Lena Horne / Tallulah Bankhead story?

[Lenona321]

I think I read this in Julie Burchill's book "Girls on Film." Apparently
Tallulah gave Lena what she thought was a compliment - that is, she praised her
for having such light skin and "non-Negroid" features. And then she didn't
understand why Lena didn't take it well. Can't find anything about this on the
Web, though - and there was no real text about Lena in TB's biography - not the
one I have anyway. Does anyone have more details? Thanks.

Lenona.

[Jack Stalnaker]

Post by Lenona321
I think I read this in Julie Burchill's book "Girls on Film." Apparently
Tallulah gave Lena what she thought was a compliment - that is, she praised her
for having such light skin and "non-Negroid" features. And then she didn't
understand why Lena didn't take it well. Can't find anything about this on the
Web, though - and there was no real text about Lena in TB's biography - not the
one I have anyway. Does anyone have more details? Thanks.
Lenona.

There's a mention of it in the Lee Israel biography, "Miss Tallulah
Bankhead" (1972). Apparently Lena Horne, in her autobiography "Lena,"
written with Richard Schickel, had criticized some famous people she'd met
for their racial attitudes. Tallulah was one of them, but Horne liked her
anyway and considered her "misguided." When Tallulah heard about Horne's
remarks, she called her a "bitch" and a "liar."

JCS


http://www.meekermuseum.com/
**************************************************************
The Meeker Museum is a nonprofit, nonexistent organization
dedicated to the pursuit of inner peace through movie stars.

[The Insider!]

Original source for this story was Lena's own autobiography, published
in 1965.

On Page 128, after stating that Bankhead had commented on cute
pickaninnes and the "non-negroness" of Horne's features, Lena wrote:

"I had the feeling that she (Tallulah) was a genuine dyed in the wool
Southerner who really thought she was protective of Negros -
misguided, I thought, but essentially kind. I might not have been able
to respect her attitudes but I could be amused by her"

Tallulah reportedly did not take this well. Her biographer, Lee
Israel, quoted Tallu as saying the entire incident was fabricated by
Horne.

The unspoken part of the story, unspoken by both Horne and Bankhead,
is that Bankhead was a very close friend and at that time the lover of
Lena's good friend (and most likely Lena's ex-lover) jazz great Billie
Holiday. Tallulah had a thing for Black women and I'm sure Horne was
very aware of it.

As for the "non-negroness" of Horne's facial features, Lena's plastic
surgeon deserves at least half the credit for that!

Post by Lenona321
I think I read this in Julie Burchill's book "Girls on Film." Apparently
Tallulah gave Lena what she thought was a compliment - that is, she praised her
for having such light skin and "non-Negroid" features. And then she didn't
understand why Lena didn't take it well. Can't find anything about this on the
Web, though - and there was no real text about Lena in TB's biography - not the
one I have anyway. Does anyone have more details? Thanks.
Lenona.

[Norma Bates]

<<As for the "non-negroness" of Horne's facial features, Lena's
plastic surgeon deserves at least half the credit for that!>>

Lena Horne had plastic surgery?

Hmm. I may have to rethink her entire career.

And maybe Halle Berry too. Though I'm unaware of any PS on her part.

Does Will Smith looks "Negro" enough for you? Denzel?

You've really got me thinking, now.

Exactly how ARE "Negroes" all supposed to look?

'Tis a puzzlement.

[Mike O'sullivan]

Post by Norma Bates
<<As for the "non-negroness" of Horne's facial features, Lena's
plastic surgeon deserves at least half the credit for that!>>
Lena Horne had plastic surgery?
Hmm. I may have to rethink her entire career.
And maybe Halle Berry too. Though I'm unaware of any PS on her part.
Does Will Smith looks "Negro" enough for you? Denzel?
You've really got me thinking, now.
Exactly how ARE "Negroes" all supposed to look?

It's a constant source of bewilderment to me (in the UK), that people with
apparently mixed blood, like Halle Berry, are called "black" when they're
nothing of the sort. Colin Powell is a good example. Called "black" where he
quite obviously has a very high proportion of "white" blood is ridiculous.

[T]

Post by Mike O'sullivan

Post by Norma Bates
<<As for the "non-negroness" of Horne's facial features, Lena's
plastic surgeon deserves at least half the credit for that!>>
Lena Horne had plastic surgery?
Hmm. I may have to rethink her entire career.
And maybe Halle Berry too. Though I'm unaware of any PS on her part.
Does Will Smith looks "Negro" enough for you? Denzel?
You've really got me thinking, now.
Exactly how ARE "Negroes" all supposed to look?

