Vivian Dandridge
Encyclopedia
Vivian Alferetta Dandridge (April 22, 1921 – October 21, 1991) was a singer and actress. She is best known as the sister of actress Dorothy Dandridge
and the daughter of character actress Ruby Dandridge
. She was a member of the Dandridge Sisters
musical group, along with Etta Jones and Dorothy Dandridge
.
to Cyril Dandridge (October 25, 1895 - July 9, 1989), and the former Ruby Jean Butler
, an aspiring entertainer. Dandridge's parents separated shortly before the birth of her sister Dorothy
.
and friend Etta Jones
in the vocal group the Dandridge Sisters
, which was formed in 1934. Initially, Ruby Dandridge
put her two girls to work performing acrobatics, songs, and skits. She billed them as the "Wonder Children." Realizing the potential success of her girls (and acknowledging her chance of stardom in the entertainment industry was at best, limited), Ruby and her lesbian
lover Geneva Williams decided to have her daughters embark on a tour of the United States. Under Neva's tutelage, the Wonder Children earned $400–$500 per appearance during the late 1920s, touring through Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and many other states. Neva accompanied the girls on piano as well as acted as their manager and was a particularly aggressive disciplinarian. Both Dorothy and Vivian suffered from her angry outbursts, which were frequent and severe.
Because their income was more important to the family than their education, Dorothy and Vivian did not attend regular classes at school until the 8th grade, instead relying on tutors (since they were the primary breadwinners of the family). After the Stock Market Crash
in 1929, the Wonder Children were added to the long list of the unemployed. Ruby Dandridge
, still clinging to the hopes of a film career for herself and her daughters, bought 4 bus tickets and moved the family to Los Angeles
. After immersing herself into the professional community of black Hollywood
, Ruby found limited opportunities for herself or her girls. After Clarence Muse
, a working black actor in Hollywood (who befriended the family) told Ruby that her daughters were unlikely to meet with success in California, she enrolled them in a dancing school run by Laurette Butler. Here, the Dandridge daughters befriended another girl, Etta Jones
, and began to sing together. After Jones' father heard them sing, Ruby Dandridge
decided that the three should form a singing group. Thus, the Dandridge Sisters
were born. While Neva and Ruby gained bit parts in films (Neva appeared as a maid in the Shirley Temple
vehicle The Little Colonel
), the Dandridge Sisters
began appearing in musical sequences of films and toured over the United States, sharing bills with the likes of Nat King Cole
, Mantan Moreland
, and dancer Marie Bryant.
The female trio was a sort of black Andrews Sisters, singing songs in three part harmony. They eventually became headliners at the Cotton Club
in Harlem, New York. They even appeared in a short-run Broadway musical revue, Swingin' The Dream, in 1939, at the Centre Theater. The Dandridge Sisters
also toured in London
and Hawaii
, and recorded four tracks with well-known big band leader Jimmie Lunceford
and his orchestra: "You Ain't Nowhere," Minnie the Moocher Is Dead," "I Ain't Gonna Study War No More," and a minor hit, "That's Your Red Wagon." After touring for a year and a half, however, the Dandridge Sisters
group abruptly disbanded, after Dorothy Dandridge
was determined to become an actress, unsatisfied with just appearances in occasional soundies
or bit parts in Hollywood films. She detested life on the road and was certain she could find bigger success as a dramatic actress. This left Vivian in a desperate financial situation. She attempted to find work in clubs, but many were not interested. She did, however, find employment as an occasional actress in minor film roles but did not achieve the same level of success as her sister Dorothy.
as native girl Melisse in the 1943 classic I Walked With a Zombie
and in 1953's Bright Road
, starring Dorothy Dandridge
, in which she played the small role of schoolteacher Ms. Nelson (she received no credit on either film). She also acted as Dorothy's hairdresser on Bright Road
. She also appeared with the Dandridge Sisters
in musical sequences of the films The Big Broadcast of 1936
(with George Burns
and Gracie Allen
), A Day at the Races
(with the Marx Brothers
), It Can't Last Forever
(with Ralph Bellamy
and Betty Furness
), Irene
(with Ray Milland
, Anna Neagle
, and Billie Burke
) and Going Places (with Louis Armstrong
and Maxine Sullivan
). She also appeared in the soundie Snow Gets in Your Eyes as a member of the Dandridge Sisters
and in the cartoon Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs
opposite her mother Ruby Dandridge
. In the summer of 1955, she replaced Thelma Carpenter
in the Broadway
play Anchors Aweigh
. She moved to the Alvin Hotel in New York City
, but after this engagement she largely disappeared from show business
. She attended the Academy Awards in 1955 with Dorothy Dandridge
when Dorothy was nominated for Best Actress
for her role in Carmen Jones
.
