Dorothy Van Engle (August 14, 1910 – May 10, 2004) was an American actress who performed throughout the 1930s. She starred in

Oscar Micheaux Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (; January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) was an American author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Although the short-lived Lincoln Motion Picture Company was the first movie company owned and c ...

films, including '' Murder in Harlem'' and ''

Swing! ''Swing!'' is a musical conceived by Paul Kelly with music by various artists. It celebrates the music of the Swing era of jazz (1930s–1946), including many well-known tunes by artists like Duke Ellington, William "Count" Basie, Benny Goodm ...

''. Beautiful and sophisticated, she wore fashionable "updos" in her films.

History

Early life

Born Donessa Dorothy Van Engle in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan ...

, on August 14, 1910, she grew up with her mother and stepfather, being influenced by the latter's band and show business activities. It was through these acquaintances that she first met Oscar Micheaux and began starring in his films. Before that point, she had been working as a

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

and it was through these jobs that she made money, as Micheaux's low budget films never had the money to properly pay the actors. But, in her own words, she stated that she acted for fun and enjoyed the "adventure" such roles gave her. Also working as a seamstress, she made her own costumes for her film roles.

Film career

Cast as the main female lead in the 1935 film ''Murder in Harlem'', Engle acted as a

strong female character The strong female character is a stock character, the opposite of the damsel in distress. In the first half of the 20th century, the rise of mainstream feminism and the increased use of the concept in the later 20th century have reduced the concep ...

who actually solved the private eye's cases rather than the male lead. The film's subject matter and original source events were criticized, however, along with Engle and the other actress's acting in the film, as if their lines were being delivered with an "air of artificiality". In 1938's ''Swing!'', she played the role of an assistant producer to the black male lead who played a producer character and it was her role that was responsible for making the critical show idea that allowed the male lead to be successful in the film.

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

's professor of film studies, J. Ronald Green, described her as one of the few primary women actors cast by Micheaux and she frequently played intelligent and strong-minded characters that acted as a "proto-feminist role" for women at the time. Green further stated that it was these

race films The race film or race movie was a genre of film produced in the United States between about 1915 and the early 1950s, consisting of films produced for African American, black audiences, and featuring black casts. Approximately five hundred race ...

that were the sole source of positive representation of black Americans in media during the early half of the 20th century.

Personal life

She married Herbert Hollon and left her acting career behind to start a family as Donessa Dorothy Hollon. She had two sons and several grandchildren. She lived with her husband, a building superintendent, in New York and New Jersey before moving to Florida in 1978. She lived in Port Charlotte and worked at a library after her husband's death in 1992. She spent her final months in Ocala and died at the age of 93.

Filmography

*''

The Girl from Chicago ''The Girl from Chicago'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film produced and directed by Oscar Micheaux, with an all-African-American cast including lead actors Grace Smith and Carl Mahon. Produced on a shoestring budget, this independent p ...

'' (1932) *'' Harlem After Midnight'' (1934) *'' Murder in Harlem'' (1935) *''

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

'' (1935) *''

'' (1938) as Lena Powell *'' God's Step Children'' (1938) as Naomi's mother (uncredited) *'' Lying Lips'' (1939)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Engle, Dorothy 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Manhattan American film actresses 1910 births 2004 deaths