It's a constant source of bewilderment to me (in the UK), that people with
apparently mixed blood, like Halle Berry, are called "black" when they're
nothing of the sort. Colin Powell is a good example. Called "black" where he
quite obviously has a very high proportion of "white" blood is ridiculous.

Take into account:

- Here in the US we have a 'recent' history of slavery and class
distinction based on skin color.

- Black features tend to be seen as 'dominant' in the offspring of
mixed race people.

- People of color, to use the phrase have been more accepting and
inclusive of mixed race people, vs folks of Caucasian society who have
often tended to look sideways at these same folks.

- Unlike other places the US doesn't really hold a distinction between
'black' and 'mixed', as in South Africa for example. All lumped together.

There is the confusion of the non-logical, non-practical affairs of
Man, and then there is the harsh truth of our folly. People that is.

It's funny because it seems immigrant populations have used as a
marker of their collective success whether or not they have
successfully become Caucasian. Irish, Italians, and many others
weren't 'white' when they started coming here in great numbers, but
they are all interchangeable now.

Hispanics & Asians are the current groups who are undergoing the
'mainstreaming' process.


TBerk
all off topic and everything.

[Mike O'sullivan]

Post by T
- Here in the US we have a 'recent' history of slavery and class
distinction based on skin color.
- Black features tend to be seen as 'dominant' in the offspring of
mixed race people.

Very unsettling. This is the sort of logic used by the Nazis, where a tiny
proportion of Jewish blood was enough to consign you to an extermination
camp.

[h***@brazee.net]

Post by Mike O'sullivan

Post by T
- Black features tend to be seen as 'dominant' in the offspring of
mixed race people.

Very unsettling. This is the sort of logic used by the Nazis, where a tiny
proportion of Jewish blood was enough to consign you to an extermination
camp.

I guess this means the bigots figure the other guys' genes are stronger than
theirs are.

[Richard Schultz]

In article <usbPc.5846$***@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>, ***@brazee.net wrote:
: On 1-Aug-2004, "Mike O'sullivan" <***@nowhere.com> wrote:

:> > - Black features tend to be seen as 'dominant' in the offspring of
:> > mixed race people.

:> Very unsettling. This is the sort of logic used by the Nazis, where a tiny
:> proportion of Jewish blood was enough to consign you to an extermination
:> camp.

: I guess this means the bigots figure the other guys' genes are stronger than
: theirs are.

Actually, in a way, that's not too far off, although the bigots would say
that you have it backwards. Their notion is that *their* genes are so
much better than anyone else's that even a small amount of someone else's
would be a noticeable "impurity." And once you're "impure," you can't be
one of their crowd by definition.

-----
Richard Schultz ***@mail.biu.ac.il
Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Opinions expressed are mine alone, and not those of Bar-Ilan University
-----
There's something I must tell you, there's something I must say:
The only really perfect love is one that gets away.

[Jim]

Post by Mike O'sullivan

Post by T
- Here in the US we have a 'recent' history of slavery and class
distinction based on skin color.
- Black features tend to be seen as 'dominant' in the offspring of
mixed race people.

Very unsettling. This is the sort of logic used by the Nazis, where a tiny
proportion of Jewish blood was enough to consign you to an extermination
camp.

Of course, it's a fiction that at some point you cross over a magic line and
become "black". But from our historical perspective, it comes off as less
racist to just say "black" or "white" depending on the person's preference.
Old New Orleans had a system where they classified people right up to
one-eighth white, i.e. an octoroon. That seems a lot more hateful than just
letting people decide for themselves whether they want to be identified as
black or white. The old Republic of South Africa had a similar
classification for "coloreds". I think the less picky we are about these
classifications, the better off we'll all be.

But even with all of that, I don't know if we'll ever be done with the
question of color. There are gradations of color within the black community
that have social significance for them. And most white people--me
included--have a hard time understanding that hierarchy.

[Lincoln Spector]

Post by Mike O'sullivan
It's a constant source of bewilderment to me (in the UK), that people with
apparently mixed blood, like Halle Berry, are called "black" when they're
nothing of the sort. Colin Powell is a good example. Called "black" where he
quite obviously has a very high proportion of "white" blood is ridiculous.

Well, of course it's all ridiculous. "Race" in America is a cultural and
economic phenomenon, not a biological one.

A slave owner rapes a piece of "property" and gets her pregnant. If the
child is legally considered "white," the father has financial obligations.
If the offspring is legally considered "black," the owner has more valuable
property. Slavery has been dead for 140 years, but the attitudes born of it
die slowly.

And race in America is certainly not logical. Until the 1960's, in many
states black people weren't allowed into public swimming pools that whites
used. The argument was that there was something filthy about them that would
contaminate the water. And yet the rich white men who made these laws very
often had black mistresses, and their wives hired black nannies to care for
their children. Contamination was only a danger if the contact between the
races was on something that might resemble an equal standing.

Lincoln

[Mack Twamley]

Post by Lincoln Spector
And race in America is certainly not logical. Until the 1960's, in many
states black people weren't allowed into public swimming pools that whites
used. The argument was that there was something filthy about them that would
contaminate the water.

I'm reminded of the wonderful line of Bogart's in SAHARA (1943) when the
Nazi pilot shies away from the touch of the Sudanese sergeant (Rex Ingram).
Bogart tells him "Don't worry...it's not gonna come off on that pretty
uniform of yours".

[Lincoln Spector]

Post by Mack Twamley

Post by Lincoln Spector
And race in America is certainly not logical. Until the 1960's, in many
states black people weren't allowed into public swimming pools that whites
used. The argument was that there was something filthy about them that

would

Post by Lincoln Spector
contaminate the water.

I'm reminded of the wonderful line of Bogart's in SAHARA (1943) when the
Nazi pilot shies away from the touch of the Sudanese sergeant (Rex Ingram).
Bogart tells him "Don't worry...it's not gonna come off on that pretty
uniform of yours".

Funny you should mention that. I thought of that scene while I was typing
the comment, but I couldn't remember what movie it was from. Thank you for
adding it.

Lincoln

[Lenona321]

Post by Lincoln Spector
A slave owner rapes a piece of "property" and gets her pregnant. If the
child is legally considered "white," the father has financial obligations.
If the offspring is legally considered "black," the owner has more valuable
property. Slavery has been dead for 140 years, but the attitudes born of it
die slowly.

And mixed-race children born to white women were seen as contaminating the
white race while that was not the case with those born to white men. Read Renee
Romano's book, which I mention below.


Past post of mine in rec.arts.books.childrens:

I recently bought a kids' book I'd never seen before - "Lions in the Way" by
Bella Rodman, 1966. (It's about school integration in the South.) Looks
interesting at the least. Which novels would you recommend that take place
before 1970, whether they were written back then or not? Or, for that matter,
books that deal with modern racist acts that you can hardly imagine these days
- such as the banning of mixed dating or dancing by high school principals? (I
read about an infamous case like that in "Race
Mixing : Black-White Marriage in Postwar America" by Renee C. Romano, 2003 - a
girl of mixed parentage then stood up and confronted the principal, who said
"Your parents made a mistake." He left his job later - whether forced to or
not, I don't know.)

Lenona.

[The Insider!]

I don't think one can compare the era of when Lena Horne came up to
the one in which Halle or Denzel did.

Lena has had several surgeries on her nose.

The first and most important one was toward the end of her movie
career as she embarked on her stage career. Lena made her European
debut in 1947 with an eye to the future and a new team in her corner:
her white manager Ralph Harris and her white husband/conductor Lennie
Hayton. Having been on suspension at MGM in 1946 and not seeing the
kind of roles once promised, Lena and her team decided that the stage
was the way to go. She would leave MGM and agree only to take roles
that were offered on a film by film basis. That plan didn't pan out
because in 1950 she was listed in Red Channels. It was lucky that she
concentrated on the music.

Lena was able to play in places that other blacks couldn't because
although not white, she was nearer to white than others. Altering the
shape of her nose slightly was part of the plan. Settling old scores
and legally protecting herself from her past, protecting herself from
what may come up in the future in her personal life, was all factored
in. Hayton was willing to beard for Lena. Lena's mother was silenced
through a lawyer (with money).

She is a very complex individual and the real truth is far more
interesting than the manufactured one.

Post by Norma Bates
Lena Horne had plastic surgery?
Hmm. I may have to rethink her entire career.
And maybe Halle Berry too. Though I'm unaware of any PS on her part.
Does Will Smith looks "Negro" enough for you? Denzel?
You've really got me thinking, now.
Exactly how ARE "Negroes" all supposed to look?
'Tis a puzzlement.

