DOROTHY DANDRIDGE REMAINS TO BE SEEN!

I remember so clearly the first time I saw Dorothy Dandridge!  It wasn't in Carmen Jones, Island In The Sun, or any of her various other films occasionally seen on the late show.  It wasn't in Ebony, Jet or Essence!  I first saw her image on a little wallet sized photo that my father kept in what he called his "bill-a-fold".  He'd had it ever since he was a teenager in the 1940's, and while I was no more than ten or eleven years old, I was immediately captivated by this woman as he had been so many years ago.  I was disappointed to learn that the stunning woman in the photo was not a relative, but that didn't stop me from "stealing" the photo for awhile, taking it to school, and telling everyone that she was my aunt.  After I became an adult, my father still refused to give me the photograph, and in his quest to "protect" it from me, he ended up forever "hiding" it from the both of us.  Today, I can collect all the images of Dandridge that I want, but I have yet to see that particular glamour shot anywhere online, on Ebay, or reprinted in a book or magazine.  Indeed!  It remains to be seen!

Remains To Be Seen is a movie that isn't often seen on stations like Turner Classic Movies.  In fact, I've only known it to air on that station no more than two times.  That's too bad because it's the only place you're likely to see it considering the fact that it's never been released on VHS or DVD.  The film is a not-so-great romantic comedy starring June Allyson and Van Johnson from 1953.  It would be otherwise unremarkable if it wasn't for a red-hot musical number that showcased a seriously sexy Dandridge singing "Taking A Chance On Love".  Since Halle Berry's star turn in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, there's been a number of DVD documentaries  chock-full of rare clips of Dorothy from 50's television shows, and rare musical "shorts" from the 1940's.  None of them include the segment from Remains To Be Seen.  And it's a shame!  Dandridge sizzles and sings with a full vocal confidence not always evident in her television performances, and it's clear that she considers this a defining moment in her burgeoning career.  She shakes her her shoulder-length hair and it falls right back into place!  She shakes her hips (and what part of that low-cut dress that isn't plastered to her sensuous curves).  She simmers, boils and then BURNS, baby!  She's not to be played with!

November 9, 2009 marks Dorothy's 88th birthday.  What do you add, say or do differently to pay tribute to an icon like Miss Dandridge when it's all been said and done before?  And one can't really tell the story without rehashing the tragedy, so I decide to spotlight this one brilliant, shining moment from 1953.  It's not like it hasn't been captured for posterity....forget the movie....I'm just waiting to see the performance in its entirety again.  Now, around this same time, Dandridge co-starred with the equally as gorgeous Harry Belafonte in what would be the first of their three movies together, Bright Road.  The good news is that a bit of the sequence from Remains To Be Seen was used right at the beginning of the original trailer for Bright Road.  It was used to introduce another side of her talent, something other than Dandridge the nightclub queen. 

In Bright Road, Dorothy plays a sedate rural schooteacher, but here she is certainly no less arresting!  Yes, arresting is the perfect word!  I would never reduce Miss Dandridge (or her legacy) down to something just to be "gawked" at, but let's face it, a great deal of her appeal was physical.  She's held me captive and in custody by the authority of her beauty ever since I was a kid!  It remains to be seen if I'll ever see that "lost" photo again or find it in my the remains of my late father's belongings, if Ted Turner will ever release that movie or allow the sequence of "Taking A Chance On Love" to be included on any future DVD's. 

What's for sure is that there are other Dandridge films that are either lost, forgotten or "unseen".  Consider her 1941 debut in "race" movies in Four Shall Die.  This film starred an eighteen year old Dorothy Dandridge in "a horror thriller of the Boris Karloff order with a Haitian background" complete with zombies, mysticism and supernatural manifestations.  Race films were mostly crude, cheaply and quickly made films shown to black audiences in segregated theaters, and by 1940, there were at least 900 such theaters across the country.  Four Shall Die, however, was just a little bit more ambitious.  The budget was higher, at least twelve sets were constructed for the film and there were four full camera crews as opposed to the usual one.  There were large scale action sequences, and it was hoped that this film, above all the others at the time, was going to be "the one" that broadened the appeal of race movies thus attracting a larger audience.  The movie was released, reviewed in the "white" press and Dorothy was singled out.  Hopes were riding high, but it wasn't meant to be.  The production company, Million Dollar Pictures, suffered major distribution problems and the film was pulled.  Two years after its initial release, prints for Four Shall Die virtually disappeared!  And they have yet to resurface!

