The Josephine Baker Story (1991) on Netflix
R19912h 10mBiographyDramaHistory
Josephine Baker grows up poor in St. Louis and cannot break through on the vaudeville circuit. Racial prejudice drives her to Paris, where her dance routines make her a star.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.1/101,722 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes73%
Plot summary
An African-American performer Josephine Baker starts out poor and struggling in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1917 and works the vaudeville circuit. Her career advances slowly, and her anger at racial prejudice grows. She leaves the United States for Paris, where she becomes a major performer, dancing in cabarets through the 1920s and 1930s and winning recognition in the city with her exotic routines.
Cast
- Mayah McCoyas Josephine -Age 8
- Ainslie Currieas Josephine - Age 13
- Pierre Magnyas Poul Colin
- Franco Brittas Victor (as Franco Iiriti)
- George Faisonas Emcee in Harlem Club
Show all 20 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Lynn Whitfield was glad to be cast as Josephine Baker but worried about the scene requiring her to bare her breasts for Baker's famous “Banana Dance”: “I was nervous about what my grandmother would think,” she said, before warming to the idea.
- At the 43rd Primetime Emmy Awards the film won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for Lynn Whitfield and Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or a Special for Brian Gibson.
- At the 49th Golden Globe Awards, Louis Gossett Jr. won Best Supporting Actor - Television for the film, while Lynn Whitfield was nominated for Best Actress in a limited series, anthology series or television motion picture.