[Opencity]

Post by The Insider!
Lena made her European
her white manager Ralph Harris and her white husband/conductor Lennie
Hayton. Having been on suspension at MGM in 1946 and not seeing the
kind of roles once promised, Lena and her team decided that the stage
was the way to go. She would leave MGM and agree only to take roles
that were offered on a film by film basis. That plan didn't pan out
because in 1950 she was listed in Red Channels. It was lucky that she
concentrated on the music.
Lena was able to play in places that other blacks couldn't because
although not white, she was nearer to white than others. Altering the
shape of her nose slightly was part of the plan. Settling old scores
and legally protecting herself from her past, protecting herself from
what may come up in the future in her personal life, was all factored
in. Hayton was willing to beard for Lena. Lena's mother was silenced
through a lawyer (with money).

I never heard of Lena Horne having plastic surgery on her nose.

Horne made three films at MGM after 1946: "Words and Music" (1948), "Duchess of
Idaho" (1950) and "Meet Me in Las Vegas" (1956). Her attempt to get casted in
the 1951 "Show Boat" is very well known. She was also the only
African-American star in the 1949 MGM promo film celebrating the studio's 25th
anniversary.

Although Lena was listed in Red Channels, she was not blacklisted. Aside from
the films mentioned here, she made many guest appearances on TV variety shows
in the late 1940s and early 1950s. She auditioned for the title role Otto
Preminger's "Carmen Jones," losing the role to Dorothy Dandridge (Lena probably
would've been cast had Dorothy not been in the running). She also starred in
the 1956 Broadway musical "Jamaica."

Regarding the Tallulah story -- Tallu probably said it, knowing the way she ran
off with her mouth.

[The Insider!]

Of course you have never "heard" of Lena having plastic surgery on her
nose. It's not something she has ever discussed, but if you have
eyes, you'll see it.

Secondly, she herself has discussed being largely blacklisted from TV
and movies for seven years in the 1950s. She made one film appearance
and one or two TV appearances during that time. It wasn't until 1957
that she was officially off the blacklist--SHE describes it this way
in at length in her autobiography at in the American Masters biography
aired on PBS in 1996. In the Fifties Lena was a primarily a cabaret
star and the star of one B'way show.

Most of Lena's personal choices and the consequences of her actions
have been kept under wraps. This will be written about in depth at
some future date; remember you read it here first.

About Tallulah, I agree that she probably did say all of those things.
I also believe that she meant nothing by them and was just displaying
her ignorance.

Post by Opencity
I never heard of Lena Horne having plastic surgery on her nose.
Horne made three films at MGM after 1946: "Words and Music" (1948), "Duchess of
Idaho" (1950) and "Meet Me in Las Vegas" (1956). Her attempt to get casted in
the 1951 "Show Boat" is very well known. She was also the only
African-American star in the 1949 MGM promo film celebrating the studio's 25th
anniversary.
Although Lena was listed in Red Channels, she was not blacklisted. Aside from
the films mentioned here, she made many guest appearances on TV variety shows
in the late 1940s and early 1950s. She auditioned for the title role Otto
Preminger's "Carmen Jones," losing the role to Dorothy Dandridge (Lena probably
would've been cast had Dorothy not been in the running). She also starred in
the 1956 Broadway musical "Jamaica."
Regarding the Tallulah story -- Tallu probably said it, knowing the way she ran
off with her mouth.

[Opencity]

Post by The Insider!
Secondly, she herself has discussed being largely blacklisted from TV
and movies for seven years in the 1950s. She made one film appearance
and one or two TV appearances during that time. It wasn't until 1957
that she was officially off the blacklist--SHE describes it this way

I've seen kinescopes of Lena on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Your Show of Shows"
during that period. If she was blacklisted, she would never have been allowed
on the air. Milton Berle, in his autobiography, stated he had no problems
getting her on as a guest (he previously had problems getting black acts on his
program when it began in 1948). And as I mentioned earlier, she was auditioned
by Preminger for "Carmen Jones" and probably would've been the star of that
film had Dorothy Dandridge not auditioned so well.

A lot of stars were listed in Red Channels who nonetheless kept working.
Unlike Hazel Scott or Canada Lee, Lena had no problems working during this
period.

