Co-authored by film author Richard Schickel,
this autobiography was published in 1965
(my hardcover version), and has a lovely cover with
Lena peeking out of a white background. The
book has candid revelations by Lena and
vivid descriptions - for instance,
of her trip to Paris where
she married Lennie Hayton, of her childhood,
and of her life at Metro and her friends there.
A must-read for any Lena fan. By the way,
this book is out of print so the only place you
can find it cheap without looking around too
much is auction-houses like eBay. Haskins seemed to have
based the facts in his book on this book. I own
the hardcover version from 1983.
Ted Nesi writes:
Lena Horne's autobiography, "Lena,"
is a wonderful account of her life up until 1965.
Although there are many show business anecdotes and
stories of her professional career, it's also a
fascinating look at one of America's earliest black
superstars, and the trials she encountered due to
segregation from the '30s on.
Amazingly enough, by the mid-1960s Horne found her
already legendary status very uncomfortable.
She long felt she was a "symbol" of what blacks
wished they could be -- but couldn't -- in the
white-controlled society she came to prominence in.
Her reminiscences of the Cotton Club, being a big band
chanteuse, an M-G-M star, and a featured nightclub
performer are fascinating. And her account of her
1947 marriage to white arranger Lennie Hayton in
Paris is moving.
"Lena" is surely a must-read for fans of this era,
Miss Horne, and those who would like to know about
the show-biz side of segregation.
Haskins sort of rushes through Lena's life, leaving the reader craving for more. His account of Lena's life at Metro is perfunctory, for example. The biography ends with Lena doing her one-woman show "The Lady And Her Music" on Broadway. Which of course, makes you wonder what's been going on recently in Lena's life, which I, as a diehard fan, am ashamed to admit, I don't know. Anyway, if you need to buy a biography on Lena, don't waste your money on this one. This one's strictly for borrowing from a library.
With an introduction by Coretta Scott King, this book is good reading and the account is accompanied by lovely pictures.
What do you know! Lena's on the cover of this magazine and her picture's in color! She appears in another picture inside as part of an article on nightclubs. The magazine's tiny, and has 68 pages.
Loving account of
Mama Lena's life from daughter Gail. Lena's family seems to have a history
of interracial marriages. First, it was her mother Edna who married a Cuban,
then it was Lena who married Jewish Lennie Hayton and now it's Lena's daughter
Gail, who married director Sydney Lumet. Has nice insightful pictures.
Lena Book/Article Links
Other books that talk about Lena and her workThe M-G-M Story : The Complete History of Fifty-Seven Roaring Years by John Douglas Eames (1982) Describes at length major pictures made by the Leo of all studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, from 1924 to 1981. Naturally, all of Lena's pictures for the studio are mentioned and there is even a still from "Cabin in the Sky" with the other principals. My version was published in 1982. Whether you are interested in the dream films that Metro created or just in Lena, this book is a nice reference to some of the best films ever made! There's even a section at the end dedicated to "Metro's Great Musicals" that boasts some nice color (and black and white) stills from Lena's pictures. The Hollywood Musical by Clive Hirschhorn (1981) If you're a worshipper of the art of the movie musical and want to know more about every major movie musical made in Hollywood from all the major studios in the golden age, this is THE reference book for classic movie musicals. There is a foreword by Gene Kelly. All the major musicals are listed year by year, and reviewed, with a "songography" for every musical. The comprehensive index is organized by name of film, name of song, name of performer, name of composers and lyricists, name of other creative personnel! Stills are there of Lena from "Stormy Weather" and also singing "Brazilian Boogie" (from "Broadway Rhythm"). A must-own for any fan of classic movie musicals. Unfortunately, the book is out-of-print (one wonders why a book like this would be out-of-print).
The Golden Age of Movie Musicals : The M-G-M Years
by Lawrence B. Thomas (1971)
This
book provides the synopses for 40 great musicals released
by M-G-M from 1939 to 1971, by producers like
Arthur Freed, Jack Cummings and Joe Pasternak.
