We all know and love Harry Belafonte for his music. Who didn’t grow up singing “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”? But the celebrated entertainer’s legacy is robust—and spans all sectors of culture. The Grammy and honorary Oscar winner was also an ardent civil rights activist and close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. One piece of Belafonte history I didn’t know until I read Joshua Jelly-Schapiro’s wonderful new book, Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He Made, is that, in 1968, he guest-hosted The Tonight Show. Read all about the historic week, and what would be King’s last televised interview, in today’s exclusive excerpt—also featuring a slew of other guests like Paul Newman and Robert F. Kennedy.
Elsewhere in Vanity Fair, Oprah Winfrey looks back at some of her most memorable onscreen moments. More tomorrow. |
DANIELA TIJERINA,
ASSOCIATE EDITOR |
An exclusive excerpt from Daylight Come revisits Martin Luther King Jr.’s last televised interview, where Belafonte, sitting in for Johnny Carson, masterfully converged all corners of American culture, from Hollywood to Washington. |
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On Saturday, the “epicenter for the art world in the summer” held its annual gala, raising $1.7 million for programs that serve the whole Hamptons community. |
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The queen of daytime television sits down with VF and revisits some of the highlights of her historic career. From “You get a car! You get a car! You get a car!” to asking Meghan Markle if she was “silent” or “silenced,” roll the tape on Winfrey’s unforgettable moments in her career—and pop culture. |
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