"Follies Bergere" JOSEPHINE BAKER "Un Vent de Folie" Irving Berlin 1927 Program

Description

This is a rare March 1927 programme (playbill) from a performance of "UN VENT DU FOLIE" ("A Breeze of Folly") at the Follies-Bergere in Paris, France ..... Featured among the entertainers was the legendary JOSEPHINE BAKER (third scanned image), MARIA DITRIX, RENE RUDEAU, ERNA CARISE, FOWLER and TAMARA, Les DOREY SISTERS, ROGER VINCENT, LILA NICOLSKA, GEORGES CAHUZAC, ALINE RENSKA, JANE PYRAC, JANE DE BALZAC, JACK STANFORD, LOUIS VONELLY, ED. CASTEL, GEORGES TRIEL, THE THOMPSON JAZZ ORCHESTRA and JOHN TILLER'S FOLIES STARS. Among those designing scenery and costumes were MAX WELDY, PIERRE THIRRIOT, DESHAYS et ARNAUD and MARC-HENRY et LAVERDET and among the composers and lyricists were IRVING BERLIN, MAURICE HERMITE, VINCENT SCOTTO, JOSE PADILLA and JEAN BOYER (credits shown in the second scanned image) ..... Biography: American born JOSEPHINE BAKER (1906-1975) landed a role in the road company of Sissle and Blake's
Shuffle Along
(1923) at the age of 17 and made her Broadway debut the following year in
The Chocolate Dandies
(1924). She appeared with Ethel Waters in the floor show at New York's Plantation Club and soon became a crowd favorite. In 1925, at the peak of France's obsession with American Jazz and all things exotic, Baker traveled to Paris to perform in
La Revue Negre
at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees. She made an immediate impression on French audiences, however it was the following year, at the Follies-Bergere Music Hall that Baker's career would reach a major turning point. In a performance called
La Folie du Jour
, Baker danced wearing little more than a skirt made of sixteen bananas. The show was wildly popular with Parisian audiences and Baker was soon among the highest paid performers in Europe, having become an overnight sensation. Her striking beauty cemented her celebrity status as she rivaled Gloria Swanson and Mary Pickford as the most photographed women in the world. She returned to the United States periodically, but her talents were never fully appreciated due primarily to racism and the American public's unwillingness to accept the idea of a black woman with so much sophistication and power. She dedicated the last years of her life fighting for racial equality. Josephine reluctantly agreed to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1974 for a benefit. Due to previous experience, she was nervous about how the audience and critics would receive her. This time, however, cultural and racial growth was evident and Josephine received a standing ovation before the concert even began. The enthusiastic welcome was so touching that she wept openly on stage. On April 12th, 1975, just days after performing at the Bombino Theatre in Paris, Josephine slipped into a coma and died from a cerebral hemorrhage. (Reprinted in part from the Bio.True Story website.) ..... DETAILS: This 36 page programme measures 6 1/8" X 8 1/2" inches and includes full production credits, individual photos of many of the performers, scenes and musical numbers and wonderful vintage advertising, but no cast bios ..... CONDITION: With the exception of moderate edge wear, this rare program is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.