Life Is Not a Stage by Florence Henderson

Author:Florence Henderson [HENDERSON, FLORENCE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781455504916
Publisher: Center Street
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

The “No Door Act”

As a sense of liberation began to take hold in my personal life, some boundaries with my work also began to crumble. Some doors that were locked or that I had dared not even attempt to enter, such as working more in Hollywood or doing my own nightclub act, were suddenly flung open. What lay on the other side was certainly beyond my imagination at the time. Before the 1960s would come to an end, both my career and my head would be in a much different place.

Once you’ve cracked whatever you have been repressing, you suddenly begin to understand the stranglehold guilt, fear, sadness, and anger can exercise over every minute aspect of your existence. It wasn’t as easy as simply opening the gate and putting my galloping horse out to permanent pasture. There were still many miles to go before that horse and I would more peacefully coexist. But that incessant drive and control over my life began to slowly loosen, as I gently let go of the reins.

Once the process started, it was almost impossible to stop its forward progress. For the first time, I was much more relaxed, more prone to go with the flow. Other shifts began to take place in that state. Even during my worst periods, I had always loved performing onstage before an audience, but now the enjoyment stepped up to a new level, becoming more aligned with the internal shifts that were starting to happen.

Another message came forward that it was time to stand more powerfully on my own two feet. With that realization, the field began to open up. Opportunities to do variety television shows abounded, while theater work became more sporadic. Someone recently sent me a copy of one of the old Bell Telephone Hour summer shows I did regularly during this time period as a singer and host. Talk about a trial by fire. It reminded me just how demanding those programs were. In the course of an hour, you might be doing four or five songs and changing costumes each time. You didn’t get much rehearsal time, so you had to step your artistry up a notch if you wanted to be better than just good. Nowhere else but these variety programs did you have the chance to work with and interact with so many varied artists who were at the absolute top of their craft.

One of my lasting memories from The Bell Telephone Hour was seeing the incredibly lovely Lena Horne resting backstage with her shoes off and her feet up on a chair.

“Oh, Miss Horne, do your feet hurt?” I asked her.

She looked up at me and smiled. “Oh, you’ll find out later.” She was about twenty years older, and she was right. Doing two shows a night in high heels catches up with you in the long run.

At their highest form, The Bell Telephone Hour and The U.S. Steel Hour might feature symphony orchestras, great opera divas, and ballet companies,

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