A Zoot Suit (with a A Reet Pleat) [1942] | Dorothy Dandridge & Paul White
Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 - September 8, 1965) was an American film and theatre actress, singer, and dancer. She is perhaps one of the most famous black actresses to have a successful Hollywood career and the first to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1954 film Carmen Jones.[3] Dandridge performed as a vocalist in venues such as the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater. During her early career, she performed as a part of The Wonder Children, later The Dandridge Sisters, and appeared in a succession of films, usually in uncredited roles.
In 1959, Dandridge was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Porgy and Bess. She is the subject of the 1999 HBO biographical film, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. She has been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Dandridge was married and divorced twice, first to dancer Harold Nicholas (the father of her daughter, Harolyn Suzanne) and then to hotel owner Jack Denison. Dandridge died under mysterious circumstances at age 42.
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Dorothy was unarguably one of the most beautiful women of her time
Yes so true
of all time. I will always love her.
In the whole world.
She was hotter than Georgia asphalt. Finer than baby powder.
Dorothy Dandridge was so beautiful!!!
I so agree with u
@@Blossom48055 reason i clicked didn't even know
The beauty in the thumbnail forced my thumb to click the video:)
@@babyjesuslovesme1219 yep thanks for reminding me
Dime peace.
She was a triple threat, singing, dancing, acting, and gorgeous, too.
So true! Back in the day, you had to be well-rounded to stay current. Watching this makes me miss my mom & how she would school me on the classics. ♥️
Lisa Ann Barriner I think you name four threats lol.
Poor girl was unlucky in Love...
Ya mean quadruple threat; you left out...she was black.
That's a quadruple threat..
Dorothy Dandridge beauty is astounding, She had a tragic life,and was friends with Marilyn Monroe who had a similar harrowing childhood, and they became fast friends till the end both gone too soon Dorothy with Harry Belafonte was fire Carmen Jones was a masterpiece There'll never be STARS like this again
Amen!
Totally agree.
I’m OBSESSED with this. So adorable and catchy.
Same! It should get a remake.
YES !!
Dorothy was wearing the hell out of that dress!!! ❤
Shoot I need my waistline and stomach like that!!
It looks as if the dress is painted on her! Gorgeous!
…nothin’ left but heaven!
@@aprilsunshine7565 👍👍👍
Good God Yes !!
Dorothy was a looker🤩
But the guy singer with her is not why ?
Seriously hot.
@Nancy Pelosi Shut up
Simply brilliant. All style and real talent. No auto tune or computer touch ups. There was no where to hide back then. This is why this is solid gold 80 years later.
She is so adorable 😍
Totally.
Was adorable not is she's long gone now 😢
I would have let her kiss me on our first date.
But today's Black women continue to get uglier and uglier
Absolutely! Adorable, I mean.
Shame that Paul has been forgotten. Such a voice. And Dorothy was a swell.
Dorothy was an absolute knockout and extremely talented, she deserved more
I would hazard a guess its impossible to get as much fun and joy as this in under 3 minutes anywhere else.
She was beautiful but I wish people would talk about her talent more, she's more than a pretty face.
I thank these actors and actresses for paving the way for Blacks today. I’m also a Dorothy Dandridge fan too.
Marilyn M was pretty, but Dorothy D is my pick all day everyday. I'm hypnotized by that woman's beauty.
She does have it all. Wow!
@Put your tongue on my Ass I couldve swore I've seen you on another channel and I commented about ur profile being the fmaily guy
Why is Marilyn Monroe always brought up? Can't we just let Dorthy shine for one moment here?
@@tom11zz884 What are talking about, that's exactly what I'm doing.....giving the woman her shine. And stop playing dumb, you know why that comparison is out there. But I don't even care, no one tops, or shines, Dorothy, NO ONE!
Marilyn patterned her whole image after Dorothy..she said it herself, they were friends
We grew up watching movies like this on afternoon or late Saturday night tv. We would sit together (seven of us at home then) on the floor with pillows. It rocked.
What a beautiful time.
Hard to believe that she was unlucky in love, she was stunningly beautiful and adorable!
gorgeous xx
Reelblack has taught and showed me show much of my history it nearly brings me to tears I really appreciate you guys...
