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Dorothy Dandridge: Mother
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Although Dorothy was finally a respected, famous actress, her off-screen life was tumultuous. As a child, she had been abused by her mother's partner; as an adult, she suffered from abuse at the hand of her second husband. Her only child was mentally handicapped, and she developed severe problems with alcoholism and depression. After a few attempts to regain her health, she was found dead of an overdose in her home. She was only 41 years old.
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Dorothy falls in lust with the man she's dating (John Fiedler); and Blanche and Rose fall on their faces as pals to motherless girls (Shana Washington, Stefanie Ridel). Security Guard: Tom Simmons. Dorothy: Beatrice Arthur.
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[D]on't be fooled; Dandridge's life is a very complex one. Basically this is a memoir, but it's so much else. It's a story of love and marriage and motherhood and divorce and lust (and yes, in that order!). There's the joyful laughter of nostalgia mixed with the bitter tears of regret. There's the realization of hard-fought ambitions, there's haughty glamour, there's acute despair. In some ways Dorothy was the queen of self-preservation, yet you could almost call this book the world's longest suicide note.
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