In 1962, Blues For A Junkman starred Dorothy Dandridge and Ivan Dixon (the black guy from Hogan's Heroes) with Ed Asner and James Coburn.  It was originally filmed as a one hour episode for the television drama, Cain's Hundred, with additional scenes (some nude) shot for a full-length feature film called The Murder Men, to be released in Europe only.  Junkman presented Dorothy as Norma Jenkins, a doomed jazz singing Billie Holiday-like character just released from prison on dope charges who strives to make a comeback while resisting the lure of drugs.  From a personal stance, Dorothy was fighting for her life; she was struggling to keep her sinking career afloat, keep the IRS at bay, and survive in a new marriage with an emotionally and physically abusive man.  She invested all she had into the role and turned in a critically acclaimed performance that was highly unusual for television at that time.

Junkman appeared on the rare bootleg video but now even that bootleg is no longer available, and the European movie version, although real, seems to be the stuff of myth.  Come on now, imagine Dandridge nude in the movies!   Marco Polo immediately followed.  In it, Dorothy co-starred with Anthony Quinn (with an international roster of stars) in the role of an East Indian princess, and her scenes were shot in India, Nepal and Lebanon.   The producer, Raoul Levy, experienced financial setbacks from the beginning and they only got worse.  Time magazine reported that the film was finally completed but the finished product was uneditable.  A few years after that, Levy committed suicide and who knows where the print ended up?  The idea of sumptuous filmed-on-location footage of a glamourous Dorothy Dandrige as an Indian princess rotting in somebody's vault is a sickening thought, indeed!  (See magazine cover photo below with French co-star Alain Delon).

You're right if you're thinking that it remains to be seen if we ever get to see them!

Dorothy Dandridge left us to soon at the age of 42 in 1965.

Comments

[Thomas]

WOW, I keep forgetting how beautiful Dorothy Dandridge was! And sadly, it seems like her career was always haunted by something or someone. Why aren't they running her and some of the other greats from that era on BET instead all that booty-grinding, titty-flashing trash they show.

No one is going to keep our history alive but us! And you are doing a splendid job, Corey. You never cease to amaze me with your dedication and interest in your characters. It's wonderful to see your passion come to life on these pages and inspiring, too.

[Jahlaune]

She was so beautiful I have never seen her movies. But as a kid I read a book by Donald Bogle thats where I first learned of her. I heard a song by her and her sisters the other day she had a nice voice

[Samuel Augustus Jennnings]

I saw "Murder Men" - and "Malaga" - back in the mid-90's at the Dorothy Dandridge Film Festival produced by Donald Bogle in New York City. I did some online research awhile back and learned Cain's Hundreds series is on DVD and includes "Blues for a Junkman". Thanks for the rare shot of Dandridge and the delicious Delon. Until this picture I thought "Marco Polo" was a myth. Where can I find this magazine?

[Corey]

@ Jahlaune! As far as I'm concerned, Donald Bogle's book is the first and last word on Miss Dandridge's life and career, so you started out with the "bible" of them all! Bravo! As for her movies, other than Carmen Jones and Island In The Sun, you will have to actively "search" for them! I would start out with Carmen, and then possibly Tamango (a personal favorite). The movie "shorts" I mentioned, also called Soundies, are also available & are a lot of fun. Try Youtube for a few of those!

[Corey]

@ Hey, Thomas! Your comment on Dandridge's life & career always feeling "haunted" was great and on-point! I agree! And after Carmen Jones, it seems like she haunted her own movie roles with a certain vulnerability that only intensified until her last role.

[Corey]

@ Welcome to the blog, Samuel! Thank you so much for visiting and leaving a wonderful comment! I love it because you know I'm going to be searching for Blues For A Junkman, right? LOL! I was actually quoting or paraphrasing Donald Bogle about her performance in Junkman - now I get to see for MYSELF! You know, I understand about the "cult following" of Malaga and all, but I've never seen it all the way through even though it's still available. I sent you an email about where to get the magazine, but I must say that I've seen several covers with various photos - even one atop an elephant - and it finally hit me while doing this post that the photos were actually from Marco Polo. It's real baby, no myth!

[thegaytekeeper]

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN!!!