You’re welcome
Shop.reelblack.com
This style of performing is called vaudeville. BOTH white and black performers did the big facial expressions and body movements/dancing. You had to be larger than life for the audience in the back, this is the style that they are performing in. Even now, on braodway the style of the performance is bigger and more pronounced that on TV or film.
Appreciate your explanation. Those who are bothered by the man's performance might benefit from reading your explanation. Why don't you re-post it anew?
@@sageywavey, while I agree that too many of my fellow African descendants in this country try to find every reason to cry victim, I can't agree with your "complete and total failure" description of our race. It discounts the tens of thousands of Blacks who are successful, God-fearing, and non-vulgar in speech and behavior.
Ok cool, thanks for the lesson!! I knew he was performing did know it had a name!
@@TheWriterWalker A bunch of my fellow white people could benefit from the same. 👍
@@njineermike, I know you're right. Lol.
Dorothy Dandridge was adorable.
*Lyrics:* I want a zoot suit with a reet pleat With a drape shape, and a stuff cuff To look sharp enough to see my Sunday gal I want a reef sleeve with a right stripe And a dress vest, with a glad plaid In the latest fad, to see my Sunday gal I want to look keen, so my dream would say "You don't look like the same beau" So keen that she'll scream, "Here comes my walkin' rainbow" So make a zoot suit with a reet pleat And a drape shape, and a stuff cuff To look sharp enough to see my Sunday gal I want a brown gown with a zop top With a hip slip, a laced waist In the sharpest taste to see my Sunday man I want a scat hat with a trim brim A zag bag with a riff zip To look plenty hip, to see my Sunday Sam Yes I want to look keen, so my dream will say "Ain't I the lucky fellah" So keen that he'll scream, "Baby you sure look mellow!" So make a brown gown with a zop top A hip slip, and a laced waist In the sharpest taste to see my Sunday man I've got a zoot suit with a reet pleat With a drape shape, and a stuff cuff To look sharp enough to see my Sunday gal I've got a brown gown with a zop top With a hip slip, a laced waist In the sharpest taste to see my Sunday Sam I want to look keen, so my dream would say "You don't look like the same beau" So keen that I'll scream, "Here comes my walkin' rainbow" I've got a zoot suit with a reet pleat And a stuff cuff, and a glad plaid In the latest fad, to see my Sunday gal
Thanks a bunch! 🥰👍❤️
Thank U ☺️👌
Super cute lyrics
Sounds like a jay z and Beyoncé song nowadays lol
Bars
Decades ago, I was a plumbing apprentice and I worked with a laborer, named Paco. He had come over the border from Mexico, as a teenager, in the late 1940's, in the Los Angeles area. He got himself a job and got married. He came home from work one day and discovered his wife threw his Zoot suit away. He loved that Zoot suit and was very sad to see it go, and was telling me about it 30 years after the fact. Wearing a Zoot suit in L.A. in the 1940's was like wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat. It often led to scuffles in the street.
Wow ...I wonder why it lead to scuffles? Interesting time....the 1940's..... WW2 was happening.......
@@caroldesarnoNeNe45 a combination of two factors: a) it was a veeery fabric heavy (and wasteful) garment in the heavily rationed war times and b) it was closely associated with the Mexican-American immigrant population. So a mix of racism with a real concern in mind.
@@caroldesarnoNeNe45 LA was the scene of the Zoot Suit Riots between sailors and young fashionably-dressed Latino males (1943). A lot of effort has been expended to invest this event with significance, but it wasn't the first time that a bunch of servicemen on leave got into brawls with their civilian counterparts to blow off steam. After all, they've been trained to fight and as you point out this was wartime. Soldiers and sailors constantly get into dustups with each other when they're on leave out of service rivalry, for instance. And the resentment that servicemen hold toward non-serving military age civilians (the cadence count variations on "Jody's got your girl and gone," is not the only expression) is the stuff of legend. As part of the war effort, many items were rationed. Women's skirts were shortened, for instance. A zoot suit, a celebration of fabric, might have seemed out of step with the mission from a military perspective, if not a decadent exercise in self-indulgence by those avoiding service that amounted to a thumb of the nose toward their uniformed contemporaries.
