Josephine Baker: Diva and WWII spy!

Double O Obasi, do you copy? Over. Yeah, Joy. I mean, double O dolo. Copy that. Over. Roger that. What's your 20? Over. You mean my location? Joy, we've been... Okay, 00 Dolo. We've been sitting next to each other, slurping milkshakes for the last ten minutes. You know my location. Over. Copy that. I just wanted us to test our new H-E-R-M-I-E, a.k.a. Hermie, issued thumb radios before we get our next spy mission. Over and out.

Ah, gotcha. These tiny communication devices disguised as our thumbs are pretty cool. Yeah, now when we spy on somebody, they'll just think we're giving them a big thumbs up when actually we're sending our super secret spy messages by talking. into our thumb radios. The perfect tool for agents of Hermie, like us. What does Hermie stand for? Historical effects retaining mystery, intrigue, and excitement? Obviously.

Oh, that must be age, with our next mission. Thumbs up! Hello, agents. I have a new assignment for you. Does the name Josephine Baker mean anything to you? Josephine Baker, the black dancer and singer who became super famous in the 1920s and 30s? Josephine Baker, who wore fancy furs and jewelry and befriended artists like Picasso? Indeed. It's good to hear you're familiar with her. What was that? Sorry, just finishing my milkshake. As I was saying...

It has come to our attention that there may be more to Ms. Baker's history than meets the eye. I need you to go through her timeline and search for clues. You got it, H. This case is going to be solved before you can say over and out. Agents, you know it's only going to take, like, half a second to say over and out. Thumbs down, thumbs down. Phew, that was a close one. Let's solve this thing.

Welcome to Forever Ago from APM Studios. I'm Joy Dolo and today I'm joined by Obasi from Oregon City, Oregon. Hey Obasi! Hey Joy, Forever Go is a non-profit public radio program. Which means we rely on support from you, our listeners, to keep the show going. There's lots of ways you can support this show. You can donate, buy our merch, or become a Smarty Pass subscriber. Head to foreverago.org to show your support. And thank you.

As top secret agents of Hermie, we go through history with a fine-toothed comb. Obasi, do you have a favorite time in history that you like to investigate? Well, the Industrial Revolution is pretty cool. There's a lot of inventions in there that I'd like to check out. Like what? I know the zipper was invented then, but how did it come to exist? It's something pretty simple that's in our everyday lives, but it's still super cool.

That's cool. The zipper was invented. That's one of those things that we kind of take for granted. Could you imagine life without zippers? That'd be something else, honestly. It would be really hard to keep your coats on. Yeah. And keep your purse closed, keep your backpack closed, you know. If you could live in a different era, what would it be? Ooh. I'd...

Probably say like, I don't know 1960 or like the 1980s because like all the music and culture back then seemed pretty cool honestly yeah yeah have you ever seen like those 80s films where they have like the big hair and like the socks and like all the fashion and stuff from the time seems so cool. Yeah.

Yeah, I think the 70s would be cool, too, like with like the kind of hippie culture and, you know, flowers and concerts. And I don't know, it just seems like a cool and a time when like young people were saying like, we're going to try to like establish ourselves as individuals.

I think that's really powerful. Yeah, I agree. Yeah. Okay, so what's one spy gadget that you wish was real? Ooh, I'd probably say like... a grappling hook that had like a recording camera and a whole bunch of things on it but just looked like something every an everyday person would use. That would be really cool because then I could just like bring it into school in my backpack and I'm like, oh no, I'm about to miss my class. I gotta get to the top floor really quickly.

Grappling hook. Bam. Grappling hook, go. And it's actually like your water bottle that just turns into a grappling hook and shoots you all the way to class. That's so cool.

So, back to our super secret mission. We've been asked to learn about the legendary dancer, Josephine Baker. The first thing we need are disguises. Pass me the glue so I can attach this fake mustache. And I'll pin this I love mayo button on my shirt. No one will ever recognize me. Right. And I'll throw on these glasses with a fake nose. Perfect. Okay, we know Josephine Baker was one of the major black female entertainers of her time. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1906.

