Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, Robert Mitchum, and director Otto Preminger
There are certain movies that EVEN I know I talk an incessant amount about and Carmen Jones is one of them. I think there are actually five distinct reasons for this…
- I love, love, love Dorothy Dandridge. She was one of the most beautiful and talented stars of all time and it physically hurts me when someone doesn’t know who she was. She was phenomenal and should be a household name.
- I feel the same way about Harry Belafonte. Granted, he is a household name, and practically everyone has heard of this National treasure BUT they probably don’t realize just what a wonderful actor he is. Extremely talented, versatile, and charismatic… if the world were fair, he’d have as many films to his credit as James Stewart. Yes. He is that good.
- The movie is outstanding. I simply love everything about this incredibly entertaining and spellbinding musical. It’s deliciously unique, fast-paced, entertaining, and completely unforgettable. Again, it hurts my psyche when people say they haven’t seen it.
- Olga James and her character, Cindy Lou, have my heart! I’d run through a brick wall for Olga OR Cindy and they wouldn’t even have to ask. I have NO idea how Hollywood kept from seeing the bright and beautiful star they had right in front of them, but they somehow dropped the ball. Olga James should have been given as many movies to make as she chose to. She had an extra something special and it radiated in each scene.
- Pearl Bailey, Brock Peters, and Diahann Carrol round out a phenomenal cast. I adore these three stars and seeing them in the same film with Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, and Olga James is almost more than my heart can take. Seriously, this cast is out of this world.
If you’ve never seen Carmen Jones, please just set aside some time and watch it. I promise to stop hounding you if you do!
You can buy Carmen Jones on dvd (Amazon link) or watch it on Prime Video.