@@caroldesarnoNeNe45 Look up the zoot suit riots of LA in 1943.
You're terrible, probably.
Love this. They are both crazy talented and actually look fresh AF.
I love the music from this era so much!!
There was no other woman more beautiful than Dorothy Dandridge its a damn shame no man was able to commit to her and love her like she deserved
Anyone have this song stuck in their head and keep coming back to this video?
This is amazing.
Thank you for sharing the love of these great classics..young black youth need to be educated on our positive people of color from days gone by an their clean songs an dance moves compared to those of today😎
This put a smile on my face! The way we use to be! Now we’re against each other.
Watching this clip makes me miss my mom & how she would school me on the classics. I remember her telling me that she had a "Carmen" skirt made, too. ♥️R. I. P. Mom 1939-2014♥️
WOW! Great voices and style. No autotune. Genuine talent.
for a quick moment in the mid to late 70's during the happy and wild disco era in NYC the Zoot suit made a come back and I'm proud that I was 1' of the few who found them in the thrift shop's of the lower east side and got to wear and dance in them
What was your experience in that era like? Sounds like a blast
I’m from the lower east side, I know exactly what your talking about. The 70s had a return to that earlier 40’s style. I had the cuffs in the pants just right before I stepped outside. You had to come correct!!!
"Reet" is jive or hepcat talk for "right," "sharp," "outstanding," or "way out there." A reet pleat is a pleat that is carefully ironed and starched so that it physically stands out without wire appurtenances. (MC Hammer pants definitely do NOT have a reet pleat.) In the race film "Reet, Petite, and Gone," "reet" is referring to gals who are "lookers" (highly attractive). ("Gone" here is the same as "out of this world.") Harlem talk was highly inventive, but African-American talk in general has always been highly inventive. I taught in an all black school for seven years during the 70s. My students used "Mickey D's" way before the corporation used it! Did you know that a "solid dollar" is a dollar bill and not a dollar made up of pocket change? (My school was at 69th and Wentworth in Chicago.)
Great history lesson 👍🏾
So you taught at Kennedy-King College? I'm from Chicago & know the area well. Also, Jackie Wilson made a record named 'Reet Petite."
@@lyndajay4407 Yes, Kennedy-King used to be at 69th and Wentworth, That is where I was from '75-'82.
@@lyndajay4407 Barry Gordy was one of the writers for "Reet Petite."
@@josephpearson7164 That's awesome!
Mrs Dandrige what a doll back in those days .I love her in Carmen Jones
I just recorded Carmen Jones last week....I love it too Jerry!
She was amazing and so beautiful! 👏👏👏
Thought that I would never be able to see this, it's legendary. Thanks for posting this, one more bucket list item done.
Love this‼️🎶🥰👏
She looked 🔥…. Wow I was impressed
Music used to be so classy and upbeat back in the day
Gorgeous era with beautiful people
Dorothy Dandridge was the whole package. Super Gorgeous Woman
So Much Talent In Our CULTURE
Big Facts.
that’s not our culture but yea we have many gifts as a people...and great influence
@@macturner80 right because the zoot suit and the boot boot was a European flook flook.
Cosmo Energy ok
People When I Say Our Culture Not The Music Or The Dresscode The Performers And There Talent To Adapt And Adjust
Dorothy Dandridge is so beautiful!
I really can't stop watching this...
Love Dorothy's voice !
Now I know what my mom was talking about when she said: "Zoot Suit with a reet pleat".
Yes, beauty can get you almost anything, even back then!
Always a treat to see one of my favorite idols-Dorothy Dandridge-on film. 😍😍😍😍
Dorothy was too cute! :)
Nobody says anything about Paul White - but I think he's terrific here. Fabulous tenorsax soloist too!
She's absolutely stunning! Wow!
This was so cute 🥰
Dorothy was breathtaking!
Marylin who? Gimme Dorothy any day, that lady was gorgeous!
That gown she was wearing is fly. Love the shoulders.
Dorothy was so beautiful/cute...wow man.
Zoot suit with the boot boot and the beep beep and a tweet tweet.
Cosmo Energy - 😂
....and a reet pleat!
