Cabaret Idol of Paris

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6867, 23 March 1929, Page 20 (Supplement)

Cabaret Idol of Paris

Y the death of Gaby Deslys, Paris was deprived of its idol. Paris without an idol is a child without a doll. A new star, however, is now

firmly established in the affections of Parisian music-hall habitues, and bids fair to become as popular as her predecessor in the affections of the populace of the French capital. Gaby Deslys was a blonde —she was certainly preferred by gentlemen—and fairer than most blondes. With their characteristic love of variety and contrast, the Parisians have chosen as her successor Josephine Baker, a “coloured lady,” hailing from America. She made her first appearance in Paris four years ago, when she was chosen to appear in the Folies Bergeres. Ever on the look-out for novelty, the audience received her with enthusiasm, and her name quickly became known. In the following year she was given the leading part at the world-famous music hall, and her popularity increased-. It has grown with each succeeding season, till now her name is known all over the Continent, and she is the cause of many an American “t.b.m.” (the tired business man is now too tired to pronounce his name in full) suddenly discovering that his business necessitates an urgent visit to Paris. She draws full houses nightly to the Folies Bergeres, and seats becofne increasingly difficult to secure. Coloured artists have always been popular in Paris, but never so much so as now. None, however, has yet succeeded in rivalling the adored Josephine.

As she appears on the stage, she resembles a good-looking boy. Her figure is as near perfection as possible, and as perfection should be, is unveiled. Long, clean limbs, slim waist, and shapely shoulders emerge from the doubtful concealment of an ostrich feather or two, or a charmingly arranged girdle of bananas. Josephine, no doubt, is grateful to the American invention of central heating. Her skin is dark, but of a warm, golden brown, rather than black. Her hair,

JOSEPHINE BAKER, THE COLOURED DANCER WHO RULES AT THE FOLIES BERGERES.

cropped closer than most Eton cuts, is plastered down firmly, and is glossier than polished ebony. Teeth of flashing white, and heavily rouged lips, add to her exotic attraction. Her charm lies mainly in her invigorating personality and extraordinary vitality. With a natural and infectious smile, she dances her way through Charleston after Charleston, and her energy never seems to flag, though her admirers demand encore after encore. In one of her most popular scenes she appears as the impersonation of a white explorer’s dream-woman. The explorer, with his native carriers, pitches camp for the night on the banks of a river across which a huge forest giant has fallen. Thick, tropical foliage covers it, and the water flows silently beneath. He falls asleep and dreams. The rich green of the tropical vegetation and the bluish light of the moon as it filters through closely-knit branches overhead make an appropriate background for the coloured actress, who appears on the fallen tree and dances to a slow native tune, sinuous and savage. Of her the white man dreams, alone in the heart of Africa.

In another scene, a huge ball of flowers, previously suspended from the ceiling, slowly descends. As it reaches the level of the stalls it opens; one half rises again to the ceiling, and on the other half, the surface of which is formed of a mirror, the dusky beauty is seen lying at full length. Clad in a magnificent belt of emerald green ostrich feathers, she performs strange barbaric dances on the mirror at astonishing speed, and the ball closes on her, radiant with infectious laughter. The excited Parisian audience, intoxicated with colour and movement, is in an uproar, and recalls its favourite repeatedly. At the end of the performance, her energy unabated, the popular actress leaves the theatre to appear at her own cabaret in Montmartre. Here, “chez Josephine,” the cream of Parisian society, jazzes away the early morning hours. Into a room scarcely large enough to hold a hundred, two or three times that number crowd, cheerfully dancing on each other’s toes in order to be near their hostess. Each of her guests may dance with her, if he can get near enough, for she makes it a rule to dance with every m'&n who asks her. Once admitted to her hospitality, all are on an equal footing. Josephine is generous.