JOSEPHINE BAKER STORY, THE (TV)

Summary

This made-for-television historical drama film profiles groundbreaking performer and activist Josephine Baker. In 1969, rumors swirl about the former celebrity's complete bankruptcy, and she sends her twelve adopted children away from their palatial home in France and, left alone, decide to "set the record straight" about her life. In St. Louis in 1917, young Josephine witnesses terrible acts of racism and finds an escape through being "cute and funny" in vaudeville. She performs in blackface comedy shows and eventually earns a spot in a show overseas, though her mother Carrie disapproves of her showbiz life and her decision to leave her husband Willie behind. In Paris, Josephine is thrilled by her sense of freedom and the relative lack of racism, though she is outraged to find that she is to perform onstage scantily clad, arguing that she is a comedian first and foremost. An intimate session with a famous painter changes her mind, however, and she earns great success and fame when she embraces a more sensuous style and begins performing topless. She is soon swept up in a life of fortune and wealth and takes various lovers, and she meets "Count" Giuseppe Pepito Abatino, a self-made man who convinces her to appoint him her manager, saying that he can help her to achieve her true goals of equality and admiration.

Abatino pushes Josephine to undergo ballet and voice lessons, and the two soon fall in love. She soon discovers her dream "fairy castle," and when she admits to Abatino that she is already married, he suggests that they merely lie and claim to be married, though making her a "Contessa." He urges her to forestall her dreams of having children in the interest of her career, and Josephine is soon devastated by her sister's unexpected death, though she cannot bring herself to return to America for the funeral. She embarks on a wildly successful European tour, performing in her trademark "banana skirt," though she repeatedly turns down film offers from Hollywood, offended that she is offered only servant roles. Abatino convinces her to accept a show at the Ziegfeld Follies in New York, promising that she can select her own music and content, though his doctor warns him not to make the trip, hinting that he is seriously ill. Josephine arrives in New York with her "husband" in tow and reunites with her mother, but her fears about America are confirmed when the hotel refuses to allow her in its public areas because of her race. Her show is poorly received by American critics, who state that she is "a dime a dozen," and Josephine ends things with Abatino, furious that he talked her into the disastrous trip. She orders him back to Europe despite his pleas, and three months later she has opened her own club, but is heartbroken to hear that Abatino has died of his illness.

Josephine eventually heads back to Paris, and she joins the resistance as a spy against Hitler when World War II dawns. The Gestapo search her home and the resistance sends her to North Africa, where she falls seriously ill. She meets American soldier Sidney Williams, who asks her to perform for the troops to boost their morale, but she refuses, stating that she is no longer an American citizen. Later, she is devastated to learn that she is unable to bear children and, desperate to find new meaning in her life, contacts Williams and accepts his offer. She meets bandleader Jo Bouillon, who shamefully admits that he did not join the resistance, but she praises his skills and together they perform for a large crowd of GIs. Josephine desegregates the crowd, urging the men to put brotherhood above color, and is very well-received by the men. After the war, Josephine marries Bouillon and tells the priest about her long-ago vision of the Virgin Mary, believing that she has a destiny in life. She embarks on a nine-month American tour and is upset to see very few black faces in the audience, and when Sidney tells her about the ongoing lynchings and racial tension, she declares that she will no longer perform for segregated audiences. Given her level of fame, the theater managers convince the police to life the ordinance separating the races, and she earns great praise from American audiences and famous newspaperman Walter Winchell, among others.

Josephine continues speaking out about racism, and when she is refused service at the prestigious Stork Club, she calls the establishment out publicly and demands to know why Winchell, who witnessed the scene, has not spoken up in her defense. Winchell soon turns on her and questions her wartime record, suggesting that she is a "Commie" and is deliberately stirring up racial tension in the country. She begins to lose contracts and rumors swirl that she will be banned from the country, and she heads back to France in anger, bringing her mother along with her. Back in her castle, she begins adopting a number of children, intentionally creating a "rainbow tribe" to make a point about diversity, though Bouillon begs her to "live sensibly." Josephine remains determined to "save" as many needy children as possible, and when their family swells to fourteen, Bouillon finally follows through on his threat to leave her. Crushed, Josephine returns to performing in an attempt to make money, but matters grow worse when Carrie passes away and Josephine learns that she is to be ousted from her home. She sends the children away and holes up inside her castle, but collectors eventually arrive and throw her onto the street, repossessing the castle and all of her belongings. Princess Grace of Monaco comes to her rescue, however, having witnessed the infamous Stork Club event. Years later, she makes a return to the stage and stars in "Joséphine à Bobino," a retrospective of her life and career that is warmly received by her many fans. She sincerely thanks the audience for their kindness, but she passes away in her sleep after the second show at the age of 68. She is honored with a state funeral, and Bouillon went on to care for their many children.