Back then, the United States was still growing. There were only 45 states at the time. A clue! Well, more of a fact in this case. And your mustache is upside down. anyways what we do know about josephine's early life is that it was difficult right Black people in the United States faced intense racism. Laws were made and enforced by white people. Some of these laws tried to keep black and white people separate. This is known as segregation.

These laws made it so Black people, like Josephine, couldn't attend the same schools as white people. And these laws made it illegal for Black people and white people to eat in the same restaurant or even drink from the same water fountain. To top it off, Josephine's family had very little money. During this tough time, Josephine found happiness in dancing. By the time she was 13, she was performing for people on the streets of St. Louis.

Wow, I've never seen moves like that. Yeah, that kid has something special. Then, in 1923, she followed her dancing shoes to New York City. That same year, a dance called the Charleston took the country by storm. In this dance, you kind of twist your feet on the floor and step forward and backward while your arms swing side to side. Josephine's version of the Charleston was anything but basic. Her limbs shot out every which way, and she made silly faces.

Her unique take on the dance helped her get hired to perform on the stages of New York, including a musical on Broadway. But segregation and racist laws meant that some theaters didn't allow Black people inside to see Josephine. shows. Others forced Black theatergoers to sit in a separate section up in the balcony. Hey Joy, have you been able to locate any hidden historical details yet? Oh, hold on. Let me scan the fax with my Dolodar 1000. It's the latest in super-secret spy technology.

I'm not getting any abnormal readings here. Cherry with a bubblegum center. Isn't the Dolodar 1000 just a lollipop? It's not just a lollipop. It's a delicious lollipop. Okay, back to the mission. When Josephine was 19, she got her big break. A talent scout from France saw one of her performances and asked if she liked to dance in a show in Paris. Josephine decided to go for it.

France had its own problems with racism at the time, but French people had a deep appreciation for African American art and culture, and that made a big, big difference in her experience. From the moment she stepped off the boat in France, she knew things were different. Bonjour mademoiselle, may I take your bag? Right this way to your taxi. How about a pastry, fresh from my bakery? Josephine was amazed to be treated as an equal by white people in France.

In the U.S., she had to sit in separate areas of restaurants for Black people, and she often wasn't allowed in hotel lobbies. Yet here she was, having doors flung open for her and being greeted with a smile. Not long after she got to Paris, Josephine discovered that very few people had heard of the Charleston.

Remember, the Charleston was the style of dance Josephine had performed in New York, where she swung her arms and legs and made funny faces. The Charleston was super popular in the U.S. in the 1920s, but in Paris, it was brand new. At her first performance, audiences were stunned. The people of Paris went gaga. Her performances soon started selling out. I've never seen someone dance like that. May I have your autograph?

Fans started showering her with expensive gifts. I'd like to give you a gift for your singing and dancing talents. Here, take this automobile. As a token of my appreciation for singing and dancing at my theater, please accept this live cheetah as a gift. It's true. Josephine was actually given a cheetah. She would stroll the streets of Paris with her pet cheetah named Chiquita on a leash.

She also started her own line of beauty products and she became the first black woman to star in a major movie in France. Josephine's stardom was like a rocket to the moon. She was more grande than art. She had more splash than a Kardashian. Introducing the queen hip shaker, Josephine Baker!

By the late 1930s, she had conquered all the biggest stages of Europe and was at the tip top of her fame. Joy, speaking of tip top, can you reach the folder on the top of the shelf? I can't tell what's inside. But I think the label says Josephine Baker. On it. Let me just deploy my Dolo Pogo go-go boots and hop on up. Got it. Oh no, I can't stop bouncing. Here, catch! I'm okay! I'm alright. What's in the folder? Whoa.

It's a folder of sheet music Josephine used when she performed. You mean like the paper that musicians use with the music notes on it? Yeah, but it's not just music. There's a bunch of writing in between the lines. It looks like a secret code. Oh, let me see. This could be the clue we've been looking for. Before we dig into that, how about we take a little break and play?

This is the game where we take three things and put them in order from oldest to most recent in history. Today, we're going to guess which dance crazes came first. The cha-cha slide. the Macarena, and the Hokey Pokey. So what do you think, Obasi? Have you heard of these dances before?

