Dorothy Dandridge
Biography: Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress and singer. She was the first African-American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which was for her performance in Carmen Jones (1954). Dandridge also performed as a vocalist in venues such as the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater. 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. In 1959, Dandridge was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Porgy and Bess. She is the subject of the 1999 biographical film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, with Halle Berry portraying her. She has been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: November 09, 1922
Deathday: September 08, 1965
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Known For
Porgy and Bess
1959-06-24
Porgy and Bess
Overview: In the early 1900s, the fictional Catfish Row section of Charleston, South Carolina serves as home to a black fishing community. Crippled beggar Porgy, who travels about in a goat-drawn cart, loves the drug-addicted Bess, who lives with stevedore Crown, the local bully.
Genres: Music Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1959-06-24
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Island in the Sun
1957-06-12
Island in the Sun
Overview: A scandalous tale of politics, social inequality, interracial romance, and murder set on a fictitious British-owned Caribbean island.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-06-12
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Sun Valley Serenade
1941-08-29
Sun Valley Serenade
Overview: When Phil Corey's band arrives at the Idaho ski resort its pianist Ted Scott is smitten with a Norwegian refugee he has sponsored, Karen Benson. When soloist Vivian Dawn quits, Karen stages an ice show as a substitute.
Genres: Comedy Music Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-08-29
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Carmen Jones
1954-10-28
Carmen Jones
Overview: At a parachute factory during WWII, vixen Carmen Jones seduces an engaged soldier to avoid imprisonment.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1954-10-28
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Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas
2005-01-01
Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas
Overview: Here's a perfect chance to compare and contrast a clutch of the greatest jazz divas in the history of the genre. "Sassy" Sarah Vaughan appears along with her fellow pop-jazz queens, sultry Lena Horne, Ella "The First Lady of Song" Fitzgerald, gorgeous Dorothy Dandridge and Billie "Lady Day" Holiday. Rarely has there been more outstanding vocal talent compiled on a single disc.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-01-01
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Paper Doll
1942-01-01
Paper Doll
Overview: In this Soundie, the Mills Brothers sing the title song to a cut-out image of Dorothy Dandridge, which then comes to life and dances for them.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-01-01
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Bahama Passage
1941-12-10
Bahama Passage
Overview: A girl, Carol whom the audience is quickly informed "has been around," and her father arrive to take over the business management of an island in the Bahamas owned by Adrian Ainsworth, descendant of many ancestors who have handled it over the years to the satisfaction of its 250 native residents. He is married to a woman who stays away from the island because she is lonely when there. Adrian doesn't want Carol or her father there, and they don't want to be there. Romance can't be lurking far behind the beautiful sunset.
Genres: Romance Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-12-10
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Bright Road
1953-04-17
Bright Road
Overview: Teachers at an all-black school fight to save a problem child.
Genres: Drama Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-04-17
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Tamango
1958-01-24
Tamango
Overview: A Dutch slave captain, on a voyage to Cuba, faces a revolt fomented by a newly captured African slave, Tamango. The slaves capture the captain's mistress, forcing a showdown.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 1958-01-24
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Orchestra Wives
1942-09-04
Orchestra Wives
Overview: Connie Ward is in seventh heaven when Gene Morrison's band rolls into town. She is swept off her feet by trumpeter Bill Abbot. After marrying him, she joins the band's tour and learns about life as an orchestra wife, weathering the catty attacks of the other band wives.
Genres: Drama Music Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-09-04
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Happy Go Lucky
1943-01-04
Happy Go Lucky
Overview: A gold-digger hopes to land a rich husband in Trinidad, but gets mixed up with a beach boy and voodoo.
Genres: Comedy Music Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-01-04
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It Can't Last Forever
1937-07-15
It Can't Last Forever
Overview: Russ Matthews, a theatrical agent who is not above pulling off a hoax or two or more to further the career of his clients (and himself), and a newspaper gossip-columnist, Carol Wilson, get involved with gangsters when one of Larry's radio-program future-predicting cons gets out of hand.
