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| Excerpt from STORMY WEATHER |
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Lena Horne was my father's favorite, ever since he
worked at Max Factor's Studios as a teenager during "Dub-yu
Dub-yu Two" and convinced the chemists there that a broom-pushing
colored boy knew enough about "war paint" to formulate makeup
for her MGM film debut. My father's formulas would eventually
provide the company with a whole new market for makeup,
but his so-called impertinence got him fired.
Lucky for us it did. Matthew Justice went on to change his
major at UCLA from art to chemistry, and to formulate makeup
for everyday black women and, quiet as it was kept, for
the best-known black stars for more than forty years. But
he always had a soft spot for Miss Horne, his first inspiration.
Con- sequently there was always a debate when we got together
at my parent's home about which black classic film we should
watch.
If you would like to read more of STORMY WEATHER check it
out in the Books
page. Learn more about the
Max Factor Studio. |
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