Oh, I've heard of all of them, and I've done all of them. You've done all of them? Which one of those are your favorite? Probably the cha-cha slide. Yeah, I like the cha-cha slide, too. This is probably going to be the hardest first things first I've ever done, ever. I'm usually really good at it.

these but these all seem super old yeah yeah all right so what's your first guess what do you think is the oldest uh i'm gonna say the hokey pokey because i mean like it just sounds the oldest yeah yeah You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about. All right, so the first one's the Hokey Pokey. Then I'm going to say the Chacha Slide just because the music sounds like... 70s or like 90s to me. Yes, the 90s was a long time ago, back when I was your age.

And then the last one's going to be the Macarena. Because, I mean, like, I still see kids at my school doing it every now and then. Oh, yeah. So it kind of still seems a little new. Yeah, it's still got a new vibe to it. The Macarena still works. What is the Macarena? It's the hands with the hands. Hands go out and then they flip over. Yeah. And then you put it on your hips and you do the hey Macarena, right? Hey Macarena.

Well, those are all great guesses. So just to recap, number one was the Hokey Pokey. Number two was Cha-Cha Slide. And then the most recent in history, the Macarena. Yep. All right. Those are great guesses. We'll hear the answer. At the end of the episode. Don't dance too far away. Forever Go will be right back. Hey, Forever Go friends. We're working on an episode all about school uniforms. And we want to hear from you.

Do you think kids should wear uniforms to school? Why or why not? If you could design a school uniform for everyone in your school to wear every day, What would it look like? Oblasti, what do you think? What kind of uniform would you design? Ooh, probably something that's like comfy like pajamas, but looks very official. Like, I don't know. Ooh, a pajama business suit. Business pajamas. Puh-bus-uh-business note. Business note.

Pajama-ness. It's a work in progress. That's a cool idea, though. Something comfortable that looks professional. Do you think that kids should wear uniforms to school? I've kind of had an experience with uniforms. It really depends on what they're like. What was your experience? Well, my experience was like you had three options for the shirt, yellow, red or blue.

and two options for the bottom khaki or navy blue the first couple years were kind of fun but then it got a little old yeah yeah because you only have the same options to choose from still yeah so it's like you have a uniform but you have like an option within the the rules of it so it could be fun but i could

see how it gets boring too. Yeah. Well, listeners, we want to hear what you think about school uniforms too. So record yourself sharing your opinion or experience and send it to us at foreverago.org slash contact. And while you're there, you can send us. Like maybe a picture of me and Obasi talking into our thumb radios while slurping milkshakes. Or maybe a picture of business pajamas. Send it to us at foreverago.org slash contact. And keep listening.

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You're listening to Forever Ago. I'm Joy. And I'm Obasi. Uh, don't you mean double O Obasi? Copy that double O dolo. Ah! It's a call from our super-secret spy line. Agents, what's the status of the Josephine Baker case? Time is running out. Well, we've been following a lot of leads, like how Josephine followed her dreams of becoming a dancer by going to New York when she was a teenager. Hmm. And get this, she was offered a chance to dance in Paris.

But unlike the United States, in Europe, she found herself able to move freely, perform, and mingle with black and white people. Interesting, but remember... The mission was to search for lesser-known stories about Josephine Baker's life. Agents, I'm gonna need to pull this case from you if you can't see- No, wait, H. Just give us a little more time.

Yeah, I think we're close. We found some of Josephine's old sheet music, and there's some secret writing on it. A promising clue. This could be the break you've been looking for. I'll give you until the end of the day to come back with some answers. And be on the lookout for a special communique, code word, diamond. Thanks, H. You won't regret this. Over and out. Hmm.

Let me see that old sheet music. Oh, there's a date on it. Looks like 1940-something, but it's smudged. I can't quite make it out. well 1940 is when many countries all over the world split into two sides that fought each other it was called world war ii It was a complicated time, with neighboring countries turning against each other. Obasi, you said you like World War II history. What was happening in the early 1940s?

So there were three main countries trying to get as much land and power as they could. Italy, Japan, and Germany. The German soldiers were called Nazis. They were led by Adolf Hitler, who was fueled by racism and hatred, especially for Jewish people. April 9th, Norway invaded. One month later, Holland falls. Beloved Queen Vilhelmina seeks refuge abroad. May 28th, Leopold, King of the Belgium, surrenders and the world despairs.