Details

• NETWORK: HBO
• DATE: November 30, 1999 8:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 2:09:27
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: 124872
• GENRE: Drama, historical
• SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Drama; Drama, historical; Biography; Dancers
• SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 1991
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Robert Halmi … Executive Producer
• David Puttnam … Executive Producer
• John Kemeny … Producer
• Madeleine Henrie … Associate Producer
• Alisa Taylor … Associate Producer
• Brian Gibson … Director
• Ron Hutchinson … Writer
• Michael Zagor … Writer
• Georges Delerue … Music by
• Ralph Burns … Music by
• George Faison … Choreographer
• Lynn Whitfield … Cast, Josephine Baker
• Rubén Blades … Cast, Count Giuseppe Pepito Abatino
• David Dukes … Cast, Jo Bouillon
• Louis Gossett Jr. … Cast, Sidney Williams
• Craig T. Nelson … Cast, Walter Winchell
• Kene Holliday … Cast, Sidney Bechet
• Vivian Bonnell … Cast, Josephine's Mother
• Mayah McCoy … Cast, Josephine - Age 8
• Ainslie Currie … Cast, Josephine - Age 13
• Pierre Magny … Cast, Paul Colin
• Franco Iiriti … Cast, Victor
• George Faison … Cast, Emcee in Harlem Club/Male Singer
• Robert Lesser … Cast, Capa City Manager
• Luis Reyes … Cast, Josephine's Father
• Vivienne Eytle … Cast, Josephine's Sister
• Eartha Robinson … Cast, Female Singer
• Paula Brown … Cast, Amateur Female Singer
• Ann Harrington … Cast, Cruel Woman
• Zoltán Gera … Cast, Folies Begeres Producer
• Gábor Csikos … Cast, French Cab Driver
• Nöel Weekes Jr. … Cast, Soldier From St. Louis
• Péter Kertész … Cast, Casablanca Doctor
• Gregory Orr … Cast, New York Hotel Manager
• János Gosztonyi … Cast, Bobino Theater Manager
• Tibor Kenderessy … Cast, Priest
• Steve McGlothen … Cast, American Reporter in Press Conference
• Richard Rothenstein … Cast, American Reporter in Press Conference
• Sherry Baumgart … Cast, American Reporter in Press Conference
• Deborah Jávor … Cast, American Woman at Party
• Iván Angelus … Cast, Dance Teacher
• András Márton … Cast, Pepito's Doctor
• Dean Tschetter … Cast, New York Critic
• Richard Battaglia … Cast, White Racist
• Gábor Ferenczy … Cast, Reporter at Stork Club
• András Mész … Cast, Reporter at Stork Club
• Jimmy Smith … Cast, Bell Boy
• Marie Carter … Cast, Hotel Maid
• László Dozsa Jr. … Cast, Stork Club Waiter
• Fajer Khaled … Cast, Casablanca Nurse
• János Vészi … Cast, Lover in New York
• Löte Attila … Cast, Court Official
• Paula Brown … Cast, Dance Double for Miss Whitfield
• Darrel Wright … Cast, Dancer
• Adrian Bailey … Cast, Dancer
• Cedric Bradley … Cast, Dancer
• Taj Foster … Cast, Dancer
• Eric James … Cast, Dancer
• Jozsef Bauer … Cast, Dancer
• Sándor Király … Cast, Dancer
• László Oláh … Cast, Dancer
• Michael Kropf … Cast, Dancer
• Imre Németh … Cast, Dancer
• Zoltán Bihari … Cast, Dancer
• Attila Egervári … Cast, Dancer
• Ferenc Molnár … Cast, Dancer
• János Kaczor … Cast, Dancer
• László Kriszt … Cast, Dancer
• Paula Brown … Cast, Dancer
• Carolyn Campbell … Cast, Dancer
• Eartha Robinson … Cast, Dancer
• Kiki Shephard … Cast, Dancer
• Monika Zsiros … Cast, Dancer
• Helga Szabó … Cast, Dancer
• Mónika Czár … Cast, Dancer
• Éva Molnár … Cast, Dancer
• Vera Kun … Cast, Dancer
• Zsuzsa Tarjányi … Cast, Dancer
• Veronika Vámos … Cast, Dancer
• Andrea Tallós … Cast, Dancer
• Csilla Szoboszlai … Cast, Dancer
• Helga Gryöri … Cast, Dancer
• László Novák … Cast, Dancer