hired a private detective to find her missing
sister, but to no avail; Dorothy later found out that her sister was in the south of France
trying to find work. Later, she found out that her sister was residing in New York City
. At this point, Dorothy and Vivian did not remain in contact, though Dorothy sometimes provided financial assistance to Vivian and her son Michael Wallace. Other than the occasional telegram, Dorothy and Vivian remained estranged.
nursing home of a massive heart attack in 1987.
and recorded a jazz
LP
, The Look of Love that same year. The album was produced by Bob Stephens and conducted by Charles Coleman. The album included such tracks as "Love is Blue", "Try to Remember", "Sunny
", "Strange Fruit
", and "Lover Man". On the cover, Vivian is lying on the sofa with a snifter
of brandy
in her hand, hovering pensively above a burning cigarette
in an ashtray next to a lamp on the side table. The album was not successful.
did an interview with Vivian discussing her sister and mother in 1991; later that year when Bogle returned, he found that Vivian Dandridge had died of a massive stroke
.
in 1997, Passions
in 2000, The District
in 2004 and in the theatrical film Speed Racer
in 2008. She also portrayed the character of Sarabi in the The Lion King
on Broadway
.
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
and the daughter of character actress Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge 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....
. She was a member of the Dandridge Sisters
Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were a trio containing actress Dorothy Dandridge, Vivian Dandridge and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.- The starting of the Dandridge Sisters :...
musical group, along with Etta Jones and Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
.
Birth
Vivian was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
to Cyril Dandridge (October 25, 1895 - July 9, 1989), and the former Ruby Jean Butler
Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge 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....
, an aspiring entertainer. Dandridge's parents separated shortly before the birth of her sister Dorothy
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
.
Singer and actress
Vivian Dandridge reached the peak of her fame with sister DorothyDorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
and friend Etta Jones
Etta Jones
Etta Jones was an American jazz singer. She is not to be confused with the more popular singer Etta James nor her namesake, a member of the Dandridge Sisters, who recorded with Jimmy Lunceford and was Gerald Wilson's first wife. Her best known recordings were "Don't Go To Strangers" and "Save...
in the vocal group the Dandridge Sisters
Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were a trio containing actress Dorothy Dandridge, Vivian Dandridge and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.- The starting of the Dandridge Sisters :...
, which was formed in 1934. Initially, Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge 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....
put her two girls to work performing acrobatics, songs, and skits. She billed them as the "Wonder Children." Realizing the potential success of her girls (and acknowledging her chance of stardom in the entertainment industry was at best, limited), Ruby and her lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
lover Geneva Williams decided to have her daughters embark on a tour of the United States. Under Neva's tutelage, the Wonder Children earned $400–$500 per appearance during the late 1920s, touring through Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and many other states. Neva accompanied the girls on piano as well as acted as their manager and was a particularly aggressive disciplinarian. Both Dorothy and Vivian suffered from her angry outbursts, which were frequent and severe.
Because their income was more important to the family than their education, Dorothy and Vivian did not attend regular classes at school until the 8th grade, instead relying on tutors (since they were the primary breadwinners of the family). After the Stock Market Crash
Stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic as much as by underlying economic factors...
in 1929, the Wonder Children were added to the long list of the unemployed. Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge 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....
, still clinging to the hopes of a film career for herself and her daughters, bought 4 bus tickets and moved the family to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. After immersing herself into the professional community of black Hollywood
Black Hollywood
Black Hollywood is the third album by Hip Hop duo Camp Lo, scheduled for release on July 24, 2007 on Good Hands Records. It is the duo's first album in five years. The album is entirely produced by long-time collaborator Ski, who produced the majority of the group's first two albums, Uptown...
