The Many Faces of Josephine Baker Quotes

“In her performances, she introduced the practice of a show’s star making her entrance from the top of a staircase.”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“Varna. He said Joséphine did not have the poise to make such a dramatic entrance. To counter the objection, Varna worked with Joséphine to improve her posture. Balancing first two books, and eventually six, on her head, she descended the stairs time and time again until she could do it with confidence.”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“Before rehearsals began, Mistinguett enlisted the aid of Earl Leslie, the show’s choreographer and her boyfriend, to make practices difficult for the young performer. Traditionally, Mistinguett entered the stage by descending a golden staircase. She did not want Joséphine to copy her, so Earl complained to”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“Varna hired Joséphine to star in the 1930–31 show called Paris qui Remue, or Swinging Paris, and he planned to alternate the years in which Mistinguett and Joséphine starred. Mistinguett objected strongly to the shared show. She also complained about the director’s purchase”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“singing and dancing more than nudity. For many years, a 54-year-old woman who went by the stage name Mistinguett had reigned over the Casino as its chief performer, but Varna believed a staged rivalry between the two women would attract more patrons.”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“His work paid off, and he got her a contract to star in a revue at the Casino de Paris, the most respectable of the city’s music halls in the 1930s. Henri Varna ran the club, which emphasized”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“discovered, she had tired of what she was doing. Her contract with Derval for the Folies performances was coming to an end. Pepito decided to focus on making her as famous as possible, and he arranged a long tour to 25 countries in Europe and South America. Before starting the tour,”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“Defender. Despite what he may have thought, he did not challenge Joséphine’s apparent bigamy. Later some diligent reporters, having determined that there was no marriage record and that the count title was fake, learned that the whole episode was a publicity stunt. Joséphine dropped the countess title. By the time the sham was”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“Joséphine as saying: “He sure is a count. I looked him up in Rome. He’s got a great big family there with lots of coats of arms and everything.” This was good news for black Americans who still faced racial prejudice in the United States. Probably the most surprised person was Willie Baker, who read the story in the Chicago”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“After finding no record of the marriage, French reporters doubted the story, but American papers picked it up with headlines proclaiming that a young black woman from St. Louis had become a countess. The June 22, 1927, issue of the Milwaukee Journal headlined: JOSEPHINE BAKER, BLACK DANCER, WEDS A REAL COUNT. They quoted”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“I feel like I’m sitting on pins and needles. I am so thrilled.” To add to her remarks, she flashed a 16-carat diamond wedding ring that she claimed she could not wear often because of its weight. She also announced that the count had given her all the jewelry and heirlooms belonging to his royal family.”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

“Needing a new way to regain attention for Joséphine, she and Pepito announced that they had married at the American embassy on her 21st birthday. The marriage was as phony as Pepito’s title of Count. But Derval capitalized on the sham marriage by placing posters all over town claiming Joséphine was now a countess. She played her part well, acting the bubbly, giddy bride at a press conference: “I’m just as happy as I can be. I didn’t have any idea that getting married was exciting”
― Peggy Caravantes, The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy