This is the first of a series of podcasts (delivered by Mrs Tom Cruise the nick name given by family and friends to Simone Higgins) on Hollywood stars and other ad hoc Classic Hollywood subjects which emerged during the peak of the big film studio era of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

The first subject is the late, great and tragic Dorothy Dandridge. For a short period in the 1950s Dorothy Dandridge an Africa-American singer, dancer and actress sometimes referred to as the 'Black Marilyn Monroe' reached a level of mainstream Night Club, Film and TV success that was unheard of for black entertainer.

The star of Otto Preminger's Carmen and Porgy and Bess was the first black performer to become a bona fide studio film star. The peaks and troughs of her shortlived personal and professional life were as dramatic as many of the movies she made.

Enjoy the story of Dorothy Dandridge as told by Mrs Tom Cruise.