Ruby Dandridge
Ruby Jean Dandridge 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, and Nellie Simon, a maid.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 was as a native dancer in King Kong. In other films, she played Rheba, a maid, in Junior Miss, Dabby in Tap Roots, the housekeeper in Three Little Girls in Blue, Mrs. Kelso in Cabin in the Sky and Violet in Tish. Dandridge played Oriole on both radio and TV versions of The Beulah Show, 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. For one season, 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."