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IMDbPro

The Josephine Baker Story

  • TV Movie
  • 1991
  • R
  • 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
Home Video Trailer from HBO Home Video
Play trailer2:00
1 Video
32 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory

Born poor in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine Baker achieved fame and fortune through her sizzlingly exotic, erotic performances. Starting life on the American Vaudeville circuit, success take... Read allBorn poor in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine Baker achieved fame and fortune through her sizzlingly exotic, erotic performances. Starting life on the American Vaudeville circuit, success takes Josephine to Paris where her semi-nude dancing causes an international sensation. Throug... Read allBorn poor in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine Baker achieved fame and fortune through her sizzlingly exotic, erotic performances. Starting life on the American Vaudeville circuit, success takes Josephine to Paris where her semi-nude dancing causes an international sensation. Through her marriages to an Italian pseudo-count and an orchestra leader, to her bond with army ... Read all

  • Director
    • Brian Gibson
  • Writers
    • Ron Hutchinson
    • Michael Zagor
  • Stars
    • Lynn Whitfield
    • Rubén Blades
    • David Dukes
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Brian Gibson
    • Writers
      • Ron Hutchinson
      • Michael Zagor
    • Stars
      • Lynn Whitfield
      • Rubén Blades
      • David Dukes
    • 11User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 5 Primetime Emmys
      • 9 wins & 12 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Josephine Baker Story
    Trailer 2:00
    Watch The Josephine Baker Story

    Photos32

    Lynn Whitfield in The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    Lynn Whitfield in The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    Lynn Whitfield in The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    Lynn Whitfield in The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
    The Josephine Baker Story (1991)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lynn Whitfield
    Lynn Whitfield
    • Josephine Baker
    Rubén Blades
    Rubén Blades
    • Count Giuseppe Pepito Abatino
    David Dukes
    David Dukes
    • Jo Bouillon
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    • Sidney Williams
    Craig T. Nelson
    Craig T. Nelson
    • Walter Winchell
    Kene Holiday
    Kene Holiday
    • Sidney Bechet
    • (as Kene Holliday)
    Vivian Bonnell
    Vivian Bonnell
    • Josephine's Mother
    Mayah McCoy
    • Josephine -Age 8
    Ainslie Currie
    • Josephine - Age 13
    Pierre Magny
    • Poul Colin
    Franco Britt
    • Victor
    • (as Franco Iiriti)
    George Faison
    • Emcee in Harlem Club
    Robert Lesser
    Robert Lesser
    • Copa City Manager
    Luis Reyes
    • Josephine's Father
    Vivienne Eytle
    • Josephine's Sister
    Frédéric Norbert
    • The dancer
    Eartha Robinson
    • Female Singer…
    Paula Brown
    • Amateur Female Singer…
    • Director
      • Brian Gibson
    • Writers
      • Ron Hutchinson(story) (teleplay)
      • Michael Zagor(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed in over one hundred different locations, with eighty speaking parts, and six thousand extras, this movie was given the biggest budget of any HBO production (up until that time), as well the network's most extensive promotional campaign.
    • Goofs
      The scene starting at about 1 hour the film which has Josephine Baker appearing at a US military show, during World War II, has many 46 Star US flags as stage dressing. The 46 star flag was used from 1908 to 1912, it was replaced with the 48 star flag in 1913 after New Mexico and Arizona entered the Union in 1912. The 46 star flags are over 30 years out of date in this scene.
    • Quotes

      Josephine Baker: What am I most ashamed of in my life? Not keeping my promise to my sister and being too scared of America to attend her funeral.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 43rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      Me Revoilà Paris
      Music by Dany Revel

      Lyrics by Dany Revel

      Performed by Carolyn Dennis

    User reviews11

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Still making the headlines today !
    Fabulous acting from Lyn Whitfield. She gives a lot of oomph to the story and is so full of zest and energy. She really took on the persona of Josephine and brought her to life.

    And, even today, 23 August 2021, 46 years after she died, she's still making headlines : Joséphine Baker to be first black woman to enter France's Panthéon.

    Baker will be just the sixth woman to join some 80 national heroes in the Panthéon.

    What an amazing woman !
    helpful•2
    0
    • scotchproductions
    • Aug 23, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 16, 1991 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Hungary
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Josephine Baker
    • Filming locations
      • Budapest, Hungary
    • Production companies
      • HBO Pictures
      • RHI Entertainment
      • Anglia Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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