Genres: Comedy Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-07-15
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The Decks Ran Red
1958-10-10
The Decks Ran Red
Overview: A band of dishonest seamen plans a murderous mutiny aboard the S.S. Berwind.
Genres: Thriller Adventure Drama Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1958-10-10
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Swing for Your Supper
1941-05-05
Swing for Your Supper
Overview: Dorothy Dandridge sings, featuring Cee Pee Johnson on tom-toms.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-05-05
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Drums of the Congo
1942-07-17
Drums of the Congo
Overview: A safari sets out to find a meteorite that fell in the African jungle.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-07-17
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Yes, Indeed!
1941-11-24
Yes, Indeed!
Overview: A Soundie with Dorothy Dandridge and Four Spirits of Rhythm
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-11-24
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Blackbird Fantasy
1942-08-31
Blackbird Fantasy
Overview: A Soundie with Dorothy Dandridge and Billy Mitchell.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-08-31
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Jungle Jig
1941-06-02
Jungle Jig
Overview: A Soundie with Dorothy Dandridge and Cee Pee Johnson.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-06-02
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Moment of Danger
1960-01-26
Moment of Danger
Overview: Having been coerced unto helping a criminal pull off a jewellery theft, a locksmith is double crossed by the crook and heads off to Spain with an eye to getting even.
Genres: Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-01-26
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Girl 27
2007-07-27
Girl 27
Overview: The reclusive Patricia Douglas comes out of hiding to discuss the 1937 MGM scandal, in which the powerful film studio tricked her and over 100 other underage girls into attending a stag party, where she was raped.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-07-27
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Remains to Be Seen
1953-05-15
Remains to Be Seen
Overview: A singer and her apartment manager get mixed up in a creepy Park Avenue murder and find themselves facing danger at every turn.
Genres: Comedy Mystery Crime Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-05-15
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Lady from Louisiana
1941-04-22
Lady from Louisiana
Overview: Northern lawyer John Reynolds travels to New Orleans to try and clean up the local crime syndicate based around a lottery. Although he meets Julie Mirbeau and they are attracted to each other, the fact that her father heads the lottery means they end up on opposite sides. When her father is killed, Julie becomes more and more involved in the shady activities and in blocking Reynolds' attempts at prosecution.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-04-22
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The Murder Men
1961-01-01
The Murder Men
Overview: Melodrama of the attempt to smash a drug ring and to promote a former addict singer's rehabilitation. Edited from TV series, Cain's Hundred
Genres: Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1961-01-01
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Sundown
1941-10-31
Sundown
Overview: Englishmen fighting Nazis in Africa discover an exotic mystery woman living among the natives and enlist her aid in overcoming the Germans.
Genres: War Drama Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-10-31
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Going Places
1938-12-31
Going Places
Overview: A sports store clerk poses as a famous jockey as an advertising stunt, but gets more than he bargained for.
Genres: Romance Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-12-31
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Ride 'Em Cowboy
1942-02-13
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Overview: Two peanut vendors at a rodeo show get in trouble with their boss and hide out on a railroad train heading west. They get jobs as cowboys on a dude ranch, despite the fact that neither of them knows anything about cowboys, horses, or anything else.
Genres: Comedy Western
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-02-13
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Snow Gets in Your Eyes
1938-05-14
Snow Gets in Your Eyes
Overview: A department store has an indoor ski slide for the annual contest for store employees. Salesgirl June has two admirers - a sausage salesman in the store and the store's snooty ski instructor. The Dandridge Sisters (Dorothy, Vivian and non-sister Etta Jones) perform two numbers.
