Diahann Carroll on Carmen Jones, Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte

Legendary actress Diahann Carroll reflects on her debut performance in Carmen Jones (’54) and why she enjoyed working with Otto Preminger.
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[@stanleycoleman]

Wow, Carroll aged incredibly well. May she RIP.

[@hoshimaruhajime7933]

She looks like she in her 50s

[@Idk-dx3rw]

@@hoshimaruhajime7933 And I believe she was in her 80’s at the time

[@supremacyattitudefiller9895]

Rest In Peace Diahann Carroll another pioneer of black cinema her movies should be played to.

[@khongmaithikhog5624]

1:34

[@gracestone5922]

The first movie I saw of him in Carmen Jones in 1954 . just before leaving Mississippi. R.I.P

[@capoislamort100]

Good thing you left that backwater dungeon.

[@MEGAjunglejuice]

Dorothy, one of the best to ever do it.

[@outinsider]

She was such a glass shatterer. I miss Diahann.

[@karenhundley7108]

Yes she was. I miss her too.

[@ephemerabluetit335]

I have always maintained that she is the most beautiful woman in the world. I am thankful for her life.

[@moradadessalines6932]

It took me so long to figure who Diahann character was in Carmen Jones. I was born in the late 80s and just recently watched this classic.

[@Famegonna9999]

It's truly said 11 years after Carmen's release Dorothy Dandridge died penniless. All because of her ex husband and bad career advice from ex-lovers

[@emerybayblues]

Yes it is. Dorothy Dandridge heeded Preminger's advice about the type of film roles she should do; she didn't do a movie for 3-4 years after Carmen Jones.

[@1234pouvez]

She died with a signed contract for one hundred thousand dollars for two films and was scheduled to open at the renowned Basin Street East in New York City the Friday of the week she died. She wasn't penniless. She had the money to pay for the evening gowns she had made for the Basin Street engagement and the money to pay the lady who was scheduled to pack her wardrobe trunk.

[@1234pouvez]

@@emerybayblues That story has been repeated for over fifty years. Miss Dandridge did not heed the advice of Preminger. She heeded the advice of her movie contract. On February 15th, 1955 she became the 1st African American Actor to sign a movie contract with a major studio 20th Century Fox for a lucrative salary per film [lucrative for 1955] for star roles only. Darryl F. Zanuck was the president. Preminger had nothing to do with the studio or her contract. She turned down the supporting role of Tumkin in The King & I because it did not meet the terms of her contract and roles in Aida and Rigoletto because, in her own words, which can be viewed on KZbin, she wanted her next film after Carmen to be as far away from Carmen as possible. It seems she turned down three movies in 1955. That brings us to 1956, the year she made "ISLAND in The Sun. That was not three or four years after she signed her contract.

[@alaysha4641]

God Bless. Thank you TCM!!!

[@thezmanchar]

I was so sad when she passed away. Gosh she looked gorgeous all the time.

[@onitaijeoma1450]

She was so beautiful

[@reneiloesongo4224]

Class

[@steffybendie1972]

Légendes❤️

[@mariastewart8810]

OMG I'm just realizing both Dorothy and Diahann could be easily pass for sisters! It's a pity they never worked together again as they were both so gorgeous. 🤔

[@1234pouvez]

They were both in Porgy and Bess. Miss Dandridge was Bess.

[@GusMalle]

Thank you for sharing Turner Classic Movies Monday April 25 2022 12:51am EST USA The Creator Has A Master Plan.

[@kawaiihoney09]

😍😍😍😍😍

[@permijitdunkley1697]

😎

[@eamonndeane587]

Is TCM ever going to show Claudine at some point?

[@Famegonna9999]

They usually played around January February and March or around Diahann Carroll's birthday or James Earl Jones birthday

[@rozziec.3197]

They did earlier this year

[@stardommansion6773]

These are actresses from the 1950s. Hollywood started to adapt to the changing times and social narratives, and Black actors were earning better roles than the stereotypical ones that plagued them in previous decades. However, the number of all-black cast films produced during the 1950s was the lowest compared to prior decades. 1. Eartha Kitt started appearing in movies in the late 40s but earned her first significant role in "Mark of the Hawk" (1957). Throughout the 50s, she appeared on several TV shows as a specialty act and starred in her first leading role in "Anna Lucasta" (1958). 2. Dorothy Dandridge was a rising star in the 40s, but her stardom was in the 1950s. Her first leading role was in "Bright Road" (1953) with Harry Belafonte. Her signature film was "Carmen Jones" (1954), where she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actresses. 3. Pearl Bailey first appeared in movies in the late 40s, but her shining moment in film was in "Carmen Jones." Bailey was an excellent singer and actress, appearing in four films during the 50s, including "St. Louis Blues" (1958) and "Porgy & Bess" (1959). 4. Ruby Dee's first acting credit was in 1946 when she appeared in Race Films (independent films with an all-black cast). However, in the 50s, Ruby Dee's career rose to another level, starring with Jackie Robinson in "The Jackie Robinson Story" (1950) and the first film with her husband Ossie Davis in "No Way Out" (1950). She appeared in several movies with Sidney Poitier, including "Edge of the City" (1957). 5. Diahann Carroll's acting debut was in "Carmen Jones" (1954), playing alongside Dorothy Dandridge and Pearl Bailey. She also starred in "Porgy & Bess" (1959) but only had three acting credits in the 50s. 6. Ellen Holly was primarily known for the soap opera career in "One Life to Live." However, her first movie appearance was in "Take a Giant Step" (1958), where she had a minor part conversing with Johnny Nash. 7. Juanita Moore was appearing in movies as early as the 1930s. She was primarily a specialty act, either singing or dancing, which lasted through the 40s. In the 1950s, Moore earned more speaking parts in movies, having 27 acting credits. Most of her parts were stereotypical, but her breakout movie was "Imitation of Life" (1959), where she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. 8. Kim Hamilton starred in many TV shows throughout her career, but her first movie appearance was in "Somethin of Value" (1957). She also starred in the classic noir film "Odds Against Tomorrow" (1959) with Harry Belafonte. 9. Marpessa Dawn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and spent her early life in the U.S. before moving to Europe, where she began her acting career in the mid-50s. Her breakout role was the Afro-Brazillian film "Black Orpheus" (1959), where she played the love interest for lead actor Breno Mello.

[@vickylanding2830]

Hope she except Jesus Christ as her lord and savior amen that's what's most Important your soul resting with out heavily feather

[@mariastewart8810]

What's "heavily feather"???🤔🤔

[@CodieHil]

​@@mariastewart8810I believe she meant "heavenly Father"

[@dadevi]

There are many afterlives. Christian heaven isn't the only one.