, Ruby found limited opportunities for herself or her girls. After Clarence Muse
Clarence Muse
Clarence Muse was an actor, screenwriter, director, composer, and lawyer. He was inducted in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1973. Muse was the first African American to "star" in a film. He acted for more than sixty years, and appeared in more than 150 movies.-Life and career:Born in...
, a working black actor in Hollywood (who befriended the family) told Ruby that her daughters were unlikely to meet with success in California, she enrolled them in a dancing school run by Laurette Butler. Here, the Dandridge daughters befriended another girl, Etta Jones
Etta Jones
Etta Jones was an American jazz singer. She is not to be confused with the more popular singer Etta James nor her namesake, a member of the Dandridge Sisters, who recorded with Jimmy Lunceford and was Gerald Wilson's first wife. Her best known recordings were "Don't Go To Strangers" and "Save...
, and began to sing together. After Jones' father heard them sing, Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge 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....
decided that the three should form a singing group. Thus, the Dandridge Sisters
Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were a trio containing actress Dorothy Dandridge, Vivian Dandridge and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.- The starting of the Dandridge Sisters :...
were born. While Neva and Ruby gained bit parts in films (Neva appeared as a maid in the Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
vehicle The Little Colonel
The Little Colonel
The Little Colonel is a 1935 American comedy drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by William M. Conselman was adapted from a novel of the same name by Annie Fellows Johnston, and focuses on the reconciliation of an estranged father and daughter in the years following the American...
), the Dandridge Sisters
Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were a trio containing actress Dorothy Dandridge, Vivian Dandridge and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.- The starting of the Dandridge Sisters :...
began appearing in musical sequences of films and toured over the United States, sharing bills with the likes of Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, Mantan Moreland
Mantan Moreland
Mantan Moreland was an American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s.-Career:Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Moreland began acting by the time he was an adolescent, reportedly running away to join the circus...
, and dancer Marie Bryant.
The female trio was a sort of black Andrews Sisters, singing songs in three part harmony. They eventually became headliners at the Cotton Club
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem, New York City that operated during Prohibition that included jazz music. While the club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, Count Basie, Bessie Smith,...
in Harlem, New York. They even appeared in a short-run Broadway musical revue, Swingin' The Dream, in 1939, at the Centre Theater. The Dandridge Sisters
Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were a trio containing actress Dorothy Dandridge, Vivian Dandridge and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.- The starting of the Dandridge Sisters :...
also toured in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and recorded four tracks with well-known big band leader Jimmie Lunceford
Jimmie Lunceford
James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era.-Biography:...
and his orchestra: "You Ain't Nowhere," Minnie the Moocher Is Dead," "I Ain't Gonna Study War No More," and a minor hit, "That's Your Red Wagon." After touring for a year and a half, however, the Dandridge Sisters
Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were a trio containing actress Dorothy Dandridge, Vivian Dandridge and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.- The starting of the Dandridge Sisters :...
group abruptly disbanded, after Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
was determined to become an actress, unsatisfied with just appearances in occasional soundies
Soundies
Soundies were an early version of the music video: three-minute musical films, produced in New York City, Chicago, and Hollywood between 1940 and 1946, often including short dance sequences. The completed Soundies were generally released within a few months of their filming; the last group was...
or bit parts in Hollywood films. She detested life on the road and was certain she could find bigger success as a dramatic actress. This left Vivian in a desperate financial situation. She attempted to find work in clubs, but many were not interested. She did, however, find employment as an occasional actress in minor film roles but did not achieve the same level of success as her sister Dorothy.
Marriage and children
Vivian was married five times: Jack Montgomery (1942-43), Warren Bracken (?-?), Ralph Bledsoe (1946-47), Forace Stead (1951-53) and Gustav Friedrich (1958-?). All of her marriages ended in divorce. She was also romantically linked to actor Emmett Wallace (known as "Babe Wallace") with whom she had a son, Michael Emmett Wallace (born November 7, 1943).Life in Dorothy & Ruby's shadow
Vivian only appeared in two minor film roles: she co-starred with Frances DeeFrances Dee
Frances Marion Dee was an American actress. She starred opposite Maurice Chevalier in the early talkie musical, The Playboy of Paris...
as native girl Melisse in the 1943 classic I Walked With a Zombie
I Walked with a Zombie
I Walked with a Zombie is a 1943 horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur. It was the second horror film from producer Val Lewton for RKO Pictures; the first was the very successful Cat People, also directed by Tourneur...
and in 1953's Bright Road
Bright Road
Bright Road is a 1953 low-budget film adapted from the Christopher Award-winning short story "See How They Run" by Mary Elizabeth Vroman. Directed by Gerald Mayer and featuring a nearly all-black cast, the film stars Dorothy Dandridge as an idealistic first-year elementary school teacher trying to...
