The Josephine Baker Story

*The Josephine Baker Story*
The Josephine Baker Story
Genre	Biography; Drama; History; Music; Romance
Screenplay by	Ron Hutchinson
Story by	Ron Hutchinson; Michael Zagor
Directed by	Brian Gibson
Starring	Lynn Whitfield; Rubén Blades; David Dukes; Craig T. Nelson; Louis Gossett Jr.
Music by	Georges Delerue; Carolyn Dennis (singing voice: Josephine Baker)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Robert Halmi Jr.; Robert Halmi Sr.; David Puttnam
Producers	John Kemeny; Madeleine Henrié (associate producer); Alisa Taylor (associate producer)
Cinematography	Elemér Ragályi
Running time	130 minutes
Production companies	Anglia Television; HBO Pictures; Sonar Entertainment
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	March 16, 1991;

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 is regarded for being the first international African-American star, despite her more prominent success 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 film was nominated for several awards and won 5 Emmy Awards for art direction, costume design, hairstyling, directing by Brian Gibson and for acting by Lynn Whitfield.

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

Lynn Whitfield as Josephine Baker
Rubén Blades as Count Giuseppe Pepito Abatino
David Dukes as Jo Bouillon
Louis Gossett Jr. as Sidney Williams
Craig T. Nelson as Walter Winchell
Kene Holliday as Sidney Bechet
Vivian Bonnell as Josephine's mother
Vivienne Eytle as Josephine's sister
Mayah McCoy as Josephine Baker Age 8
Ainsley Curry as Josephine Baker Age 13

References

External links

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