Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-07-26


. doning a theatrical troupe at Marseilles
people near to Miss Baker said:
Well We wonder"
Everybody had heard Of Miss Bakers ex-
IRENE generosity to stage people TO all kinds
OF unfortunates. Was this trial bona fde
people asked, or was IT just the Germans way
OF telling the star that the Germans preferred
"Nordc art" 10 her jungle-like, exotic stage
expression?
Again. could it be that the real grievance
was remark the light hearted Josephine
had made about-Guess who?
Frau Hermann Goering's pet cheetah!
Now Emmy Goering is the wife of the
second man in Germany. And when the Ger
mans took over in Paris Emmy went with
her Hermann. 20 do some shopping while
there was still French merchandise in the
shops Frau Goering brought her pet cheetah
She said that cheetah vas chic. And IN
city Of the chic she wanted 20 be chicest.
Now Josephine Baker also has gone in
for chectahs In fact her cheetah, Napoleon,
once leaped from her stage box, 10 roam
dangerously in the aises OF the Opera.
So. the day the dusky Josephine lunched
az the Ritz near the table Of the golden
haired Emmy Josephine took technical in
,erest in the cheetah sleeping az Frau Goer-
ug's feet Finally she remarked
IT'S nothing much Of a cheetah. It's
teeth have all fallen out. It's moth eaten.
II will pop Of in apopeXy any of these days
That remark was taken back to Emmy.
She was not pleased. She whispered 1t to
Hermann. that woman with the COM
plcxion like strong tea insulted my pet
Hermann pressed push bell Things
began TO move. Almost at once, Miss Baker
passed from one trouble to another She
ended. recently, in court with fine Under
\ a cloud reduced in fortune. an exile in land
whore once the French people called her their
queen. American Josephine Baker well may
have looked back along the parade OF her
amazing years IN France
Fifteen years ago she arrived in Paris an
insignificant young dancer, with a nimble
body and a dusky grace In year or so she
had emerged from insignihcance 10 fame. In
the course Of time the French Government
decorated her for her bizarre and exotic art.
Frenchmen courted her One Of them married
her In a few years this surprising girl be-
came the star Of the Folies Bcrgere.
But Josie, who has become so French that
she calls herself Josephine Bak-are" and
speaks English with a French accent. came
from St HeHfs- Her appearances on the stage
in America were few. She appeared in the
shuttle Along" and the reviews gave her the
chance Of a European tour.
Her biggest success came In Paris, whose
audiences. as everyone knows. will put up
with almost anything so long as the per-
formers don't overdress. Josie never over
dressed
In Paris, they have music-has non
stop reviews with tables in the theatre for
beer and wines To them. Josie gravitateu
and in them won her first acclaim.
She soon owned a country place. lie Beau
Chcne. ten miles from Paris at lie Vesinet;
she also owned "bushel basketful" of dia-
mond anklets and bracelets; the bed of Marie
Antonette: a cheetah that was excellent
publicity; and she had also. a train of ador-
ing young men.
No, dear" she would say Don't give
me a diamond bracelet 1 have a couple Of
dozen But there's a nice Gobehn tapestry
and a set of dining room chairs coming up
for auction next week. Why not bid them in
for me-"
In this way her chateau became one Of
= the finest houses of it's kind in France.
Then she explained her good fortune in
her own way. A funny old man. she said,
once made a row at the stage door back in
New York. He wanted ito get 60 talk with
Miss Josephine Baker,
Honey chile" he said, Use the red-haired,
pop-eyed, lop-shouldered seventh of a
Carolina preacher who collects iron junk
week days Me- my own self, am an eXcava-
tor in a Flatbush Grave Yard. Fact is, l
done ef a most important excavation half