, starring Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
, in which she played the small role of schoolteacher Ms. Nelson (she received no credit on either film). She also acted as Dorothy's hairdresser on Bright Road
Bright Road
Bright Road is a 1953 low-budget film adapted from the Christopher Award-winning short story "See How They Run" by Mary Elizabeth Vroman. Directed by Gerald Mayer and featuring a nearly all-black cast, the film stars Dorothy Dandridge as an idealistic first-year elementary school teacher trying to...
. She also appeared with the Dandridge Sisters
Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were a trio containing actress Dorothy Dandridge, Vivian Dandridge and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.- The starting of the Dandridge Sisters :...
in musical sequences of the films The Big Broadcast of 1936
The Big Broadcast of 1936
The Big Broadcast of 1936 is a Paramount Pictures production, directed by Norman Taurog, and is the second in the series of Big Broadcast movies...
(with George Burns
George Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
and Gracie Allen
Gracie Allen
Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen , known as Gracie Allen, was an American comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns...
), A Day at the Races
A Day at the Races (film)
Further reading* Elisabeth Buxbaum: Veronika, der Lenz ist da. Walter Jurmann – Ein Musiker zwischen den Welten und Zeiten. Mit einem Werkverzeichnis von Alexander Sieghardt. Edition Steinbauer, Wien 2006, ISBN 3-902494-18-2-External links:*...
(with the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
), It Can't Last Forever
It Can't Last Forever
It Can't Last Forever is a 1937 black and white American film. The film stars Ralph Bellamy, Betty Furness, and Robert Armstrong. It is also the debut film for 11 year old Donald O'Connor, who would later go on to be famous for his acrobatic tap dancing....
(with Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Bellamy was an American actor whose career spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:He was born Ralph Rexford Bellamy in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lilla Louise , a native of Canada, and Charles Rexford Bellamy. He ran away from home when he was fifteen and managed to get into a road show...
and Betty Furness
Betty Furness
Elizabeth Mary Furness was an American actress, consumer advocate and current affairs commentator.-Early years:...
), Irene
Irene
Irene is a name derived from the Greek word εἰρήνη meaning "peace". It may also be spelled or transliterated as "Irini", "Eirene", or "Eirini".It may refer to:-Mythical figures:* Eirene , one of the Horae...
(with Ray Milland
Ray Milland
Ray Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
, Anna Neagle
Anna Neagle
Forming a professional alliance with Wilcox, Neagle played her first starring film role in the musical Goodnight Vienna , again with Jack Buchanan. With this film Neagle became an overnight favourite...
, and Billie Burke
Billie Burke
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke was an American actress. She is primarily known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the musical film The Wizard of Oz. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Emily Kilbourne in Merrily We Live...
) and Going Places (with Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Maxine Sullivan
Maxine Sullivan
Maxine Sullivan , born Marietta Williams, was an American blues and jazz singer.She was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, and married jazz musician John Kirby in 1938 , and stride pianist Cliff Jackson in 1956...
). She also appeared in the soundie Snow Gets in Your Eyes as a member of the Dandridge Sisters
Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were a trio containing actress Dorothy Dandridge, Vivian Dandridge and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.- The starting of the Dandridge Sisters :...
and in the cartoon Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs is a Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Bob Clampett, produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, and released to theatres on January 16, 1943 by Warner Bros...
opposite her mother Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge 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....
. In the summer of 1955, she replaced Thelma Carpenter
Thelma Carpenter
Thelma Carpenter was a jazz singer and actress, best known as "Miss One", the Good Witch of the North in the movie The Wiz.-Career:...
in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play Anchors Aweigh
Anchors Aweigh
"Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy, and strongly associated with the United States Navy, composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmerman with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. Zimmerman was at the time a Lieutenant, and had been bandmaster of the United States Naval Academy...
