Lola Falana
Lola Falana | |
---|---|
Born | [2][4] September 11, 1942 Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1961–1997 |
Spouse |
Feliciano Tavares Jr.
(m. 1970; div. 1975) |
Loletha Elayne Falana[1] or Loletha Elaine Falana[2][3] (born September 11, 1942),[5][6] better known by her stage name Lola Falana, is an American singer, dancer, and actress.[7] She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1975 for her performance as Edna Mae Sheridan in Doctor Jazz.[8]
Early life
Lola Falana was born in
Career
In 1958, Falana's first dancing gig was at age 16[2] during a Dinah Washington nightclub appearance in Philadelphia in which Washington gave her the opening act slot to perform. Washington, dubbed the Queen of Blues, was influential in fostering Falana's early career. While dancing in a chorus line in Atlantic City, New Jersey,[3] Falana was discovered by Sammy Davis Jr.,[10] who gave her a featured role in his 1964 Broadway musical Golden Boy. After the musical, Falana launched her music career later in 1964. "My Baby", her first single, was recorded and released for Mercury Records in 1965. Later in her career, she recorded under Frank Sinatra's record label. In the late 1960s, Falana was mentored by Sammy Davis, Jr.[citation needed]
In 1966, Davis cast Falana, with himself,
American TV audiences became familiar with Falana during the early 1970s. She often appeared on
With help from Sammy Davis, Jr., she brought her act to Las Vegas, and she became a top draw there. By the late 1970s, Falana was considered the "Queen of Las Vegas". She played to sold-out crowds at
Later career and life
In 1995, Falana recorded the song "Don't Cry, Mary" with Catholic artist Joseph Lee Hooker. No longer performing, she now tours the country with a message of hope and spirituality. When not on tour, she lives a quiet life in Las Vegas working on The Lambs of God Ministry, an apostolate she founded. The ministry is focused on helping children who have been orphaned in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it works closely with the group Save Sub-Saharan Orphans.[13] Falana's last known musical performance was in 1997 at Wayne Newton's theater in Branson, Missouri.[citation needed]
Personal life
Love affair and marriage
Sometime between 1965 and 1968, Lola Falana had an affair with her then-mentor Sammy Davis Jr. that became public knowledge after Davis confessed it to his then-wife May Britt, which led to their divorce in 1968.[14]
In 1970, Falana married Feliciano "Butch" Tavares Jr., one of five brothers of the popular R&B and soul vocal band
Health problems
In 1987, Falana had a severe relapse of multiple sclerosis.[10] Falana's left side was paralyzed, she became partially blind, and her voice and hearing were impaired. Her recovery lasted a year and a half, and she spent most of her time praying. Falana attributes her recovery to a spiritual experience which she described as "Being able to feel the presence of the Lord".[10] Falana converted to Catholicism in 1988.[10] Although she performed again in Las Vegas shows in 1987, Falana's practice of religion and faith became the center of her life. After another bout with multiple sclerosis in 1996, Falana returned to Philadelphia and lived with her parents for a short time.[citation needed]
Cultural references
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2024) |
- Rapper Foxy Brown rapped "Lola Falana dripped in Gabbana, 90's style, the finest style..." in her song "I'll Be Good", with Jay Z on her debut album Ill Na Na.
- In D.C. Cab, Tyrone (played by Charlie Barnett) asks the character Denise "When you goin' out with me?" Her incredulous response of "Why should I go out with you?" is met by a defiant "Because I'm black and I'm beautiful." Denise deadpans "Well, so is Lola Falana, but you don't see me goin' out with her."
- In A Different World, Whitley Gilbert makes numerous references to Lola Falana throughout the series.
- In Wayans Bros., Marlon and Shawn attempt to pick up an elderly man in their "afrocab" and tell him that they have an old magazine with Lola Falana (you remember her from all those hilarious Bob Hope specials Marlon proclaims) as the centerpiece. They force the man into the cab after he declines and runs off, and Shawn and Marlon realize the magazine is gone. Shawn then says "those white guys sure love them some Lola Falana."
- The SCTV character Lola Heatherton, played by Catherine O'Hara, was derived from the names of Lola Falana and Joey Heatherton. The character spoofed both women, especially in their later career television variety show appearances in the 1970s.
