Dorothy Dandridge: A Star in the Wrong Times

Dorothy Dandridge was born November 9, 1922 in Cleveland. Her mother, Ruby, had taken her older sister Vivian left her husband and their father, Cyril, only a few months before. Dorothy always believed that her father had abandoned her, despite his later attempts to contact his daughters.

Ruby took domestic jobs to feed the family, but she was a performer at heart and she found an audience at the local Baptist church. In a way, Ruby's desire to perform was what got Dorothy into show business.

One night, Ruby was too ill to perform her recitation in church. Three-year-old Dorothy had memorized the speech and begged to replace her. She performed the recitation perfectly for a thrilled audience. She applauded herself along with them.

Ruby decided to groom her talented daughter for show business so that she wouldn't have to serve other people for a living. Vivian wanted to perform too, so they became a team. Billed as "The Wonder Kids", the sisters entertained at churches all over the South. Their popular act was an energetic mixture of tumbling, songs, and comedy sketches.

Around this time, Ruby met Geneva Williams, a woman who was running away from her husband as she had. Though the lesbian nature of the relationship was never discussed in the family, Ruby and "Neva" were to be the girl's parents for the rest of their childhood. Neva, who insisted that she be called Auntie Ma-Ma, was strict, abusive, and jealous of pretty Dorothy.

While Ruby made money, Neva worked with Dorothy and Vivian. Their intensive schedule of dancing, singing, and acting lessons left no time for play. When Neva and the girls hit the road with their act, leaving Ruby behind to work, there was hardly time for sleep either. The tough schedule, and Neva's constant beatings, caused Dorothy to withdraw into her own fantasy world. She was quiet in public and only confided in Vivian.

When Ruby joined the girls on the road, she decided that Hollywood was the next step. Upon arriving in California, she used her strong social skills to make contacts. The girls appeared in bit parts, mostly notably for a musical number in the Marx Brothers movie A Day at the Races.

Though everyone in the family managed to get bit parts, there were few opportunities for African Americans in mainstream Hollywood movies. When Ruby heard Dorothy and Vivian singing with their friend Ethel one day, she decided that a musical trio would be a better way to make money.