An Evening With Lena Horne
An Evening With Lena Horne(1994) This is a marvelous evening with a legendary lady. Backed by the Count Basie Orchestra, sings over 18 of her favorite songs, including Just One of Those Things and The Lady is a Tramp. She interspersed her singing with a running commentary on her life. She spoke of the anguish Hollywood experienced when this lovely, talented African-American arrived in town. They tried ‘light Egyptian make up’ to permit her to ‘blend in with the others.’
Lena was a trend setter who encountered harsh racial discrimination. Her story is of a supremely talented lady who persevered. The same year of this documentary I had the privilege of seeing Lena in a one-person show on Broadway. This seemingly ageless lady (she was then in her sixties) took a break from singing to do exercises on the stage that would have stymied a person half her age. A wonderful 72 minutes.