While she is a great talent, Lena does have a tendency to exaggerate certain
aspects of her career. Her famous interview with Ed Bradley for "60 Minutes"
has more than a few eye-rollers.

[The Insider!]

Perhaps you should write Lena and tell her that she wasn't blacklisted
because she thinks she was. She wasn't blacklisted in the sense that
she was banned or had to testify against others as many were.

The three TV appearances Lena made between 1950 and 1957:
Your Show of Shows in 1951 and 1953, and What's My line in 1953. The
Ed Sullivan Show was after her name was cleared, in 1957. Perry Como
was also one of the first to welcome her back in 1958. The first
Milton Berle show was in 1962, not the fifties.

No use arguing but I wanted to point the above out.

The Ed Bradley 60 Minutes piece was emotionally effective with Lena
shedding a tear or two, but highly overrated in my opinion. Bradley
asked questions that received "yes and "no" answers from Horne, not
exactly expert interviewing. The interview hasn't aged well in the 23
years since its initial airing. I wouldn't expect any star to come out
of the closet on national TV in 1981, but Bradley seemed especially
dumb about her in many ways...

Post by Opencity
I've seen kinescopes of Lena on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Your Show of Shows"
during that period. If she was blacklisted, she would never have been allowed
on the air. Milton Berle, in his autobiography, stated he had no problems
getting her on as a guest (he previously had problems getting black acts on his
program when it began in 1948). And as I mentioned earlier, she was auditioned
by Preminger for "Carmen Jones" and probably would've been the star of that
film had Dorothy Dandridge not auditioned so well.
A lot of stars were listed in Red Channels who nonetheless kept working.
Unlike Hazel Scott or Canada Lee, Lena had no problems working during this
period.
While she is a great talent, Lena does have a tendency to exaggerate certain
aspects of her career. Her famous interview with Ed Bradley for "60 Minutes"
has more than a few eye-rollers.

[Bill Anderson]

The Insider! wrote:

The first

Post by The Insider!
Milton Berle show was in 1962, not the fifties.

Huh?

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

Post by The Insider!
The first

Post by The Insider!
Milton Berle show was in 1962, not the fifties.

Huh?

That was my reaction, too, especially since I was among the millions whose
lives went on hold each week for Uncle Milty. His first TV show, originally
called "The Texaco Star Theater", started in 1948 and lasted under one name
or another until 1956. In 1953 Buick became the sponsor and the name changed
to "The Buick-Berle Show".

He did another in 1958 and a third in 1966. The last was on ABC and promoted
with huge fanfare and big budgets and big guest stars, but it still failed
to compete with "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." But then what could?

[The Insider!]

Excuse me, I was not clear. the first Milton Berle show that LENA
guested on was in 1962.

It wasn't the original series. In fact, it was an NBC special called
"The Milton Berle Show" not part of any series. Besides Lena, the
guests were Jack Benny, Laurence Harvey and Janis Page, with cameo
appearances by Kirk Douglas and Charleton Heston. Lena performs a
Broadway medley. I have a copy of it on video. There is a wonderful
still photo of the cast in rehearsal by Murray Garrett in his book
Hollywood Moments published in 2002.

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney

Post by The Insider!
The first

Post by The Insider!
Milton Berle show was in 1962, not the fifties.

Huh?

That was my reaction, too, especially since I was among the millions whose
lives went on hold each week for Uncle Milty. His first TV show, originally
called "The Texaco Star Theater", started in 1948 and lasted under one name
or another until 1956. In 1953 Buick became the sponsor and the name changed
to "The Buick-Berle Show".
He did another in 1958 and a third in 1966. The last was on ABC and promoted
with huge fanfare and big budgets and big guest stars, but it still failed
to compete with "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." But then what could?
--
Frank in Seattle
___________
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
"I leave you now in radiant contentment"
-- "Whistling in the Dark"

[Opencity]

Post by The Insider!
Perhaps you should write Lena and tell her that she wasn't blacklisted
because she thinks she was. She wasn't blacklisted in the sense that
she was banned or had to testify against others as many were.

I thought that is what the blacklist was all about.

[The Insider!]

Not necessarily, it depended on who you were. Liberals such as Gene
Kelly were left alone, others such as Larry Parks were not. Many,
like Horne, were not called to testify, others were. I understand that
Katharine Hepburn's name appeared in Red Channels and I do not recall
her having difficulty working the the 1950s.

