I remember the first time I saw Josephine Baker. I didn’t actually see her, but a “character” of her in one of my all-time favorite movies, “The Triplets of Belville.” She was doing the “Banana Dance” in the opening scene of the movie, which is entirely animated, I might add.
But she was a real woman, this Josephine Baker. An entertainer is how she is “classified” in her historical biographies, yet she was much more than that. Her birth name was Freda Josephine McDonald, and she came into this world on today’s date, June 3, 1906. As things would have it, she would stay on this Earth for 68 years, leaving it on April 12, 1975.
Josephine was American-born (St. Louis), but in general terms, her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her beloved “adopted” country of France.
She was a superstar in the 1920s — the first black woman to achieve international fame. She was also the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, the 1927 silent film, Siren of the Tropics.
There are probably numerous books and movies about her, as her life was oh so interesting. She was worshipped by her fans. An independent woman, a flapper, a civil rights activist, and even a spy during WWII.
In her early years, during the 1920s, the United States was extremely segregated. More to the point, so was her birthplace, St. Louis
There is a bit of mystery surrounding her birth and the identity of her real father. Her mother claimed he was a drummer named Eddie Carson. But, Josephine’s mother birthed her in an exclusively white hospital in St. Louis. Momma Baker was also allowed to stay in the hospital for several days after the birth. So. If she gained entry into a “white” hospital and was allowed to have an extended stay, it was likely that a white man had made it all happen. Probably Josephine’s real father. But. We will never know for certain.
She thrived in the entertainment world, early on. In 1925, when she was 19 years old, she picked up and moved to Paris. She started working there immediately and became an instantaneous hit. The Paris public loved Josephine Baker.
I mentioned it earlier, but she was most famous for her “banana dance.”
She could really move when she danced, and her schtick came in the way of an extremely risqué outfit — a bra and undies made from plastic bananas that didn’t leave much to the imagination. And they rumbled when she rumbled.
So, as you might imagine, her shows were on the erotic side, which helped to attract fans. Good Josephine wasn’t afraid to be bold. In Paris, she was adored.
As I mentioned, there was a lot more to Josephine Baker than what she showed on stage. Perhaps she wore a trench coat over all those bananas, as she was also a spy for the Allied forces during World War II.
Obviously, there was a whole bunch of posturing going on in WWII. And, when Mussolini invaded Ethiopia, Josephine supposedly supported the move. This support gave the Axis powers the misconception that Josephine was on their side. And it was with this that she became a spy for the Allies.
She often traveled on tour. It gave her ample opportunities to begin smuggling documents. Here is the coolio thing. She always had sheet music with her, and this made it the perfect place for the military to write secret messages. In invisible ink.
In addition, due to her fame, immigration officials were too busy admiring the superwoman to go through her things thoroughly.
I could go on and on about her. She was married four times, to men. But she had several relationships with women too.
She was a civil rights activist. In a big way.
She adored animals, so much so that she had a cheetah named Chiquita. She also adopted a pig named Albert that she would dress up and spray perfume on. And, she loved a goat named Toutoute that she kept in her dressing room. Not to mention her pet snake, chimpanzee, and several dogs.
So there is a glimpse of a woman many of us never knew. A woman of great depth and character. May we all be brave enough to do our own banana dances. Oh, yeah. Get ready to rumble.
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“When someone shows you who they are believe them the first time.”
― Maya Angelou
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“People make mistakes in life through believing too much, but they have a damned dull time if they believe too little.”
― James Hilton, Lost Horizon
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“It is good people who make good places.”
― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty
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