funkinsoulman (at) yahoo.com and it will go up in the next Frankie Beverly post (later this week--highlighting Maze). Also, if you have any more information please share your knowledge. The Butlers material has been comp-ed sporadically (usually imports) but the entire Maze catalog has been reissued and is available. 

Enjoy.  "She Kissed Me" (Fairmount, 1966 or 1967) 
 
 "I Want To Feel I'm Wanted" (not sure which label or year) "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh" (Phila, 1966) "Because Of My Heart" (Fairmount, 1966 or 1967)
   
 "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" (Sassy, 1967)
   
 "If That's What You Wanted" (Sassy, 1967)
 



Frankie Beverly is one of those cats that has lasting power. He started in the music business doing a tour with doo wop group the Silhouettes and then formed his own group called the Blenders. The Blenders never recorded a single, Beverly wouldn't appear on wax until forming the Butlers a few years later. Along with Beverly, the Butlers included Jack "Sonny" Nicholson, Joe Collins, John Fitch, and Talmadge Conway.

Beverly would later enjoy great success fronting Maze and Conway would become a
well-known penning Double Exposure's
"Ten Percent" and the Intruders' "Memories Are Here To Stay." 
 While Maze is a phenomenal group, Beverly's work before that group will always stand out as his best (imo).

The Butlers produced tunes that most Northern Soul fans would kill for and Raw Soul gave the funksters something to pursue. If, by chance, you know of a way to get in touch with Frankie Beverly or his management, please drop me an e-mail. It would be absolutely great to do an interview with him about his pre-Maze work. He's still playing out, most recently doing a New Year's Eve show in Atlanta.
:: Funkinsoulman ::

Power...Through Simplicity ♪♫♪

Members

About

© 2024   Created by Edie Antoinette.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service