Dorothy Dandridge: A Star in the Wrong Times

They called themselves The Dandridge Sisters, though Dorothy didn't like it to be assumed that Ethel was her sister. The group performed around California. They built up such a strong folliwng that they received an offer to perform at the Cotton Club in New York City.

There the girls met Fayard and Harold Nicholas of the famous Nicholas Brothers dancing team. Both brothers admired Dorothy's delicate beauty, but Harold flirted with her the most. However, Neva kept a close eye on the girls, and all the men at the club knew to keep their distance.

When the Cotton Club run was over, they moved back to Hollywood. There the trio continued to perform, but Dorothy became restless to get out on her own. Eventually, she broke from the group and performed in a few stage shows around town.

She received positive notices for her small roles, but then Harold Nicholas put her career on hold for a while. Harold and his brother were now making films in Hollywood. He and Dorothy started dating. They were married in 1944.

Dorothy had married into the most important African American social set in Hollywood. She attended and threw numerous parties and joined prestigious social organizations. She also escaped Auntie Ma-ma and got her own home. Dorothy loved being a housewife and she decorated their small house beautifully.

However, the marriage got off to a rough start. After a date one night, Neva had insisted on fingering Dorothy's private parts to see if she was still a virgin. Though Dorothy had fought back, the incident had made her queasy about sex. Partly for this reason, the honeymoon night was a disaster. Harold was not pleased. He continued with his womanizing ways and it tormented Dorothy.

Harold spent most of his free time playing cards and golf. He was a good provider, but he could not commit himself to the marriage. Fayard Nicholas' intelligent wife Geri understood the pain of being married to a womanizing husband and tried to keep Dorothy company. The two were to become life-long friends.

A few months into the marriage, Dorothy became pregnant. When she went into labor, Harold insisted it was a false alarm and went to play golf. Dorothy waited hours for him to return and take her to the hospital. Geri finally convinced her to go without him and Harolyn Nicholas was born.

As Harolyn grew older, she couldn't speak, was constantly irritable and

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