Performing in France, Josephine Baker was an instant success and became a symbol of the Jazz Age. In stage shows there she would appear practically nude and engage in erotic and unusual, unconventional loose-limbed dancing to go with a unique comic stage persona. She would even cross her eyes on purpose! 

The audience went crazy for her. She toured Europe, then returned to Paris to star at the Folies Bergere. By then she had added a pet cheetah to her act as a singer and dancer. The wild animal wore a diamond collar and terrorized stage hands, musicians, and audiences! Who continually packed houses to see her anyway. Her phenomenal success in Paris music halls soon propelled her to the status of being the highest paid entertainer in Europe.