. She moved to the Alvin Hotel in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but after this engagement she largely disappeared from show business
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
. She attended the Academy Awards in 1955 with Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
when Dorothy was nominated for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
for her role in Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones (film)
Carmen Jones is a 1954 American musical film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Harry Kleiner is based on the libretto for the 1943 stage production of the same name by Oscar Hammerstein II, which was inspired by an adaptation of the 1845 Prosper Mérimée novella Carmen by...
.
Disappearance of Vivian
By 1956, friends and family members were concerned for the welfare of Vivian, as she moved away and went into seclusion. Dorothy DandridgeDorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
hired a private detective to find her missing
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
sister, but to no avail; Dorothy later found out that her sister was in the south of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
trying to find work. Later, she found out that her sister was residing in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. At this point, Dorothy and Vivian did not remain in contact, though Dorothy sometimes provided financial assistance to Vivian and her son Michael Wallace. Other than the occasional telegram, Dorothy and Vivian remained estranged.
Death of sister
Vivian Dandridge did not attend the funeral of her sister, admitting that it was just too painful to return. She said, "I grieved in my own way, in my privacy. Dottie knew that I loved her." Vivian later rekindled a relationship with her mother (albeit an adversarial one) until her mother died penniless in a Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
nursing home of a massive heart attack in 1987.
Solo recording
In 1968, Vivian signed with Jubilee RecordsJubilee Records
Jubilee Records was a record label specializing in rhythm and blues along with novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. Jerry Blaine became Abramson's partner. Blaine bought out Abramson's half of the company in 1947. The company name was Jay-Gee Recording...
and recorded a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, The Look of Love that same year. The album was produced by Bob Stephens and conducted by Charles Coleman. The album included such tracks as "Love is Blue", "Try to Remember", "Sunny
Sunny (song)
"Sunny" is the name of a song written by Bobby Hebb. It is one of the most covered popular songs, with hundreds of versions released. BMI rates "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century."...
", "Strange Fruit
Strange Fruit
"Strange Fruit" is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who released her first recording of it in 1939, the year she first sang it. Written by the teacher Abel Meeropol as a poem, it exposed American racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans. Such lynchings had occurred...
", and "Lover Man". On the cover, Vivian is lying on the sofa with a snifter
Snifter
A snifter — also called a balloon — is a type of stemware, a short-stemmed glass whose vessel has a wide bottom and a relatively narrow top. It is mostly used to serve aged brown spirits such as brandy and whisky...
of brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
in her hand, hovering pensively above a burning cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
in an ashtray next to a lamp on the side table. The album was not successful.
Track listing
- Love is Blue
- Try to Remember
- Strange Fruit
- Sunny
- I Cover the Waterfront
- The Look of Love
- You're My Thrill
- A Coat of Laughter
- Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
- Travelin' Light
- You Don't Know What Love Is
- Lover Come Back to Me
Death
Vivian, under the alias "Marina Rozell," later settled in Seattle, Washington, where she lived for the rest of her life. Author Donald BogleDonald Bogle
Donald Bogle is a film historian and author of six books concerning African Americans in film and on television. He is an instructor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and at the University of Pennsylvania.-Early years:...
did an interview with Vivian discussing her sister and mother in 1991; later that year when Bogle returned, he found that Vivian Dandridge had died of a massive stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
.
Granddaughter Nayo Wallace
Vivian Dandridge's granddaughter, Nayo Wallace, is forging an up-and-coming career in Hollywood. she has appeared on the television programs The Steve Harvey ShowThe Steve Harvey Show
The Steve Harvey Show is an American sitcom that aired for six seasons from August 25, 1996 to February 17, 2002 on The WB Television Network. It was created by Winifred Hervey and directed by Stan Lathan.-Synopsis:...
in 1997, Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
in 2000, The District
The District
The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department .-Premise:...
in 2004 and in the theatrical film Speed Racer
Speed Racer (film)
Speed Racer is a 2008 American live action film adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name, produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The film is written and directed by the Wachowskis...
in 2008. She also portrayed the character of Sarabi in the The Lion King
The Lion King (musical)
The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
.