Ruby Jean Dandridge (née Butler; March 3, 1900No indication she was born in 1899. Her gravestone clearly states 1900; her Social Security Death Index year of birth is 1901. – 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 show Amos '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"), and Nellie Simon, a maid."Ruby Dandridge, Is Mother the Daughter of the Child?" African American Registry.
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. The production began on July 8 at the Mayan Theater. Five years later, she appeared in a production of Hit the Deck at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, California. 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)."Ruby Dandridge (1899–1987)", Blackface! In other films, she played Rheba, a maid, in Junior Miss (1945), Dabby in Tap Roots (1948), the housekeeper in Three Little Girls in Blue (1946), Mrs. Kelso in Cabin in the Sky (1943) and Violet in Tish (1942). Dandridge played Oriole on both radio and TV versions of The Beulah Show,Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 37. and Geranium in The Judy Canova Show, and was a regular cast member on Tonight at Hoagy's. 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.
In the 1950s, Dandridge formed a nightclub act that played in clubs around Los Angeles. 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."
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.
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. 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. She was interred next to Dorothy at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Filmography Features Year Title Role Notes1933 King Kong Native Dancer Uncredited1934 Black Moon Black House Servant Uncredited1939 Midnight Shadow Mrs. Lingley 1940 Broken Strings Dancer Uncredited1942The Night Before the Divorce One of Roselle's Fans UncreditedGallant Lady Sarah Tish Violet UncreditedThe War Against Mrs. Hadley Maid UncreditedBroken StringsDancer Uncredited1943A Night for Crime Alice Jones - Cook UncreditedCabin in the Sky Mrs. Kelso Corregidor Hyacinth Melody Parade Ruby I Dood It Mammy, in the Show UncreditedNever a Dull Moment Daisy Uncredited1944 Hat Check Honey Ophelia UncreditedLadies of Washington Nellie UncreditedCarolina Blues Josephine UncreditedCan't Help Singing Henrietta Uncredited1945 The Clock Milk Customer UncreditedJunior Miss Rheba Saratoga Trunk Turbaned Vendor Uncredited 1946 Inside JobIvory UncreditedThree Little Girls in Blue Mammy UncreditedHome 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 Uncredited1959 A Hole in the Head Sally
Short subjects Year Title Role Notes1943 Flop Goes the Weasel Mammy Hen Voice, uncredited1946 Screen Snapshots: The Judy Canova Show Geranium, Radio Show Character 1948 Silly Billie Maid
Television Year Title Role Notes1951-1955 The Amos 'n' Andy Show Various roles 4 episodes1952-1953 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
External links
Ruby Dandridge gravestone indicating 1900 as year of birth