Ruby Dandridge

Ruby Dandridge
Dandridge in Home in Oklahoma (1946)
Born	Ruby Jean Butler (1900-03-03)March 3, 1900 Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Died	October 17, 1987(1987-10-17) (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1917–1962
Spouse	Cyril Dandridge ​ ​ (m. 1919; div. 1922)​
Partner	Geneva Williams
Children	Vivian DandridgeDorothy Dandridge
Family	Nayo 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 showAmos '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. In the 1999 film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Ruby is portrayed by Loretta Devine.

Early life

Dandridge was born Ruby Jean Butler in Wichita, Kansas, on March 3, 1900, one of four children of George Butler, a janitor, grocer and entertainer (famous as a "minstrel man"),^[2] and Nellie Simon, a maid.^[3]

Entertainment career

Over the course of her entertainment career, Dandridge appeared in film, on radio, on television, and on stage as a singer.

In 1937, she 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] 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.^[12]

In the 1950s, Dandridge formed a nightclub act that played in clubs around Los Angeles.^[12] 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."^[13]

Real estate venture

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]

Personal life

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.^[15] Dandridge attended her daughter Dorothy's funeral in 1965.

Death

On October 17, 1987, Dandridge died of a heart attack at a nursing home in Los Angeles, California.^[12] She was interred next to Dorothy at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Filmography

Features

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

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

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951-1955	The Amos 'n' Andy Show	Various roles	4 episodes
1952-1953	The Beulah Show	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

1. No indication she was born in 1899. Her gravestone clearly states 1900; her Social Security Death Index year of birth is 1901.
2. Barron, Mark (April 22, 1949). "Broadway". Fitchburg Sentinel. Massachusetts, Fitchburg. p. 6. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Ruby Dandridge, Is Mother the Daughter of the Child?" African American Registry.
4. Patton, Bernice (June 12, 1937). "The Sepia Side of Hollywood". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 21. Retrieved April 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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.
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.
8. "Ruby Dandridge Gets Film Role". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. February 2, 1946. p. 17. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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.
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.
11. 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. "Obituaries : Ruby Dandridge; Singer, Actress, Mother of Performer Daughters". Los Angeles Times. October 24, 1987. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
13. "Another Dandridge In Lights". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. March 17, 1956. p. 36. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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.
15. Maslin, Janet (June 19, 1997). "Hollywood's Tryst With Dorothy Dandridge Inspires Real Love at Last". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.

External links

• Ruby Dandridge at IMDb
• Ruby Dandridge at Find a Grave
• Ruby Dandridge gravestone indicating 1900 as year of birth