In Horne's autobiography she claims to have not been able to get on
any TV shows in the early 50s. She must have forgotten the two Your
Show of Shows appearances. Here are some direct quotes from her book:

"Tex McCrary and Jinx Falkenberg...were absolutely then only ones who
would let me on their (talk radio) show."

"I was told I was 'tainted' at least in the minds of the super
patriots...I was never officicially investigated by any government
agency."

"The blacklist never reached out and touched the cabaret business, so
I could still make a living unlike so many other performers."

Post by The Insider!
Perhaps you should write Lena and tell her that she wasn't

blacklisted

Post by The Insider!

Post by The Insider!
because she thinks she was. She wasn't blacklisted in the sense that
she was banned or had to testify against others as many were.

I thought that is what the blacklist was all about.

[Corse]

Actually, it appears that Katharine Hepburn damaged her career
somewhat when she did the Henry Wallace speech in May, 1947. At the
time she was under contract with MGM and the newspapers of the day
mentioned several films that she was scheduled to make. After the
speech those films were all assigned to other actresses. After the
speech the only films she made for MGM were the films she did with
Spencer Tracy. I would assume that he was specifically requesting her
and had enough pull with the studio to get his way. While Kate was
officially blacklisted by MGM, it seems pretty clear that her standing
with the studio dropped significantly and that Tracy was propping up
her career for awhile.


Corse


***@myself.com (The Insider!) wrote in message news:<***@posting.google.com>...

Not necessarily, it depended on who you were. Liberals such as Gene
Kelly were left alone, others such as Larry Parks were not. Many,
like Horne, were not called to testify, others were. I understand that
Katharine Hepburn's name appeared in Red Channels and I do not recall
her having difficulty working the the 1950s.

[Corse]

Should read "was not officially blacklisted. . . ."


Corse


"Corse" <***@pobox.com> wrote in message news:***@posting.google.com...
Actually, it appears that Katharine Hepburn damaged her career
somewhat when she did the Henry Wallace speech in May, 1947. At the
time she was under contract with MGM and the newspapers of the day
mentioned several films that she was scheduled to make. After the
speech those films were all assigned to other actresses. After the
speech the only films she made for MGM were the films she did with
Spencer Tracy. I would assume that he was specifically requesting her
and had enough pull with the studio to get his way. While Kate was
officially blacklisted by MGM, it seems pretty clear that her standing
with the studio dropped significantly and that Tracy was propping up
her career for awhile.


Corse


***@myself.com (The Insider!) wrote in message news:<***@posting.google.com>...

Not necessarily, it depended on who you were. Liberals such as Gene
Kelly were left alone, others such as Larry Parks were not. Many,
like Horne, were not called to testify, others were. I understand that
Katharine Hepburn's name appeared in Red Channels and I do not recall
her having difficulty working the the 1950s.

[Opencity]

Was Lena Horne still under contract at MGM in 1951 when "Show Boat" was being
made?

Also, didn't Lena star in a BBC TV special in the early 1960s? It is not listed
in the IMDB, but I recall seeing clips of it on TV.

[The Insider!]

Lena asked MGM to release her from her contract sometime in 1950.
"Show Boat" was probably in production when she was still at MGM.

Lena appeared in several TV specials, the first produced in the UK in
the 1960s. Kinescope clips from that show were used in the American
Masters biography of Lena in 1996. It sounds ridiculous now, but
blacks performers couldn't have TV specials in the US. Ella Fitzgerald
appeared in her BBC special in 1964 (in a blond wig!), Nat King Cole
did one in 1961, Lena in 1964, etc.

Other Lena Horne TV Specials:
Monsanto Night Presents Lena Horne 1969
Harry & Lena 1970 co-starring Harry Belafonte
Tony & Lena 1973 co-starring Tony Bennett

I have seen the later two for sale on Ebay.

Later she appeared in programs that could be called specials:
A taped performance of her Broadway show "The Lady & Her Music" shown
on PBS in 1984, and a 1994 performance "An Evening with Lena Horne",
broadcast on A&E.

Post by Opencity
Was Lena Horne still under contract at MGM in 1951 when "Show Boat" was being
made?
Also, didn't Lena star in a BBC TV special in the early 1960s? It is not listed
in the IMDB, but I recall seeing clips of it on TV.

[Stephen Cooke]

Post by The Insider!
Monsanto Night Presents Lena Horne 1969

Does this mean she's been genetically enhanced?

swac