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Ruby Dandridge

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Ruby Dandridge
Dandridge in Home in Oklahoma (1946)
Born
Ruby Jean Butler

(1900-03-03)March 3, 1900
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
DiedOctober 17, 1987(1987-10-17) (aged 87)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
OccupationActress
Years active1917–1962
Spouse
Cyril Dandridge
​
​
(m. 1919; div. 1922)​
PartnerGeneva Williams
ChildrenVivian Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
FamilyNayo Wallace (great-granddaughter)

Ruby Jean Dandridge (née Butler; March 3, 1900[1] – October 17, 1987) was an American actress from the early 1900s through to the late 1950s. 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.

Early life

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Born Ruby Jean Butler in Wichita, Kansas, on March 3, 1900, she was one of four children. Dandridge's parents were Nellie Simon, a maid, and George Butler, who was a janitor, grocer and entertainer.[2] Dandridge's father was also "a famous minstrel man."[3]

Career

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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 on 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] One of Dandridge's earliest appearances (uncredited, as were many of the minor roles she played) was as a native dancer in King Kong (1933).[6] In other films, she played Rheba, a maid, in Junior Miss (1945), 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]

Lillian Randolph, Ernest Whitman, and Ruby Dandridge of the radio cast of The Beulah Show circa 1952–1953.

Dandridge played Oriole on both radio and TV versions of The Beulah Show,[11][12] and Geranium in The Judy Canova Show,[11]: 182  and was a regular cast member on Tonight at Hoagy's.[11]: 337  She is heard as Raindrop on Gene Autry's Melody Ranch (August 1949 - April 1951). For one season (1961–1962), Dandridge played the maid on the television version of Father of the Bride.[13]

Other business

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In 1955, Dandridge and her business partner Dorothy Foster bought land in Twentynine Palms, California, with plans to construct a subdivision of 250 homes.[14] Also in the 1950s, Dandridge formed a nightclub act that played in clubs around Los Angeles.[13] A review of her act cited her "flashes of effervescent showmanship" and stated "What Ruby lacks in her voice, she invariably makes up for it with her winsome personality."[15]

Personal life, death and legacy

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On September 30, 1919, she married Cyril Dandridge. Dandridge moved with her husband to Cleveland, Ohio, where her daughter, actress Vivian Dandridge, was born in 1921. Her 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, Dandridge became involved with her companion Geneva Williams, who reportedly overworked the children and punished them harshly.[16] Dandridge attended her daughter Dorothy's funeral in 1965.[citation needed]

On October 17, 1987, Dandridge died of a heart attack at a nursing home in Los Angeles, California.[13] 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

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Features

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Year Title Role Notes
1933 King Kong Native Dancer Uncredited
1934 Black Moon Black House Servant Uncredited
1939 Midnight Shadow Mrs. Lingley
1940 Broken Strings Dancer Uncredited
1942 The Night Before the Divorce One of Roselle's Fans Uncredited
Gallant Lady Sarah
Tish Violet Uncredited
The War Against Mrs. Hadley Maid Uncredited
Broken Strings Dancer Uncredited
1943 A Night for Crime Alice Jones - Cook Uncredited
Cabin in the Sky Mrs. Kelso
Corregidor Hyacinth
Melody Parade Ruby
I Dood It Mammy, in the Show Uncredited
Never a Dull Moment Daisy Uncredited
1944 Hat Check Honey Ophelia Uncredited
Ladies of Washington Nellie Uncredited
Carolina Blues Josephine Uncredited
Can't Help Singing Henrietta Uncredited
1945 The Clock Milk Customer Uncredited
Junior Miss Rheba
Saratoga Trunk Turbaned Vendor Uncredited
1946 Inside Job Ivory Uncredited
Three Little Girls in Blue Mammy Uncredited
Home in Oklahoma Devoria
1947 Dead Reckoning Hyacinth
The Arnelo Affair Maybelle - Parkson's Maid
My Wild Irish Rose Della
1948 Tap Roots Dabby
1950 Father Is a Bachelor Lily Uncredited
1959 A Hole in the Head Sally

Short subjects

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Year Title Role Notes
1943 Flop Goes the Weasel Mammy Hen Voice, uncredited
1946 Screen Snapshots: The Judy Canova Show Geranium, Radio Show Character
1948 Silly Billie Maid

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1951-1955 The Amos 'n' Andy Show Various roles 4 episodes[12]
1952-1953 The Beulah Show[12] Oriole
1956 Front Row Center Winnie Episode: "The Human Touch"
1956 NBC Matinee Theater Belle Episode: "Strong Medicine"
1957 Lux Video Theatre Belle Episode: "Dark Hammock"
1959 Yancy Derringer Lily Rose Beam Episode: "V as in Voodoo"
1960 Checkmate Ellen Episode: "The Princess in the Tower"
1961 The Dick Powell Show Margaret Episode: "Goodbye, Hannah"
1961-1962 Father of the Bride Delilah

References

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  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". Fitchburg Sentinel. Massachusetts, Fitchburg. p. 6. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ a b Patton, Bernice (June 12, 1937). "The Sepia Side of Hollywood". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 21. Retrieved April 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "'Hit the Deck' Will Be at the Curran". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. May 25, 1942. p. 14. Retrieved April 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ "Ruby Dandridge (1899–1987)", Blackface!
  7. ^ "Colorful Civil War Story In Senate's 'Tap Roots'". The Evening News. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. July 15, 1948. p. 16. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ "Ruby Dandridge Gets Film Role". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. February 2, 1946. p. 17. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ Walker, Paul (April 27, 1943). ""Cabin in the Sky" Rated As a 12-Laugh Picture! "Hello Frisco," Held Over". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. p. 10. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ Walker, Paul (September 17, 1942). "'Curtain's Off the Track!' New Films Written Up--And Vice Versa! 3 New Today". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. p. 21. Retrieved April 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c Ruby Dandridge filmography at IMDb
  13. ^ a b c "Obituaries : Ruby Dandridge; Singer, Actress, Mother of Performer Daughters". Los Angeles Times. October 24, 1987. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  14. ^ Levette, Harry (January 22, 1955). "This Is Hollywood". The New York Age. New York, New York City. p. 17. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ^ "Another Dandridge In Lights". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. March 17, 1956. p. 36. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  16. ^ Maslin, Janet (June 19, 1997). "Hollywood's Tryst With Dorothy Dandridge Inspires Real Love at Last". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
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