- In a January 19, 1991 sketch[15] on Saturday Night Live entitled "The Sinatra Group," Frank Sinatra (Phil Hartman) tells Luther Campbell (Chris Rock), "You got talent! You got a Dionne Warwick/Falana kind of thing going."
- In Roxanne Shante's song "Have a Nice Day", she declares herself "A pioneer/like Lola Falana".
- In Barbershop 2: Back in Business, barber Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer) admonishes his boss Calvin (Ice Cube) for making him take down his picture of Lola Falana from the wall of his booth.
- In Family Matters, Eddie (Darius McCrary) wants new high-tops that cost $70, but Carl (Reginald VelJohnson) "would not pay $70 for shoes if Lola Falana was in them."
- In Bladesays "That's why I was watchin' that clock like it was a Penthouse pin-up of Lola Falana!"
- In the Saint Bernard, on a chain.
- Rapper Esham recorded a song titled "Lowlafalana" in 1997.
- "Miss Black Person USA," a recurring sketch on In Living Color, takes place at the fictional Lola Falana Recreational Center in Detroit.
- In an early episode of Family Guy, Peter Griffin flashes back to a time when he confused his girlfriend Leslie Uggams with Lola Falana.
- In an August 2019 interview with Vulture, actress Niecy Nash named Falana as her earliest inspiration: "I knew I wanted to be an actor when I was 5 years old and I saw the most gorgeous black woman on television. I said to my grandmother 'Who is that?,' and she said 'Baby, that's Lola Falana.' And I said 'That's what I want to be, Grandma. I want to be black and fabulous and on TV.'"[16]
- In 2022, R&B singer Muni Long referred to Falana with her performance at the BET Awards.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1966 | A Man Called Adam | Theo | |
1967 | Lola Colt | Lola Gate | |
When I Say That I Love You | Julia | original title: "Quando dico che ti amo" | |
1970 | The Liberation of L.B. Jones | Emma Jones | |
1974 | The Klansman | Loretta Sykkes | |
1975 | Lady Cocoa | Coco | |
1990 | Mad About You | Casey's Secretary | |
2013 | Mary's Land [es] | Herself | documentary |
Television work
- Sabato sera (1967) – Italy
- The Flip Wilson Show, season 1, episode 8 (1970)
- Teatro Dieci (1971) – Italy
- The New Bill Cosby Show (1972–1973)
- Hai visto mai? (1973) – Italy
- The Streets of San Francisco, episode "A String of Puppets" (February 7, 1974)
- Ben Vereen... Comin' at Ya (1975) (canceled after 4 episodes)
- Lola (1975)
- The Lola Falana Show, four variety specials on ABC (January – March 1976)
- The Love Boat, season 2, episodes 1 and 2 (1978)
- Liberace: Valentine's Day Special (1979)
- The Muppet Show, season 4, episode 11 (1979)
- Fantasy Island, "Spending Spree", season 2, episode 19 (1979)
- Lola, Lola y Lollo (1982)
- Made in Italy (1982) – Italy
- Capitol (1984–1986)
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-137-30973-0. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Thomson Gale (2005). "Falana, Lola 1942–". Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-403-09950-4. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-7917-1. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-4422-4702-4. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-7034-5. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-8103-9177-2. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "CLEO F. TWINE". Legacy. 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Tia Williams (August 18, 2011). "Vintage Vamp: Showgirl Lola Falana". Essence. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "Bette Rogge interviews Lola Falana". Retrieved July 28, 2023 – via University of Dayton.
- ^ "Theatre World Awards - Theatre World Awards".
- ^ Catholic Exchange, "Former Entertainer Lola Falana Founds New Catholic Apostolate", August 31, 2002
- ^ "May Britt Keeps Kids, Divorces Sammy Davis Jr". Jet. January 9, 1969. Retrieved December 28, 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Sinatra Group - SNL Transcripts Tonight". October 8, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ Angelica Jade Bastién (2019). "Niecy Nash on the Claws Finale and Why Desna Is a 'Strip-Mall Superhero'". Vulture. Retrieved August 12, 2019.