There's STILL Something About HARRY BELAFONTE!

Reading about Harry Belafonte is so much better than trying to write about Harry Belafonte!  I also occasionally like listening to his old records. But there are times when looking at him is even better than that! 

The first time that I tried to write about Harry Belafonte was in August, 2009 with a now-deleted post called There's Something About Harry!  All I basically wanted to do was post the photographs that I'm using here now.  Instead, I found myself in the trap of trying to write about a life that's just too huge for a simple blog post! At the time, I had a number of young readers that may not have known too much about Mr. Belafonte and for their sake, I found myself out there with a very discombobulated post.  At least that's what I tried to tell myself.

But who better to tell the story than the man himself? Within the pages of Belafonte's new autobiography, My Song: A Memoir is every reason why we continue to love the man.  It's a riveting book and of course, the most fascinating revelations are reserved for his work in the Civil Rights Movement and the relationship with Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.  And a few of those pages will make some readers a little uneasy.  Belafonte almost trashes Sammy Davis, Jr., but ultimately allows his admiration and respect for the man to remain intact.  I was personally happy that he broke his long-standing silence on Dorothy Dandridge even though it was little more than what some other writers have already told us. And for those who care, the subject of homosexuality has its own listing in the index!

Belafonte's observations on race, particularly as it pertains to his own choices and family dynamics are honest and appreciated.  His life-long, brotherman relationship with Sidney Poitier is treated with searing honesty and the disclosures on Mariam Makeba are quite surprising ... at least to me!  From the Bush administration to the King children no one is spared.  It is especially disheartening to learn how Bernice King's right-wing politics manipulated her mother's funeral and found "Uncle Harry" on the outside looking in.

I personally know of a few readers who will bemoan the fact that Belafonte did not address the rumors of his supposed decades-long "fued" with Lena Horne. Or respond to actress Ellen Holly's page-by-page rip of a new Belafonte asshole in her own book, One Life:  The Autobiography of an African American Actress.  Trivial matters to the great man, I'm sure!  Perhaps that's why there is no mention of the session that produced the accompanying photos used here for this post?

Harry Belafonte would probably think these pictures are silly!  But there ain't nothing silly about being the first seriously sexy black male matinee idol with his own active production company in Hollywood.  Dorothy Wilding didn't think so when she photographed the young singer/actor in all of his sultry splendor in New York, 1954.

Comments

[Derrick from Philly]

Thanks, Corey (again and again...)

Harry Belafonte was absolutely beautiful. He IS absolutely beautiful.

And don't tell me that Van Vechten didn't atleast try. Carl Van Vechten was probably old by the time he met Harry but when an old queen comes across someone that beautiful Miss Thing can still lick toes.

[Jim]

It’s funny that these pictures were taken by Dorothy Wilding, the woman who made the photo of the Queen that appeared on billions of stamps and bills.

Somehow, she didn’t make the Queen look nearly as seductive.

[thegaytekeeper]

Makes me wonder if he ever played for our team...

[Greg]

Ya know thegaytekeeper, great minds really do think alike and I've often wondered the same thing, or is it thang! LOL. I'm of the belief that a man that beautiful simply could not be totally straight! And thats a good thing or is it thang?LOL!!!

And I've often wondered the same thing about Mr. Holder as well. Anyway, one lives and hopes.

[Brandon]

Carl Van Vechten did a nice job....everyone he touches....something queer floating around in the air...

[Corey]

@Brandon, hey bruh - this is not a Van Vechten post! LOL! The shots here of Belafonte were taken by Dorothy Wilding in 1954.

[Brandon]

Ah ok...oops.

[Derrick from Philly]

That was my fault, Brandon. I only mentioned Van Vechten because he had done shots of Harry. I don't know if Van Vechten's were earlier or later than Ms Wilding's. But her photos are absolute beautiful...but sometimes a beautiful subject to photograph certainly helps.