Lena Horn

[Chris Grieb]

She died yesterday. She was a beautiful woman and a great singer.

Before she appeared in movies most of the black women looked like Hattie McDaniel.

Many of her songs in the 40ths MGM musicals were not shown in the South so she was unable to be an actress with lines. Jim Crow cost America in many ways.

[BaalChatzaf]

She died yesterday. She was a beautiful woman and a great singer.

Before she appeared in movies most of the black women looked like Hattie McDaniel.

Many of her songs in the 40ths MGM musicals were not shown in the South so she was unable to be an actress with lines. Jim Crow cost America in many ways.

I had a crush on Lena Horn, when I was much younger. R.I.P. She was a good singer and a good actress.

The late Lenny Bruce had a comedy schtick. He asserted there is no such thing as anti-black prejudice. He asked the men in his audience who they would rather sleep with; Kate Smith who was (very) white or Lena Horne who was black. A pause. Then Lenny would say: See, I told you so. There is no such thing as racial prejudice.

Ba'al Chatzaf

Edited May 10, 2010 by BaalChatzaf

[Chris Grieb]

She died yesterday. She was a beautiful woman and a great singer.

Before she appeared in movies most of the black women looked like Hattie McDaniel.

Many of her songs in the 40ths MGM musicals were not shown in the South so she was unable to be an actress with lines. Jim Crow cost America in many ways.

I had a crush on Lena Horn, when I was much younger. R.I.P. She was a good singer and a good actress.

The late Lenny Bruce had a comedy schtick. He asserted there is no such thing as anti-black prejudice. He asked the men in his audience who they would rather sleep with; Kate Smith who was (very) white or Lena Horne who was black. A pause. Then Lenny would say: See, I told you so. There is no such thing as racial prejudice.

Ba'al Chatzaf

Ba'al; Great post! Thanks!

[Guyau]

There is a two-disc set (1981) of Lena’s wonderful show at the Nederlander Theater. On band 8 of the second disc, she talks a good while, with humor and poignancy, about her early career. She tells of going to Hollywood in 1940 to be interviewed by the MGM moguls. “The only thing they knew about us was what Tarzan had told them.” She talks about going out there on the Super Chief—“you in the red and white sweater, you’re too young to know what that is. [pause] The Super Chief was a train! I ain’t talkin about no Amtrak, takes 81 days to cross the country.”

That disc set is called Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.

Just a few years ago, there was a television commercial for Jeep in which there is an art teacher moving among her students at their easels. Her head is wrapped with a scarf, but you know that voice. She says something like “give me something alive, something that moves.” She arrives at the easel of a young black woman, and we see that this student’s drawing is a Jeep. The teacher says “Now that’s what I’m talkin about.”

Lena Horne (1917–2010) – now that’s what I’m talkin about.

[Chris Grieb]

Thanks!

[Greybird]

Thanks for the links above. From Turner Classic Movies, earlier today, via Facebook -

TCM will honor the great Lena Horne by airing four films: "The Duke is Tops," "Cabin in the Sky," "Panama Hattie" and "The Fallen Sparrow." The marathon starts at 8 pm (ET) on Friday, May 21.

[Chris Grieb]

Thanks for the links above. From Turner Classic Movies, earlier today, via Facebook -

TCM will honor the great Lena Horne by airing four films: "The Duke is Tops," "Cabin in the Sky," "Panama Hattie" and "The Fallen Sparrow." The marathon starts at 8 pm (ET) on Friday, May 21.

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