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Lena Horne biographer James Gavin, when asked how the legendary entertainer would have fared if she’d been born in, say, 1980 rather than 1917, responded, "Lena’s career was built upon splashy Hollywood musicals, glamorous supper clubs, and TV variety shows, all of which have vanished. She was extremely frustrated that Hollywood didn’t afford her many chances to act, but I doubt she’d be happier today; black actresses still don’t have much to do. The diva singing styles of today don’t interest her; when I interviewed her in 1994 [for The New York Times], she told me she couldn’t be "commercially emotional." Do you think black entertainers are any closer to having a fair shake than they were in Horrne’s day?
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 By: Kate Henderson
Maybe a little … Halle Berry winning her Oscar and the black women of "Grey’s Anatomy" being nominated for and/or winning Emmys (If I’m remembering right … you never know how it will be! ;) ), but there are only a small percentage of black women (and men) who are breaking through to the mainstream. If movies and TV shows have black lead characters, those movies/TV shows (many of them VERY good!!) are considered "black entertainment" instead of just plain "entertainment". Music isn’t what it was then, either, although I’ll admit to sometimes sounding like my parents when I shout "Will you turn down that awful noise?"!! Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, etc. were smooth-voiced and gave us all a gift by enduring shameful and degrading treatment when all they wanted was to share their voices with us, no matter what color, shape, size, age, religion, etc. we are … But what do you think? |