😂😂
And get some sleep, sleep...
That's not what they said
Dorothy 😍 love her.
She still does it for me.🔥💙🔥
What a rare gem. Dorothy had that porcelain doll beauty about her Prettier than Lena Horne IMO.....and that is saying a lot.
Awwww I love this so much! How adorable, I love to sing and act this out haha
Hahah that's cute. You should make a video of your performance ☺️
It makes me smile when they each sing "here comes my walking rainbow!"
I liked that song.
Love this...
I can look past Paul's eye buckin and all, I see all talent and energy.
Thank your pigskin masters
Dorothy D so beautiful- I love this hairstyle. Great song as well
I'm singing this song when I go shopping for clothes next week😆😆
I love me some DOROTHY! Before MUSIC videos there were SOUNDIES! I have this video along with Dorothy's other Soundies in my D.D. Collection. Mike, you gonna make me pull out my VHS Tapes! LOL!
She is magnificent
Oh my ... Dorothy Dandridge is so pretty and so talented.
She is gorgeous
Its a shame that society outlawed the zootsuit in many cities. The majority society was jealous of african american fashion so they linked the suit to criminals but the suits were better looking than regular suits . Dorthy dandrige is too cute and was an amazing actress and singer . They both had me smiling and laughing.
They put a smile on my face. Now!!
Yes!!
WE MAKIN IT OUT OF HISTORY CLASS WIT DIS ONE‼‼‼‼‼‼
This song was popular in Canada. My aunt used to sing it.
Funcionar melhor
Polícia Militar, federal Tatuapé
🚔🚔🚔🚔🚔🚔🚔🚔👀👀👀👀👀👀
I just watched this like eight times in a row
Dorothy was such a natural beauty! Absolutely love her!
So sad there are no shows anymore like this one.
That was Sooo Cute
My FAVORITE and MOST BEAUTIFUL NATURAL BLACK WOMEN of ALL time are: Dorothy Dandridge, Lola Falana, Diahann Carroll and Pam Grier. You CAN'T get better than that!!! Holla!!!!
Beautifil, yes. But natural? With all the weave and plastic surgery that TODAY'S black female actresses flaunt? Name one who wears their natural hair - no weave or chemicals - ALL THE TIME.
What about Hazel Scott...she was a piece of eye candy too 😉
@@jermainevanbriesies8859 The actress,singer and classical pianist...yes, yes she was!!! :)
Josephine Baker. The most beautiful smile of them all.
@@tommyd.743 ;)
Simply beautiful! Thank you.😳❤
My Mother sang this to us as kids in the 60s. In Australia !
Damn! She's breathtaking
Beyond beautiful
HOLY SHIT THAT DRESS IS PAINTED ON!!! GORGEOUS!!!!
First time I heard of a "zoot suit" was in the 1980s watching "Tom N Jerry" as a child. There was an episode where Tom got a zoot suit to impress the lady cat. LOL. Of course I had no idea what inspired the episode 40 years earlier. On a cultural level, this seems like it took place a thousand years ago, but 1942 really wasn't that long ago; many elderly sitting on the couch right now were children then.
She was one beautiful blessing. 🌿🌹🌿 Dorothy RlP 🌿🌹🌿
Dorothy Dandridge was by far the most gorgeous woman in the world
This number is addictive
I love this video its my favourite!
Dorthy was fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!
So, that's where JB Smoove got his style from.
Ohhhh! Ouch.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣HOLLERING!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You can hear and see his lisping eventhough this footage is nearly 100 years old. I see the JB Smoove connection. Lol!
called pigskin being racist
Lmao this dude looks exactly like him too
WOW!!!! Love this... Pardon me for saying but Ms. Dandridge can get ALLLLLL OF THIS right here!!!! Heyyyyyy Boo!!!!!😍
This is special, thank you for sharing.
Omg! What a doll she was!
I’m like literally in love with Dorothy
The outfits were amazing!!
lord. she is beautifulllll
I thoroughly enjoyed this! tks
I absolutely Love this thank you so much for sharing such a classic beauty. Awesome duet! 💜
So beautiful & classy!!!😱😱💞💞💞👋👋👋😎😎😎