Josephine’s Triumph

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 218, 3 December 1927, Page 24 (Supplement)

Josephine’s Triumph

Negress Who Runs Cabaret That Attracts All Europe

aOSEPHINE BAKER, the made such a triumph in the “Revue Negre,” at Champs-Elysees, has exploited her success most practically. She has become directress of a night cafe which has attained unheard of vogue. xVU Paris goes to Josephine's cabaret, also every visitor the capital counts, in quest of Parisian sensations. A recent visitor to Paris gives an impression of the new cafe and its leading figure.

There is no animation in the cafe until Josephine Baker arrives. The atmosphere is grey, and everyone seems to find existence very boring. But Josephine arrives, and her presence produces an astonishing exhilarating effect. Eyes commence to sparkle, glasses are refilled, the orchestra puts new life into its saxophones and banjos, and an air of expectancy pervades the whole cafe. Behind Josephine Baker follows a young man with a small, brown moustache slightly curled. His face is pale and mysterious. it is the “happy husband” of the black Venus. Josephine slips out of her cloak and appears in a, clinging robe which some satirical spirits-have designated a bathing-gown. 1 tis in white silk, printed with neo-cubist designs in red and black. Pearl fringes stir with the least movement, and as Josephine's supple body Is never still there is a constant scintillation. She laughs, bends her body from the hips, puffs out her cheeks, turns her eyes and puts out her tongue. She passes her hand over the bald head of a gentleman, who, surprised and charmed, reddens, gets up. sits down again, stammers and avails himself of a gulp of champagne to hide his confusion. She sits on the knees of a distin-guished-looking elderly gentleman and

t-wists her fingers with golden nails in his flowing white beard, then, with a childish laugh, disarms the wrath of his choking w-ife. Two beautiful women enter the door, followed by a gentleman with a distinguished Asiatic-looking face. The French people present nudge their elbows. It is a foreign Minister of State. When he is seated, Josephine Baker, who had been singing and dancing, alone makes her way toward him and invites him to take a lesson in the Charleston. He smiles, gets up and follows her to the small platform. Then, showing an astonishing facility for the Charleston, he follows every one of Josephine’s steps. There is much applause and stamping of feet. The gentleman with the white beard is the next to follow the Minister, while his wife tries to smile and hide her annoyances. lie hops about after Josephine, tries to stretch his neck as she does, and puts out his tongue, looking as if he would have a fit. of apoplexy. The music quickens, then, at the end of his resources, with perspiration dripping from his forehead, he returns to his seat with a smile of triumph. And his wife regards him with n new tenderness. All the gentlemen dance in turn with Josephine. No one refuses. Then she invites the ladies. But the fear of ridicule and also the fear that they will suffer in comparison to this incomparable exponent of jazz dancing, brings forth an emphatic refusal.

Josephine Baker, laughing always, goes to rejoin her escort. She exchanges a gay raillery with the dancers, caressing a head here and a chin there. Her husband, still pale and sad, never protests, and looks as though lie would willingly undergo every torture for the pleasure of seeing a, smile light her sombre eyes and sparkle from her white teeth.