The Josephine Baker Story

The Josephine Baker Story is an American television film that first aired on HBO on March 16, 1991. It stars Lynn Whitfield as Josephine Baker, who was an international African-American star, who was especially successful in Europe. The film was generally well received by critics and has become a success on home video and DVD. The original music score was composed by Georges Delerue.

The Josephine Baker Story
GenreBiography
Drama
History
Music
Romance
Screenplay byRon Hutchinson
Story byRon Hutchinson
Michael Zagor
Directed byBrian Gibson
StarringLynn Whitfield
Rubén Blades
David Dukes
Craig T. Nelson
Kene Holliday
Louis Gossett Jr.
Music byGeorges Delerue
Carolyn Dennis (singing voice: Josephine Baker)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersRobert Halmi Jr.
Robert Halmi Sr.
David Puttnam
ProducersJohn Kemeny
Madeleine Henrié (associate producer)
Alisa Taylor (associate producer)
CinematographyElemér Ragályi
Running time130 minutes
Production companiesAnglia Television
HBO Pictures
Sonar Entertainment
Release
Original networkHBO
Original release
  • March 16, 1991 (1991-03-16)

Plot

Born into a poor family in St. Louis, Josephine Baker struggles to make a name for herself on the vaudeville circuit. As her career progresses, so does her resentment of racial prejudice, motivating her to move to Paris—where in a short time, her exotic dance routines make her the toast of the town. Swayed by the influence of her manager, she takes the act back to America. It fails, but Josephine perseveres, proving herself as much humanitarian as entertainer.

Cast

Production

Lynn Whitfield was glad to be chosen to play Josephine Baker in this movie, but she was concerned about the scene requiring her to bare her breasts to perform Baker's famous "Banana Dance." "I was nervous about what my grandmother would think," she said, but then she warmed to the idea: "It's what you think Eve would look like."[1]

Accolades

At the 43rd Primetime Emmy Awards, the film won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for Whitfield and the Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or a Special for Brian Gibson. The film was also nominated for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special and Miniseries and the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for both Blades and Dukes.

At the 49th Golden Globe Awards, the film was nominated for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Motion Picture, Lynn Whitfield was nominated for Best Actress - Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Motion Picture, and Louis Gossett Jr. won Best Supporting Actor - Television.[2]

References
  1. "Bare-ing Up: Actress Lynn Whitfield was glad..." www.latimes.com. 10 January 1991. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  2. "Josephine Baker Story, The". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved 2022-12-20.


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