[Samuel Augustus Jennnings]

A few months ago Dale Madison sent me a You Tube clip of Dandrdidge singing "A Foggy Day in London Town". She's singing in a nightclub while an older white couple chats at a table. I have never seen it before. Does anyone know the origin of this outtake? Unfortunately the video has been pulled.

Like most of you I desperately want to see Dorothy perform in "Remains to be Seen". She positively sizzles in the brief teaser introducing "Bright Road". If "Remains to be Seen" has aired surely someone has recorded her scene...but who and where is it? At least we have a stunning video of her singing ("You do something to me") and dancing up a storm on the 1953 TV Special. DD is HOT! HOT! HOT!

Corey, thanks for all the work you've done to keep Dorothy's legacy alive. I've been in love with La Dandridge since "Bright Road" screened in 1953. I was 8 years old when I saw a beautiful black woman on the big screen for the first time! I am 65 years old and that image of Dorothy Dandridge still dazzles me.

I thank God for Halle Berry, the most beautiful actress since Dorothy Dandridge.

sam

[Samuel Augustus Jennnings]

Where can I get "Song of Tears"? I would like to start a write-in campaign to TCM to air "Remains to be Seen" again AND petition the studios to release "Remains.." "Porgy and Bess" "Murder Men" "Malaga" "The Decks Ran Red" and "Marco Polo" footage. Actaully I'd like to see ALL Dorothy Dandridge movies on DVD! If another bio on Dandridge is out surely there must be a market for her unreleased movies.

Sam

[Corey]

Hey Sam! LOL ! !
From what I think I know, Song Of Tears will be available for order on November 10 from Amazon.com. It runs only a paltry 54 minutes, but supposedly has archival footage. For all we know, it might have some of the same stuff that the various others have. Here's the blurb: She was too young to die. Dorothy Dandridge was the first African American actress nominated for an Academy award. This documentary follows Dandridge from her childhood in Cleveland, where her and her sister's acting and singing talents supported their family, through her Hollywood career and troubled personal life. There is archival film footage, including clips from her performances in Sun Valley Serenade and Carmen Jones. The interviews, personal recollections of friends, and colleagues tell the story of this magical star in American cinema.

PS: Supposedly, Ted Turner has said that "as long as he lived" he'd NEVER release Porgy & Bess on DVD because of the degree of offense concerning the racial stereotypes. I don't know if that quote is true or not, but if you really want it, you can get a bootleg at A Seperate Cinema. If you can't get ahold of them, send me an email. I'm sure they have Malaga and The Decks Ran Red. Just a few years ago, those 2 were commercially available and may still be. We'll have to ask GOD for Marco Polo! LOLOL!

[Samuel Augustus Jennnings]

I got bootleg Dandridge DVDs from A Cinema Apart, but I want better copies. "Porgy and Bess" has basically faded into two tone brown and red. Restoration would undoubtedly be very expensive which might factor into the decision not to re-release this classic black opera. Yes it is stereotyping at its worst, but what movies weren't?

Even today "grinning nigger/english language murdering baby's daddy" movies are the only ones making money (thanks to dues paying cullud audiences who buy into these stereotypes) while powerful films like "Get on the Bus" "Bamboozled" "Tongues Untied" and "Brother to Brother" are virtually unknown or monumental flops. "Amos and Andy" and Lightning are alive and well... and making big bucks! Look at Tyler Perry.

I remember the black flack when "Porgy" was released in 1959, BUT Dorothy IS in it and I know U understand. I saw the movie when it premiered in LA in a majestic old theater off Wilshire Boulevard. A lovely b & w portrait of Dorothy was planted in the middle of the lobby advertising her singing enagement at Dennison's Supper Club which Bogle claims was little more than a beer joint. I was only 14 at the time, but if I could have gotten into that little hole in the wall on Sunset I would have been one happy little sissy boy!

Did you know the guy who started A Cinema Apart. I can't remember his name, but his family informed me he died a year or two ago.

COREY I LOVE WHAT YOU ARE DOING...AND WITH SUCH CLASS!...like your tuxedoed logo and typewriter. Thank you for bringing me so much joy.

I found Dorothy's "new" bio at Amazon and it sounds suspiciously like a retitled old release, but I'll withhold judgment until I hear more comments.

[Garçon Stupide]

I've never seen a Dorothy Dandridge movie (I don't think) but having read this article my curiousity has been well and truly piqued.

[Corey]

@ Garcon Stupide! ............And my job is done,
Thank You! Start with Carmen Jones! Let me know what you think! Always good to see you here!