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Over two episodes, we will explore Hollywood Babylon’s coverage of Confidential Magazine and the two celebrities who testified against the scandal rag in the 1957 trial that helped end what Anger rightfully refers to as its “reign of terror.” We’ll begin with Dorothy Dandridge, the first black actress to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Dandridge’s testimony against Confidential reveals the publication’s racist agenda, as well as the double standards that governed her real private and public lives.
Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte in Carmen Jones (1954)
SHOW NOTES:
Sources:
Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger
Shocking True Story: The Rise and Fall of Confidential, "America's Most Scandalous Scandal Magazine” by Henry E. Scott
Dorothy Dandridge by Donald Bogle
Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood by Donald Bogle
Robert Mitchum: “Baby I Don’t Care” by Lee Server
Mr. Confidential: The Man, the Magazine, and the Movieland Massacre That Changed Hollywood Forever by Samuel Bernstein
“Liz Sues for Millions” The Miami News, July 15, 1955
“Star Fights Back with Libel Suits” The Miami News, November 19, 1955
Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, Robert Mitchum and Otto Preminger
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Over and Over” by Madonna.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
Yellow Leaves 5 - Peter Sandberg
Club Noir 2 - John Allen
City Fashion 3 - Björn Skogsberg
A Playful Mood 2 - Peter Sandberg
Downtown Alley 2 - Magnus Ringblom
In The Lounge 02 - Lars Olvmyr
Tomorrow I'll Be Gone - Franz Gordon
In The Lounge 05 - Lars Olvmyr
One Two Three 5 - Peter Sandberg
The Piano And Me 3 - Peter Sandberg
Goofy Moments 3 - Magnus RingblomSay It Is So - Magnus Ringblom Quartet
Eventually Maybe - Oakwood Station
Dorothy Dandridge arrives at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1955, where we was the first African American actress to receive a nomination for Best Actress
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.
Editor: Cameron Drews.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
Dorothy Dandridge in LIFE Magazine 1954