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• W114464145 abstract "ALTHOUGH I WILL EXAMINE PERFORMANCE IN passing, this article is concerned centrally with Dorothy Dandridge's screen persona. Why this specific topic rather than performance per se? The choice is due to an opportune occurrence, a recent retrospective of Dandridge films in New York, programmed by historian and Dandridge biographer Donald Bogle (complete with the exception of certain minor early roles and of course Porgy and Bess; I was unable to see a double bill of the 1953 Bright Road and the 1958 The Decks Ran Red). Prior to the retrospective and biography I would assess Dandridge's fame as deriving from 1) her status as the first black performer to attain certain specific signifiers of genuine Hollywood stardom (a glamorous and/or sexual image that functions as such within individual narratives, an Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category, star billing, a cover of Life magazine, etc.) and 2) her function as symbolic victim of Hollywood racism (deriving from her inability to function consistently within the Hollywood system, a fact which is often cited as contributing to her death at 43 from an overdose of prescription drugs). I would argue that these facts have garnered her iconic status within the black community and more or less footnote recognition outside of that community. My own feelings for Dandridge prior to the retrospective corresponded closely to this presumed assessment. It was a complete surprise (and, as a black viewer, personal delight) to discover that there was a persona to discuss at all, although as Bogle notes, performers of much less public recognition (e.g. Louise Brooks) have been subjected to more critical examination. If I focus now on her screen image it is because of my feeling that not only has an imnportant star been largely overlooked but that what that star does on screen has been largely usurped by her symbolic function. Nonetheless any writer who undertakes to discuss screen image in isolation from the star's particular historical context rightly runs the risk of being labelled irresponsible. This weighs very heavily particularly when examining the performer who finds her/himself in the position of being both black and a Hollywood star (a position I will discuss as contradictory and problematic). Its problematic nature is suggested by this assessment of Dandridge made by actor and co-star Brock Peters: me, it was clear that she was insecure...And obviously it wasn't helped by trying to achieve stardom in an industry that had no conscious place for her. (Dorothy Dandridge, A Biography, Donald Bogle, Amistad Press, Inc. 1997, p.415). I will argue later that the black star's status is highly unstable and this derives from the plethora of interests to which he/she must remain responsive. Biographical data and personal reflection have proved helpful and I will occasionally employ them. That personal temperament has an obvious bearing on performance cannot be denied. Dandridge appears to have been one of those sensitive performers for whom performance was often a reflection of personal emotional states, particularly painful ones. Late in her career, plagued by both personal and career problems and subjecting herself to increasing isolation, she would in her loneliness make late night phone calls to friends and even passing acquaintances, sometimes performing songs over the phone (she was also a successful nightclub singer). Of these performances lifelong friend Geri Branton notes she sang probably better than I had ever heard her sing. But she sang it with such feeling. And it implied her loneliness... (Bogle, p.527) The problem here in citing biographical data is a familiar one, one noted by Molly Haskell when discussing Marilyn Monroe: For the tragic star (particularly one who dies prematurely) the career becomes a mere adjunct to the personal tragedy, a fait accompli. Again we have the usurpation of the screen work by the symbolic function. …" @default.
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• W114464145 date "1997-07-01" @default.
• W114464145 modified "2023-09-24" @default.
• W114464145 title "Dorothy Dandridge: Ruminations on Black Stardom" @default.
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