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Tuesday, February 20, 2024

John Latouche, 1914-1954


Our last Carl van Vechten image is a portrait of Broadway lyricist John Latouche, taken during his World War II service in the U.S. Navy.  Mr. Latouche had a string of hit shows on Broadway and worked closely with everyone from Duke Ellington to Leonard Bernstein.  Openly gay, he died of a sudden heart attack at age 41 and was survived by long term partner Kenward Elmslie.

 

4 comments:

  1. Taken way too soon. Wonderful career. Fascinating that there were men who lived and worked openly gay. Something that became less accepted not too long after he passed.

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    1. Yes, an amazing life cut short. I never would have known his story had I not come across this picture while researching Car van Vechten. One look at that smile and I needed to find out who this guy was. Glad I did.

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  2. I really don't know much about him, but what I have read is very interesting. This is a wonderful picture of John, who wrote one of my favorite songs Lazy Afternoon. Such a talent. Thanks for this one Jerry.

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