My dad used to refer to Lena Horne as Louis’ little Lena. Her husband was named Louis, I think. Anyway, I am really disappointed to read that she cursed white people, the white people who were paying to see her sing. I always thought she was a classy lady with a gorgeous voice.
she married a white man- claiming it was to advance her career and cross the color barrier- according to wiki
I always thought Lena could pass for white.
Tom Lehrer’s “National Brotherhood Week” (1965) went,
“But during National Brotherhood Week,
“National Brotherhood Week,
“Lena Horne and Sheriff Clark are dancing cheek to cheek,”
Lena died 8 years ago but anyway I sympathize with her because being of mixed race especially in those times were very difficult. Everyone is vying for you to pick one of the other which is silly all together in my book because people are people first and not just identified as far as race and color of ones skin
I had no idea that she was still living. Sorry she didn’t like whites
At the time those same white people would not have allowed her to sit at the same dinner table with them, or even use the front door to enter the singing venue. I don’t blame her, the insults suffered by black entertainers in those days make me wonder why they bothered to entertain at all.
died Sunday of heart failure
A bad ‘heart’ is fatal.
Are you thinking of Louis Prima and Keely Smith?