Who Did What Now – Episode 161

Josephine Baker: Resistance Fighter – Part II

Host: Katie Charlwood
Date: September 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this dynamic continuation of Josephine Baker’s story, Katie Charlwood transports listeners from Baker’s rise as a transatlantic mega-star to her unexpected evolution as a decorated World War II resistance fighter. The episode highlights her triumphs and tragedies in Europe, grapples with the insidious reach of racism, and celebrates Baker’s subversive acts of bravery for Free France. With trademark wit and encyclopedic detail, Katie covers everything from Baker’s scandalous showbiz years to her covert espionage activities—demonstrating just how riveting history can be.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Post-Paris Stardom: Fame and Prejudice (02:00–13:00)

• Josephine becomes the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture, Siren of the Tropics, noting the film’s overt racism and stereotypes.
• “She falls into a bin of baking flour… shock, horror, she’s now white. She has to bathe to become her natural skin color again… There’s no reason to do that!” (Katie, 04:30)
• As her fame explodes across Europe, Josephine faces hostility as well: Nazi graffiti in Austria (“Black Devil”) and Catholic protests in Hungary and Vienna.
• She responds to student protestors in Hungary (who hurl ammonia bombs and bleach) by defiantly “riding around downtown Budapest in a carriage pulled by an ostrich” (Katie, 14:55).

2. On Tour: Lover, Outcast, Icon (10:30–23:00)

• Josephine’s reputation as an exoticized outsider (referred to by nicknames like “Black Pearl” and “Creole Goddess”) furthers her fame but underscores racial fetishization.
• Despite her popularity, she endures targeted racist demonstrations in South America and continued discrimination across Europe.
• She is stalked by an obsessed fan, who attempts suicide at her feet in Croatia—a taste of the dangers of celebrity.
• Josephine returns to Paris, declares she is "finished with the Charleston, the banana skirt is gone, and that she has evolved” (Katie, 19:55).

3. Navigating a World in Crisis: Loss, Love, and Survival (24:15–36:00)

• Personal tragedy: Her stepfather Arthur commits suicide; her favorite sibling Willa Mae dies from a back-alley abortion.
• She returns to the US for the Ziegfeld Follies but is barred from hotels due to segregation and racism. Forced to stay with the Japanese consul rather than in the accommodations booked by her manager.
• Her on-again-off-again manager/lover, Count Pepito, dies, leaving Josephine at a loss: “All through her performing career, she was often late, a hot mess, and the Count was very good at keeping her on time.” (Katie, 27:37)
• Josephine’s relationships expand to both women and men, including high-profile affairs with Tallulah Bankhead, Ada “Bricktop” Smith, Colette, and Frida Kahlo.

4. Marriage, Miscarriages, and the Shadow of War (36:00–41:54)

• Josephine marries Jean Lion (a French sugar heir), finally gains French citizenship, and becomes pregnant—but the relationship ends after a tragic miscarriage, echoing her lifelong dream of having a family.
• The marriage’s dissolution, along with other miscarriages, shapes her profound longing for belonging and children.

5. Josephine the Spy: Resistance and Espionage (41:54–57:50)

• With WWII looming, Josephine is recruited by Jacques Abtey, head of French military counterintelligence, and becomes a Resistance spy, smuggling secrets written in invisible ink on sheet music and hiding notes in her brassiere.
• “She smuggles secret codes on notes pinned to the inside of her brassiere… She is taking risks!” (Katie, 37:40)
• Baker uses her fame for cover, traveling freely and gathering intelligence at embassies and embassies, and sheltering resistance fighters at her chateau—sometimes even charming Nazi officers into leaving without searching her home: “She manages to charm the Nazis into actually leaving the chateau without searching it.” (Katie, 39:45)
• Josephine is arrested in Algiers for breach of contract (not espionage), and travels across North Africa, performing, gathering intel, and even hiding information in her underwear: “Everybody’s seen me naked, nobody’s gonna strip search me.” (Katie, 46:18)

6. Sacrifice and Civil Rights: War’s End and Beyond (57:50–1:06:00)

• Despite repeated illness and a series of major surgical procedures (including a hysterectomy), Josephine refuses to abandon the cause, organizing clandestine resistance HQ from her sick room and arranging escape passports for Jews.
• In North Africa, she refuses to perform for segregated audiences, insisting: “How are you going to fight racists if you’re being racist? …the Nazis were filthy racists!” (Katie, 53:50)
• She earns the Cross of Lorraine, Croix de Guerre, Rosette de la Résistance, and is made Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur by Charles de Gaulle.
• Josephine is celebrated at the Liberation of Paris, showered with flowers, then auctions off her beloved Croix de Lorraine to provide aid for those in poverty—immediately returning to activism.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On racism and misogyny in the arts:
  “You see this with a lot of performers, like especially during this time period—they’re like, ‘Yeah, movies were fine, but I couldn’t do anything. I had no control.’” (Katie, 05:10)
• On social backlash:
  “You go from Black Venus to Black Devil.” (Katie, 12:41)
• On the absurdity of her fame:
  “Josephine Baker’s response to having bleach bombs hurled at her is to ride around downtown Budapest in a carriage pulled by an ostrich… Now I don’t recall seeing that scene in Fantasia, but apparently based on a true story.” (Katie, 14:55)
• On civil rights and the hypocrisy of American GIs:
  “How are you going to fight racists if you’re being racist?” (Katie, 53:52)
• On surviving assassination attempts and espionage:
  “She smuggles secrets in her underwear—nobody’s gonna strip-search Josephine Baker!” (Katie, 46:15)
• On her legendary resilience:
  “They had cut her open so many times, they may as well have installed a zipper.” (Katie, 50:38)
• Defying death itself:
  “The United Press International released the news that Josephine Baker had died in 1942. She’s just there going, ‘I’m not quite dead.’” (Katie, 51:43)
• Her return post-Liberation:
  “She returns to Paris in her French military uniform, takes part in the Liberation parade, and ends up getting flowers just fucking lugged at her.” (Katie, 56:10)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Intro & Recap (01:46–04:00)
• Hollywood & European Fame, Prejudices (04:00–13:00)
• Touring: Triumphs & Hostilities, Nicknames, Protests (10:30–23:00)
• Personal Loss, U.S. Segregation, Death of Pepito (24:15–36:00)
• Bisexuality, Affairs, and Godmothering Orphans (31:00–36:00)
• Marriage to Jean Lion, Miscarriage, End of Relationship (36:00–41:54)
• Introduction to Resistance Work, Espionage Techniques (41:54–47:30)
• North Africa, Surgeries, Resistance HQ in Hospital (47:30–51:44)
• Civil Rights Confrontations & Racial Integration Stand (53:37–55:10)
• Liberation of Paris, Awards, Postwar Plans (56:10–60:00)

Tone and Style

Katie Charlwood maintains a humorous, candid, and irreverent tone throughout, lacing tragic historical detail with sharp social commentary and asides (“Pals, friends, Romans, countrymen. This is so racist…,” “I do love a petty bitch”). Her narrative voice is both conversational and authoritative—never shying away from calling out historical injustices, nor missing a chance for a cheeky quip.

Closing Thoughts

This episode makes clear that Josephine Baker was far more than a feathered performer—she was a woman of resilience, resistance, and revolutionary spirit. As Katie teases, the next episode will cover Baker’s postwar return to the US and her legendary work for civil rights.

“Josephine Baker was a decorated French war hero but she had a plan to right wrongs and fight injustice not just back in France but over in the USA.” (Katie, 58:57)

[End of Summary]