Monday, November 23, 2009

Whatever Lola Wants...

Discovered by Sammy Davis Jr. when she was an Atlantic City chorine, Lola Falana was brought into Sammy's stage productions, and later opened for comic Don Adams in 1960s Vegas.

Lola attained movie stardom first in Italy where she was hailed as the "Black Venus." Her first picture there was a 1967 Spaghetti Western, Lola Colt: Face to Face With The Devil.
Two more Italian films followed, Stasera Mi Butto and Quando Dico Che Ti Amo in 1968.

While in Italy, her ears led her to the groovy sound of rock & roll sensation:
Rocky Roberts and The Airdales.



Lovely Lola Falana starred in director William Wyler's final film 1970's The Liberation of LB Jones (also released as Fuego Negro / 'black fire' overseas) where she plays the sexy wife of rich, black cuckolded hubby Roscoe Lee Browne. Lola is the two-timing wife who ignites a race war by having an affair with a white cop (Lee Majors).



---

Lola starred in Matt Cimber's 1975 production of Lady Cocoa (also released as Pop Goes the Weasel) - where Lola played a sexy con artist released from prison for 24 hours to snag her ex-boyfriend / pimp. Her co-star was Mean Joe Greene.



Lola went on to become 'Queen of Las Vegas' headliners in the 1970s and hosted her own TV variety series (now on DVD!). She worked often with Bob Hope, Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, Flip Wilson and Wayne Newton.

In the 1980s, she was diagnosed with MS, and in 1991 she converted to Catholicism and began giving lectures in churches that are described as part sermon, part personal memoir. She retired from singing and lives in Las Vegas.

4 comments:

Donna Lethal said...

Connect the dots to Jayne!

Unknown said...

My first thought: Rocky Roberts! Matt Cimber!

Unknown said...

By the way, I nearly voted Communist several times because of her: Leonora Fulani always used to run for NY mayor on the Commie ticket, and I always thought it said "Lola Falana."

Dusty said...

LOLA…she was a showgirl.