Judy Collins wrote in her book “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music” (2011) that Albert Grossman, the manager who had been instrumental in forming the group Peter, Paul and Mary, suggested that she, Mrs. Henske and Jo Mapes forms a trio, which he called the Brown-Eyed Girls. “You can get brown contact lenses,” he told Mrs. Collins.
That idea faded, but Mrs Henske did just fine on her own. Mr. Doerge said he first met her when, home from school over the Christmas break in 1964, he was asked to fill in as her backing pianist for a show she was giving at a Cleveland club, La Cave.
“Judy was famous then,” he said, “and I was impressed.”
That same year, Mrs. Henske toured with a young comedian named Woody Allen, with whom she had sometimes split the bill at the Village Gate and other New York clubs. In later years, she was often said to be the character Annie Hall from Mr. Allen (who, like Mrs. Henske, was from Chippewa Falls) inspired something she was so often asked about that, she said in the 2000 interview with the Santa Cruz newspaper, it annoyed her a little.
“Woody used a lot of people as models for his people in his movies,” she said. “Annie Hall was an amalgam of maybe three different people. I think it was Louise Lasser, me and whatever her name is, the movie actress.”
Diane Keaton? the interviewer asked.
“Yes, Diane Keaton.”
“So,” she added, “let’s get on with Woody.”
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Henske, who lived in Los Angeles, has a daughter from her first marriage, Kate DeLaPointe, and a granddaughter.
