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CHASING A RAINBOW: THE LIFE OF JOSEPHINE BAKER (TV)

Summary

This documentary profiles the life and career of legendary entertainer Josephine Baker. The program consists of archival footage and photographs, interviews, and narration. After introductory scenes are presented of Baker's 1975 funeral cortege in Paris, information is provided about the explosive atmosphere of racial hatred in Josephine's hometown -- St. Louis, Missouri -- in 1917. Eager to escape the oppressive environment in St. Louis, Josephine joined a traveling dance troupe called The Dixie Steppers. At the age of fifteen, already twice-married, Josephine made her way to Harlem and joined the chorus at the Cotton Club, where she was quite a hit. Baker then appeared in the first all-black Broadway musical, "Shuffle Along," before traveling to Paris with the Revue Negre in 1925. Social historian Alain Weill recounts the splash that the Revue Negre made in Paris, which was the artistic mecca of the world at that time. Baker modeled for many famous artists and became the darling of Paris. The Revue Negre also traveled to Berlin, where Max Reinhardt tried to lure Baker away from the Folies Bergeres. However, Baker returned to Paris and appeared in the Casino de Paris, where she became famous for her erotic "banana dance"; her pet leopard, Chiquita; and her theme song, "J'ai Deux Amours." A man named Pepito Abatino courted Baker and soon ended up managing her career, encouraging her to work in film. She appeared in films such as "La Sirene des Tropiques" and "Zou Zou," gaining a huge following in Europe, but little attention in America. Baker returned to the Paris stage with the operetta "La Creole," but Abatino continued to direct Baker toward a career in the U.S. After an unsuccessful stint with the Ziegfeld Follies, the disillusioned Baker left Abatino in New York and signed a new contract with the Folies Bergeres. When Abatino died from cancer, Baker entered a whirlwind of activity, including another marriage and divorce. Next, an overview of WWII Europe is presented, including a discussion of Baker's role in the Resistance movement, both in France and Morocco; veteran Sydney Williams recalls Baker's work entertaining allied troops in North Africa in 1942. Baker returned to Paris in 1944 as a celebrity and a national heroine, and she received the Medal of the Resistance and the Legion of Honor. She also began a relationship with bandleader Jo Bouillon and embarked on a new chapter of her life. After another extremely disappointing tour in New York, where Baker was involved in a scandal surrounding the segregated Stork Club, she and her new husband returned to France and focused on family life. Unable to have children, Baker adopted a dozen children from around the world, establishing her "Rainbow Tribe," which was supposed to be a symbol of color-blind brotherhood. The program includes interviews with three of Baker's adopted children, who describe their unusual childhood. Baker continued to perform extensively, but she and her husband separated, and Baker had difficulty managing both her career and the complexity of her family life. The program concludes with information about the following: the financial hardships and health problems that plagued Baker in the late 1960s; Princess Grace of Monaco's intervention to help Baker, as well as Baker's children; and Baker's final triumph on the Paris stage in an autobiographical show called "Josephine," immediately before her death. Commercials deleted.

Details

  • NETWORK: A&E
  • DATE: 1988 10:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 1:19:28
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: T:22122
  • GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
  • SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - News/Talk; Public affairs/Documentaries; Biography; Dancers
  • SERIES RUN: A&E - TV, 1988
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Mick Csaky … Executive Producer
  • Karla Ehrlich … Producer
  • Christopher Ralling … Director
  • Raye Farr … Researcher
  • Claude Alazraki … Researcher
  • Olivier Todd … Narrator
  • Pepito Abatino
  • Josephine Baker
  • Jo Bouillon
  • Adelaide Hall
  • Grace, Princess of Monaco (See also: Kelly, Grace)
  • Max Reinhardt
  • Alain Weill
  • Sydney Williams