Genres: Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-05-14
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Hit Parade of 1943
1943-03-26
Hit Parade of 1943
Overview: When amateur songwriter Jill Wright moves from the Midwest to New York City, she is dismayed to discover that Rick Farrell, the owner of Miracle Publishing Co., has claimed as his own the song she submitted to his company. One of the many films made at Republic with a year attached to the "Hit Parade" title, which came from the "Hit Parade" radio program sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes.
Genres: Comedy Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-03-26
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Atlantic City
1944-09-15
Atlantic City
Overview: In 1915, Atlantic City is a sleepy seaside resort, but Brad Taylor, son of a small hotel and vaudeville house proprietor, has big plans: he thinks it can be "the playground of the world." Brad's wheeling and dealing proves remarkably successful in attracting big enterprises and big shows, but brings him little success in personal relationships. Full of nostalgic songs and acts, some with the original artists. Reissued in 1950 as "Atlantic City Honeymoon".
Genres: Romance Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1944-09-15
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A Day at the Races
1937-06-11
A Day at the Races
Overview: Doctor Hugo Hackenbush, Tony, and Stuffy try and save Judy's farm by winning a big race with her horse. There are a few problems. Hackenbush runs a high priced clinic for the wealthy who don't know he has his degree in Veterinary Medicine.
Genres: Comedy Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-06-11
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Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
2001-10-07
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
Overview: The life and work of Samuel Goldwyn, a Polish-born glove salesman who became one of Hollywood's greatest independent producers, is remembered in this classy documentary created for the PBS American Masters series. Based on A. Scott Berg's acclaimed biography, the film includes new interviews with Goldwyn's surviving family members as well as vintage interviews with such luminaries as Bette Davis, John Huston, Laurence Olivier and others.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-10-07
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The Harlem Renaissance
2004-01-01
The Harlem Renaissance
Overview: Chronicling the Harlem Renaissance era, this retrospective documentary tracks the origins of the soulful music of the period, along with the challenges many of the genre's artists faced when trying to gain recognition within conventional society. Included are anecdotes from musicians and historians, plus footage of performances and interviews with Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and more.
Genres: Documentary Music History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2004-01-01
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Four Shall Die
1940-10-15
Four Shall Die
Overview: Helen Fielding, heir to the fortunes of the late millionaire Roger Fielding, Sr., has broken off her relationship with the unscrupulous Lew Covey to pursue a romance with reporter Bill Summers. Covey, determined to get at Helen's inheritance, vows to win her back.
Genres: Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1940-10-15
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Tarzan's Peril
1951-03-13
Tarzan's Peril
Overview: Escaped convicts are selling weapons to a warlike native tribe.
Genres: Action Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1951-03-13
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The Harlem Globetrotters
1951-05-30
The Harlem Globetrotters
Overview: All-American basketball player, Billy signs up with the world-famous "Harlem Globetrotters", an all-Negro professional team. Billy struggles with important life decisions and their consequences.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1951-05-30
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Since You Went Away
1944-06-30
Since You Went Away
Overview: In 1943, several people enter, re-enter, and exit the difficult life of a Midwestern family whose patriarch has been called up to war, leaving behind his wife and two teen daughters.
Genres: Drama Romance War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1944-06-30
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Ebony Parade
Ebony Parade
Overview: Mantan Moreland hosts a series of filmed song, dance and band numbers by various artists, mostly released previously as individual "soundies".
Genres: Comedy Music
Original Language: en
Release Date:
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Irene
1940-04-23
Irene
Overview: Upholsterer's assistant Irene O'Dare meets wealthy Don Marshall while she is measuring chairs for Mrs. Herman Vincent at her Long Island estate. Charmed by her, Don anonymously purchases Madame Lucy's, an exclusive Manhattan boutique, and instructs newly hired manager Mr. Smith to offer Irene a job as a model. She soon catches the eye of socialite Bob Vincent, whose mother is hosting a ball at the family mansion. To promote Madame Lucy's dress line, Mr. Smith arranges for his models to be invited to the ball.
