Carmen Jones

Harry and Dorothy

Back in the day, movies about regular folk had style and elements of glamour.  The stylish 1954 Otto Preminger film Carmen Jones inspired me with an all-black cast led by the fabulously talented and gorgeous Dorothy Dandridge and the still smokin’ Harry Belafonte.

Carmen Jones is a sexy, tragic love story where the lead character seduces, abuses, and subsequently drives a naïve young army pilot mad. Years earlier, Oscar Hammerstein, Jr. had taken Georges Bizet’s Carmen, switched the story's focus from 19th century Spaniards to World War II blacks, and the locale to a Southern military base.

As Carmen Jones, Ms. Dandridge is as sultry as a mid-August day. She struts, flaunting and taunting, heating up the screen while she flirts shamelessly with her prey and her film audience.  Ms. Dandridge is rarely mentioned as a style icon; other black stars such as Diana Ross or Lena Horne are usually cited.  But, as this film shows, she absolutely had the stuff.

Check out this 2009 post from the "Gettogethablog," and read more about this slice of black Hollywood glamour. And if you haven't seen Carmen Jones, what are you waiting for? Add it to your Netflix queue!