June 5th, the critical battle of France begins. While France fights for its life, Italy marches beside Germany. European countries like Great Britain, Russia, and France joined forces to fight back. Aside from wars on the battlefield, there also were wars of information. Spies crisscrossed Europe to gather secrets that could help their side win.

Oh, whoa, whoa. This is a top secret communication device with a highly secure password. Who goes there? Hi, I'm Hannah Diamond. Oh. Diamond, the secret code word that H mentioned. Hi, Hannah. Do you perhaps know anything about the famous entertainer Josephine Baker? Well, it just so happens that I've written a book about Josephine Baker's life during World War II. Standby for dossier transmission. Whoa, Joy. Hannah just emailed us a ton of information about Josephine. Check it out.

Yes, I see. It's about a French spy from World War II named Jacques Abté. Here, look. It says this Jacques guy knew Josephine Baker. And that he traveled with her as a manager or something? In reality, he was her spy handler. Wait, Josephine Baker was... A spy? So this spy guy Jacques was just pretending to be her manager? He was helping her to carry out missions and he was able to travel in disguise and nobody noticed him because Josephine Baker was such a big star.

And all people did was look at her. Whoa, Josephine was a huge star and a spy? Just like me. Oh, huh. Does this mean every celebrity is also a super secret spy? Beyonce? Chapel Roan? Jason Momoa? Darren Hayes of Savage Garden? Ariana Grande? Joy! Joy! Focus! It all makes sense. Josephine had this perfect cover. She was a huge celebrity, so no one suspected her. She could hide in plain sight. Hmm. But how does singing and dancing get an enemy's secrets? Do you know, Hannah?

Well she was able to get invitations to embassies and places where there were people gathering. because she wanted to find out what they were thinking about the Second World War. For example, she managed to get into the Italian embassy and listen to what people said. Oh, I get it. Even though Italy and France were fighting during World War II, Josephine was still a beloved performer. And everybody loves a celebrity.

So getting invited to special events, even those on the enemy side, didn't look out of the ordinary. And she'd overhear secrets there. How did she remember everything? So she could tell the French army. Yeah, there was no internet or text messaging. What happened, Hannah? Well, the story is that she would write sometimes on her arm.

or she would write on tiny bits of paper that she would pin on the insides of her clothes, sometimes in her underwear, or she would wear these big skirts and hide them in the folds of the skirt. And she would say famously, no one would ever dare to search Josephine Baker. And in this way, she was able to pass through borders and carry this information to the people who needed to know. Ooh, a très chic sneak.

Sometimes she didn't know the content of the information that she smuggled through the borders. It was written in invisible ink and sometimes even it was coded as well. I bet that's what's in the folder we found. The papers that look like sheet music with the coded messages. Oh, Bossy, you're right. But why was she doing all this? She had a super successful career as a singer and dancer. Why did she become a spy?

Okay, think about this. During World War II, Germany invaded France, and Josephine loved France. The people there had welcomed her as an equal, and she wanted to protect it. So cool. It sounds like she took tons of risks to do this spy work. Joy, check out this picture that Hannah sent over. It's Josephine, but she looks older.

Huh. And she's at some kind of huge gathering with a microphone in front of her. Zooming in. And she's wearing her French uniform. It's covered with medals. Oh, Bossy, look. The Croix de Guerre. France's highest military honor? Well, that's some metal. Yeah, so I guess after the war, France celebrated all she did. She became a celebrity and a war hero. Oh, and look, the picture is dated August 28, 1963, the date of the March on Washington. So she made it back to the U.S.

The March on Washington was a huge protest in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered to demand equal treatment for Black Americans. It's also where Martin Luther King Jr. made his historic I Have a Dream speech. And it looks like Josephine gave a speech too. What does the transcript say? Swipe to the next document. Josephine said...

After so many long years of struggle fighting here and elsewhere for your rights, our rights, the rights of humanity, the rights of man, I'm glad that you have accepted me to come. I didn't ask you. I didn't have to. I just came because it was my duty. Then she ends. You are on the eve of complete victory. Continue on. You can't go wrong. The world is behind you.

