Everything and Nothing : The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy
by Dorothy Dandridge, Earl Conrad
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dorothy Dandridge, Earl ConradEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2000-05-01
ISBN: 0060956755
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Book Reviews of Everything and Nothing : The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy
Book Review: An emotional roller coaster
Summary: 4 Stars
"I am an actress. I can play a nun or a b*tch."
-Dorothy Dandridge from "Everything and Nothing"
For such a long time, I have wondered why some of my favorite celebrities such as Janet Jackson, Halle Berry, and Whitney Houston have taken such a strong interest in the life of Dorothy Dandridge. I have wondered, "What was so intriguing about this woman?" "Why did so many entertainers want to depict her life story in a motion picture?" I finally decided to search her on youtube.com and read her autobiography, because after Halle created the movie and spoke so highly of her, I, like Halle, pursued research on her.
After seeing photos of her, seeing movie clips on youtube, and reading her autobiography, I am enlightened as to why so many people find her interesting. During her life, she truly had both "everything and nothing."
Dorothy, through her writing, appeared to be an emotional, sad, often confused, depressed, disappointed and seemingly doomed from early on. Based on my perspective, she wasn't especially close to anyone in her immediate family. She and her mother, Ruby, were on good terms, but not close. Her father took very slight interest in her only after he heard that she had some success. She had two failed marriages and a slew of love affairs from men who seemed to be interested in her solely because of her beauty and success. While on the subject of beauty, Dorothy was gorgeous! She was a bombshell by all means, and she knew it. There were a few things about her that I didn't especially like, and one of them was the fact that she kept saying she was pretty, and that others said the same. It's a fact, but it became redundant after the first hundred times. Perhaps that was the one thing that kept her self-esteem moderately afloat. Another issue that I was annoyed by was the fact that she preferred white men. I understand that Harold Nicholas was an atrocious husband, but Dorothy seemed to let her first failed marriage set the tone for the rest of her romantic life. Ironically, they meant her no good, either.
"You must be at your best each instant, for, in a manner of speaking, you are "carrying" the race."
-Dorothy Dandridge from "Everything and Nothing"
Dorothy was very specific with her career, and how difficult it was for her (and all other Black actors) to receive movie roles. Many of the males she was romantically involved with conned her into staying with them, for they told her they would further her career. This was all emoting, but what touched me more than anything was her daughter, Harolyn. Dorothy made it clear that she was disappointed by the fact that her daughter was born mentally retarded, and she held a bitterness because of that. Friends and doctors both told her to get rid of Harolyn since she would never mentally advance, and Dorothy did just that. Harolyn was with Dorothy for a few years, but most of her time was spent in mental institutions or with family members while Dorothy was doing films or with her paramours.
I admire Dorothy. She was the first African-American actress to receive an Academy Award nomination for her role in the infamous movie, Carmen Jones. I admire her because she stood up to those who did her wrong. For example, her mother's female friend (who was rumored to be her lover), spanked her everyday with a brush for a long time. One day Dorothy became fed up and retaliated by beating the woman up!
To this day, no one knows whether she committed suicide or not, however, all one has to do is read her autobiography and look at her photos (and see the sadness within her eyes), and it wouldn't be hard to draw the conclusion that she purposely ended her life. Dorothy Jean Dandrige deserves to be included in Black History because she paved the way for the Halle Berrys, Angela Bassetts and the like. Read "Everything and Nothing", and, perhaps, you will take a second look at your life and realize that things aren't as terrible as some make them out to be.
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