Dorothy Dandridge
Donald Bogle was almost single-handedly responsible for reviving interest in historic black film with his seminal work,Toms, Coons, Mammies, Mulattoes, and Bucks.Here, in his new biography, he turns his gaze on Dorothy Dandrige, a bronze goddess of the silver screen. Stunningly beautiful and enormously talented, Dandridge had the misfortune to practice her craft at a time when Hollywood trafficked only in black stereotypes. She starred in several films--among themCarmen Jones,an adaptation of Bizet'sCarmen,and the musicalPorgy and Bess.But because there were few black male romantic leads, and Hollywood could not conceive of pairing her with a white actor, Dandridge's career languished. In 1965, she was found dead in her apartment of a drug overdose. Bogle's excellent book brings Dandrige and her times to life again, portraying this remarkable woman in all her strength and fragility.