Features the absolute
cream of the crop like "The Barkleys of Broadway",
"Three Little Words",
"Best Foot Forward", and "Easter Parade". Each movie
description is accompanied by a listing of players,
crew, songs connected to the
musical and also a summary of critics' comments when
the film came out. And
who can forget those terrific b/w stills accompanying
each musical description? After the description,
there is a list of songs by musical name,
a section with caricatures (Al Hirschfield-style)
of the Metro musical players and a short story of
their careers and lives. There is also a section that
gives you an introduction to
the life stories of the producers, songwriters,
composers in capsule form. Then, there's
a short write-up on dubbing in these musicals and
a chronology of the musicals. Jesse Kaye, a
long-time executive with M-G-M Records writes about
the art of soundtrack recording, followed by
a discography of soundtrack LPs available (this book
is from 1971). There is even a list
of musicals that won Academy Awards. In short, almost
every kind of information available
related to the Metro musical. Three Lena all-star
cast musical biopics are featured here : "Till
the Clouds Roll By", "Words and Music" and "Ziegfeld
Follies".
The M-G-M Stock Company
by James Robert Parrish and Ronald L. Bowers (1973)
A one-of-a-kind book that actually gives you two to three-page
life stories of all the players under contract to Metro during its
golden years, who appeared on the screen, in its films. If you're curious
to know whatever happened to that starlet you saw in "Summer Holiday" or
the woman who played the mother in "The Human Comedy", this is the book to read.
Lena is sandwiched between Fay Holden and Marsha Hunt, and the story of her
life and career is there for all to see. The description is accompanied by a
still of her from the "Brazilian Boogie" production number.
The Melody Lingers On by Roy Hemming (1986) Another approach to musicals : this time by songwriter/composer. There are life histories and career descriptions of luminaries such as Irving Berlin, Harry Warren, Cole Porter, Gershwin, Nacio Herb Brown, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Jimmy McHugh, Ralph Rainger, Harold Arlen, Richard Whiting, just to name a few and Lena figures prominently under the music of Arlen, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart and Harry Warren. Oddly enough, a still of hers from the "Diga Diga Doo" number from "Stormy Weather" is mislabeled as her singing "Just One of Those Things". Like Hirschhorn, Hemming seems to dislike her costume and set for "Brazilian Boogie". I for one, think she looks terrific in the entertaining Hugh Martin-Ralph Blane number. Hemming agrees with me that Lena sings "The Lady is a Tramp" in "Words and Music" just perfectly. To me, her version is probably THE definitive version (I also like Ella Fitzgerald's version for The Rodgers and Hart Songbook on Verve). M-G-M's Greatest Musicals : The Arthur Freed Unit by Hugh Fordin (1975) It seems this book has been published under different names and I can't seem to remember all of them. My version is a 1996 edition under this title. The book chronicles the story of the Arthur Freed Unit and its members who made superior musicals at Metro during its golden age. There is the story of Lena's discovery by "Doc" Shurr, a Hollywood agent who told Roger Edens about his discovery. Lena states in her autobiography that Edens discovered her at the Trocadero. "Panama Hattie", "Cabin in the Sky", ""Ziegfeld Follies", "Till the Clouds Roll By" and "Words and Music" are the Lena musicals featured in this book. It's a fascinating story about the behind-the-scenes working of one of the most talented musical units ever to work in Hollywood. Glamorous Musicals by Ronald Bergan (1984) Fifty years of movie musicals are classified by the trends that invaded Hollywood : for example, an obsession with the European touch or glorifying the American girl. Definitely not as comprehensive as the Hirschhorn masterpiece, this book would probably make good bedside reading. With a foreword by Ginger Rogers, this book has nice stills, even though its description of musicals leaves the reader hungering for more. There is a section on black stars, all too brief, that features Lena along with stars like "Fats" Waller, Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bill Robinson, and Louis Armstrong. There are incongruities in the book such as stills of more contemporary "musicals" like "Flashdance" and "Staying Alive", which were not really necessary. However, the book still dazzles with all its stills, even though it may be a poor man's "The Hollywood Musical". |
Biography
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