Who is Leo Lerman and why is he saying all those things about Yul Bryner?
Leo Lerman was editor at Mademoiselle, Vogue and later Vanity Fair, he attended every opening in New until his death at age 80 in 1994, he gave famous parties, and knew everyone: he mentions so far my late friends Philip Bloom publicist for the Cheryl Crawford revival of PORGY & BESS - and lover of Todd Duncan during it - and Paula Laurence, who played the comedy lead in ONE TOUCH OF VENUS and sang "By the Missississississinawah" with Ethel Merman in SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS. Philip and Paula were old friends and Philip was later Elaine Stritch's press agent.
The book is a biography of Leo, partly Leo's unfinished book supplemented with his letters and journal entries. It's also a social history of the New York glitterati, from Truman Capote and Carson McCullers to Harold Arlen and others, from 1939 to 1994.
I introduced actor Simon Callow to Paula when Simon was writing his bio of Orson Wells and Paula introduced Simon to Leo. I believe Leo also had a fling with Mr Brynner, but I haven't got that far in the book.