Wow. So during World War II, when France was invaded, she fought for them. And then years later, after the war ended, she kept fighting for equality. Right. She wanted black people in the U.S. to be treated the same as white people. Incredible. Nice work, 00O Bossy. And thanks, Hannah. We couldn't have done it without you. Goodbye. That must be H. I can't wait to share what we found. Time's up, agents.

What do you got for me? We checked into Josephine Baker's life. From growing up in a segregated country, she followed her dreams to become a dancer and move to New York. Then at 19, she got her big break, a chance to perform at a show in Paris. The people of Paris had never seen someone who danced like her. She made silly faces while her limbs shot out in all different directions. Soon, she became a mega superstar in Europe.

And here's the kicker. During World War II, Josephine became a spy for France. Her celebrity status was the perfect disguise. She could travel freely, meet influential people, and smuggle out their secrets. And she never stopped being a champion of equal rights in France and in the United States. Wow! Great work, 00s. If Josephine Baker were still around today, I think she'd fit right in as an agent of Hermie. Now, for your next assignment, I'm putting you on the Limburger experiment.

It's a very important case to find the absolute stinkiest cheese in history. Thumbs down! Thumbs down! Thumbs down! This episode was written by Mark Sanchez. It was produced by Nico Gonzalez-Whistler and It was edited by... Engineering help from Jess Berg and Nate Scholl. With sound design by Rachel Breeze. Original theme music by Mark Sanchez. We had additional production help from the rest of the Brains On Universe team. Molly Bloom. Rosie DuPont. Anna Goldfield.

Lauren Humpert, Joshua Ray, Mark Sanchez, Sandin Totten, Charlotte Traver, Anna Wegel, and Aron Woldeselassi. Beth Perlman is our executive producer, and the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith. Special thanks to Dr. Arlesha Norwood, Hannah Diamond, and Kimberly Callow. Hannah's book, Josephine Baker's Secret War, came out earlier this year. It's all about Baker's time as a spy. Okay, Obasi, are you ready to hear the answers for First Things First?

Yeah, I'm super ready but I'm also pretty nervous. Oh, don't be nervous. This is the best part. Just a reminder, we're putting these three dance crazes in order. And you said number one was the hokey pokey. Number two was the cha-cha slide. And number three was the Macarena. Are you ready to hear what the answer is? Yep. Okay, you know what? You did pretty good. All right. So first up was the Hokey Pokey. You were absolutely right. Ooh.

The Hokey Pokey by the Ray Anthony Orchestra was invented in 1953. And so in this version, it's the one we know today, but several people have tried to take credit for writing it. It was released as a double A-sized single. which means two hits on one record. The other song was The Bunny Hop. So that was number one. And then second was the Macarena. And so the Macarena was by Los Del Rio and that came out in 1993. So you were absolutely right about the 90s. Yeah. So the Bayside Boy.

That's pretty high. That's pretty high. And I was eight years old, just so everybody knows. Don't add up how old I am now. So Los Del Rio is from Spain and had released 31 albums before finally landing on their big hit, The Macarena. There are many different versions of the song, including one that lasts 18 minutes. That's pretty long.

I know. I don't know if I can Macarena that long. I think I got a good seven probably in me. So last but certainly not least is The Cha-Cha Slide by DJ Casper. And that one came out in 2000. So the actual name of this song is Cha-Cha... slide part two the lyrics were made up for dj casper's nephew who taught the moves in an aerobics class that is so cool uh originally called casper slide part one dj casper used a piece of music by an artist called

He decided to re-record his own music with the band he put together, and the song has been playing at weddings, school dances, and dance clubs all over the world ever since. Have you ever danced to the cha-cha slide at a wedding or a school dance? Oh, I've danced to it so many times at like school dances or like during PE2. Yeah. Cha-cha, real smooth. turn it out. That's one of my favorite dances. Were you surprised by any of these answers? Quite a bit.

The cha-cha slide in 2000? That seemed more like the 90s. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it was fairly close. It was right on the cusp of it, right at the turn of the century, if you will. But it wasn't that long ago. I'm surprised that the Hokey Pokey was from 1953. I thought it would be from, like, way earlier. Cool, but you did a great job. You got the first one right. Yeah. Hokey Pokey. Nailed it. You did so great.

We'll be back next week with a new episode all about school uniforms. Thanks for listening.