Ruby Dee
Actress
About This Interview
Ruby Dee was interviewed for nearly two hours in New Rochelle, NY. Dee talks about her start in show business as an actress in feature films and on Broadway, and describes the experience of being an African-American lead actress working in series television — a rare sight in the 1950s and '60s. She discusses her early television work, such as her regular role in the soap opera Guiding Light (as "Martha Frazier"). Dee details her involvement with the Civil Rights Movement, recounts her friendships with Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr., and shares how Sidney Poitier used to hold get-togethers for the Movement's key individuals. She outlines her numerous roles in television movies and miniseries in the 1970s including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Roots: The Next Generations, which she and husband Ossie Davis helped bring to the small screen. She also talks of her many collaborations with Davis, including their radio show, With Ossie and Ruby (1981-82). Harold Dow conducted the interview on May 15, 2000.
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Highlights
Ruby Dee on meeting husband Ossie Davis
Clip begins at: 10:37, Duration: 03m 05s
Ruby Dee on appearing as a regular on Peyton Place
Clip begins at: 17:20, Duration: 01m 03s- Ruby Dee on meeting Malcolm X
Clip begins at: 01:48, Duration: 02m 09s - Ruby Dee on her and husband Ossie Davis' involvement in the development of Roots
Clip begins at: 19:41, Duration: 07m 23s - Ruby Dee on meeting Martin Luther King, Jr.
Clip begins at: 03:57, Duration: 02m 12s
Interview
- Part 1
- On her early years and influences; on changing her name; on growing up in Harlem; on writing poetry as a child; on her parents and siblings
Clip begins at: 0:36 - On her hobbies growing up; on her mother insisting that she be dedicated to her schoolwork; on joining the American Negro Theater; on her jobs during her high school years; on wanting to be a dentist; on attending Hunter College; on her first marriage
Clip begins at: 14:02 - Part 2
- On her early film roles in What a Guy and in an army film to combat venereal disease; on attending Methodist church; on her her early recollections of television; on the 1939 World's Fair
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the American Negro Theater; on meeting Ossie Davis and on his talent; on the film "No Way Out;" on traveling cross-country by train; on protesting the death penalty for the Rosenberg; on being blacklisted and listed in Red Channels
Clip begins at: 08:50 - Part 3
- On her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement; on meeting Malcolm X; on meeting Martin Luther King, Jr; on the role of television in the Civil Rights Movement
Clip begins at: 0:27 - On her television work in the 1960s; on appearing as a regular on Guiding Light and Peyton Place; on her and husband Ossie Davis' involvement in the development of Roots; on With Ossie and Ruby
Clip begins at: 11:07 - Part 4
- On Long Day's Journey Into Night and The Glass Menagerie; on A Raisin in the Sun, Decoration Day and on Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years
Clip begins at: 0:43 - On guest starring on Cosby in 1996; on how TV's portrayal of minorities has changed; on what represents the best of television; on how she'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 07:20
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i truly adore this WOMAN!
i truly adore this woman
All class!
A powerful woman and talent! My favorite!
Agreed&i'll follow Trixen01. respect her work &wisdom...&her husband alike much respect for their love &history.
I find it sad there were no comments on this video about this amazing woman. So I will be the 1st. Love your work!
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