Genres: Comedy Romance Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1940-04-23
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Easy Street
1941-02-20
Easy Street
Overview: Dorothy Dandridge performing "Easy Street".
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-02-20
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Lazybones
1941-02-20
Lazybones
Overview: Hoagy Carmichael at the piano sings the title song (lyrics by Johnny Mercer). Dancing by Dorothy Dandridge and Peter Ray.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-02-20
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Pillow to Post
1945-06-09
Pillow to Post
Overview: With a war on and most men being drafted, Howard Oil Supply Company has no salesmen left. So daughter Jean hits the road and does not make one sale. She finally gets one tentative sale with the Black Hills Oil Co., but Earl wants dinner with her. With the shortage of housing due to the war, Jean needs a military husband to get a place to stay in Clayfield, which is next to Camp Clay. She gets Lt. Mallory to act as her husband just to register. Then things go wrong as his commanding officer is there and believes them to be married. It gets worse as Don's mother shows up and then Jean's father.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1945-06-09
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Cow-Cow Boogie
1942-03-27
Cow-Cow Boogie
Overview: Dorothy Dandridge and band perform "Cow-Cow Boogie".
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-03-27
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It's Black Entertainment
2002-02-08
It's Black Entertainment
Overview: A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Americans in film over the last century. Vanessa Williams traces the struggles and triumphs of the superstars of music and film. Among the many artists featured are: Whitney Houston, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Cab Calloway, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Little Richard, Also included are today's contemporary superstars: Snoop Dogg, Ice T, Quincy Jones, Spike Lee, Russell Simmons, and many, more! 80 minutes plus DVD bonus features.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2002-02-08
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Lucky Jordan
1942-11-16
Lucky Jordan
Overview: Lucky Jordan is a gangster living in New York City and when he's drafted into the army, he tries to escape duty by using an old con woman named Annie to convince the draft board he's needed at home. When that fails, Jordan is sent to boot camp, but he doesn't stay there long. He takes a beautiful USO worker hostage and flees back to New York. There, he learns that a rival gangster is plotting against America.
Genres: Comedy Crime Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-11-16
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Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty
2003-06-24
Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty
Overview: Actor Obba Babatundé hosts this biopic showcasing the life of acclaimed African-American singer and actress Dorothy Dandridge, who overcame racism and personal tragedy to become one of the most acclaimed performers of Hollywood's golden age. The film combines rare historical footage of Dandridge, on and off the stage, and interviews with stars such as Laurence Fishburne, Jasmine Guy and Halle Berry discussing her powerful legacy.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-06-24
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Night in New Orleans
1942-07-01
Night in New Orleans
Overview: A policeman's family helps to exonerate him of murder charges in the death of a man he had under interrogation.
Genres: Mystery Crime Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-07-01
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Moo Cow Boogie
1943-01-01
Moo Cow Boogie
Overview: Stepin Fetchit introduces a band which plays several numbers, including "Cow Cow Boogie" and a swing version of "Rigoletto." Dorothy Dandridge appears in a Western number singing the aforementioned "Cow Cow Boogie."
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-01-01
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Swingtime Jamboree
1946-01-01
Swingtime Jamboree
Overview: Compilation film of various African-American performers and acts.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1946-01-01
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A Zoot Suit with a Reet Pleat
1942-11-11
A Zoot Suit with a Reet Pleat
Overview: An early "soundie" in which Dorothy Dandridge & Paul White sing "A Zoot Suit with a Reet Pleat" while getting dressed up for a big date.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-11-11
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International Revels
International Revels
Overview: Variety stage entertainment musical short
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date:
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Teacher's Beau
1935-04-27
Teacher's Beau
Overview: The gang tries to dissuade their teacher from getting married.
Genres: Comedy Family
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-04-27
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A Jig in the Jungle
1941-10-30
A Jig in the Jungle
Overview: Dorothy Dandridge along with CeePee Johnson and his Orchestra perform "A Jig in the Jungle."
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-10-30
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