Ruby Dandridge

Ruby Dandridge

Dandridge in 1947.
Born Ruby Jean Butler
(1900-03-03)March 3, 1900
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Died October 17, 1987(1987-10-17) (aged 87)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death Heart Attack
Resting place Forest Lawn Memorial Park
(Glendale, California)
Nationality American
Occupation Actress
Years active 1917–1959
Spouse(s) Cyril Dandridge (m. 1919–22)
Partner(s) Geneva Williams
Children Vivian Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
Family Nayo Wallace (great-granddaughter)

Ruby Dandridge (born Ruby Jean Butler; March 3, 1900[1] – October 17, 1987) was an American actress from the early 1900s to the 1950s. She is best known for her radio work in her early days of acting. Dandridge is best known for her role on the radio show Amos 'n Andy, in which she played Sadie Blake and Harriet Crawford, and on radio's Judy Canova Show, in which she played "Geranium". She is recognized for her role in the 1959 movie A Hole in the Head as "Sally".

Life and career

She was born as Ruby Jean Butler in Wichita, Kansas to Nellie Simon (who was of mixed Spanish and Indian heritage) and George Butler (who was born in Jamaica in 1860 and came to the United States as a child).[2] Her father was "a famous minstrel man."[3]

On September 30, 1919, she married Cyril Dandridge. She moved with her husband to Cleveland, Ohio, where her daughter, actress Vivian Dandridge (1921–1991) was born. A second daughter, Academy Award-nominated actress Dorothy Dandridge, was born there in 1922, five months after Ruby and Cyril divorced. It is noted that after her divorce, Ruby Dandridge became involved with her companion, Geneva Williams, who reportedly overworked the children and punished them harshly.

Stage

In 1937, Dandridge played one of the witches in what an article in The Pittsburgh Courier called a "sepia representation" of Macbeth in Los Angeles. California.[4] The production began July 8 at the Mayan Theater.[4] Five years later, she appeared in a production of Hit the Deck at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, California.[5]

Film

One of Dandridge's earliest appearances (uncredited, as were many of the minor roles she played) was as a native dancer in King Kong.[6] In other films, she played Dabby in Tap Roots (1948),[7] the housekeeper in Three Little Girls in Blue (1946),[8] Mrs. Kelso in Cabin in the Sky (1943)[9] and Violet in Tish (1942).[10]

Radio and television

Dandridge played Oriole in Beulah,[11] and Geranium in The Judy Canova Show,[11]:182 and was a regular cast member on Tonight at Hoagy's.[11]:337

For one season (1961-1962), Dandridge played the maid on the television version of Father Knows Best.[12]

Other business

In 1955, Dandridge and her business partner, Dorothy Foster, bought land in Twentynine Palms, California, with plans to construct a subdivision of 250 homes.[13]

Also in the 1950s, Dandridge formed a nightclub act that played in clubs around Los Angeles.[12] A review of her act cited her "flashes of effervescent showmanship" and said, "What Ruby lacks in her voice, she invariably makes up for it with her winsome personality."[14]

Death and legacy

Ruby attended her daughter Dorothy Dandridge's funeral in 1965.

On October 17, 1987, she died of a heart attack at a nursing home in Los Angeles, California.[12] She was interred next to Dorothy at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

In the 1999 film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Ruby is portrayed by Loretta Devine.

Filmography

Features:

Short subjects:

Television:

References

  1. ↑ No indication she was born in 1899. Her gravestone clearly states 1900; her Social Security Death Index year of birth is 1901.
  2. ↑ "Ruby Dandridge, Is Mother the Daughter of the Child?" African American Registry.
  3. ↑ Barron, Mark (April 22, 1949). "Broadway". Massachusetts, Fitchburg. Fitchburg Sentinel. p. 6. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 Patton, Bernice (June 12, 1937). "The Sepia Side of Hollywood". Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 21. Retrieved April 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "'Hit the Deck' Will Be at the Curran". California, Oakland. Oakland Tribune. May 25, 1942. p. 14. Retrieved April 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Ruby Dandridge (1899-1987)", Blackface!
  7. ↑ "Colorful Civil War Story In Senate's 'Tap Roots'". Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. The Evening News. July 15, 1948. p. 16. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Ruby Dandridge Gets Film Role". Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Courier. February 2, 1946. p. 17. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Walker, Paul (April 27, 1943). ""Cabin in the Sky" Rated As a 12-Laugh Picture! "Hello Frisco," Held Over". Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. Harrisburg Telegraph. p. 10. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Walker, Paul (September 17, 1942). "'Curtain's Off the Track!' New Films Written Up--And Vice Versa! 3 New Today". Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. Harrisburg Telegraph. p. 21. Retrieved April 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 3 Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 37.
  12. 1 2 3 "Obituaries : Ruby Dandridge; Singer, Actress, Mother of Performer Daughters". Los Angeles Times. October 24, 1987. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Levette, Harry (January 22, 1955). "This Is Hollywood". New York, New York City. The New York Age. p. 17. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Another Dandridge In Lights". Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Courier. March 17, 1956. p. 36. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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