Voting Station

Frankie Baker

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Murderer

The Resume

    (January 1, 1876-January 1, 1952)
    Born in St. Louis, Missouri
    Shot Allen 'Albert' Britt to death in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 15, 1899
    Known as the basis for the 'Frankie and Johnny' folk ballad
    Found not guilty of murder on November 13, 1899

Why she might be annoying:

    She was five years older than her seventeen-year-old lover, Allen, when she shot him to death during an argument over another woman.
    She was arrested numerous times, before and after the murder, for prostitution.
    She was described by a neighbor as 'a beautiful, light brown girl, who liked to make money and spend it.'
    She had a long, trademark razor scar down her cheek she got from a fight with another girl as a teenager.
    Bill 'Barroom Bard' Dooley composed and performed a ballad on the very night of the murder (originally titled 'Frankie Killed Allen,' eventually becoming 'Frankie and Johnny')
    The song's earliest form accuses her of snorting cocaine.
    The song in its best known format has Allen/Johnny cheating on Frankie with prominent American journalist,Nellie Bly, who had virtually nothing to do with the case (changed from the less musical name, 'Alice Pryar').
    Many versions of the song detail her execution (usually in the electric chair), even though she was acquitted.
    She unsuccessfully sued Paramount and Mae West, in 1938, over the usage of the song in 'She Done Him Wrong' (1933), claiming West's character was based on her.
    She sued Republic Pictures for royalties of the movie 'Frankie and Johnny' withHelen Morgan (Singer), in 1942, but lost again.
    She was committed to an insane asylum in 1950, where she died two years later.
    Some have argued that the song predates Britt's murder and that she is not the basis for the song.
    Her own obituary called her 'senile,' 'insane' and 'embittered' 'by 'her inability to make money from the famous ballad.'

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was abused, severely beaten, and frequently cheated on, by Britt, who was her pimp.
    She was defending herself against Britt, who broke into her apartment with a knife and tried to kill her (she shot him once in the chest).
    She was found not guilty of homicide charges on grounds of self defense on Friday 13th (whether it was bad luck or not is anyone's guess).
    She was haunted to the end of her days by the shooting.
    The song's popularity led her to flee first to Nebraska and then to Oregon.
    She quit prostitution and opened a successful shoeshine parlor in Portland.
    The release and subsequent success of 'She Done Him Wrong' resulted in the reopening of old wounds, with reporters, autograph seekers, and gawkers/spectators crowding outsider her home.
    Republic Pictures reportedly paid a writer who had identified Frankie as the song's basis to perjure on the stand and claim he never did, subsequently costing her the court case and royalties.
    Over 250 artists have sang adaptations of 'Frankie and Johnny' - among them Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Elvis Presley, Mae West, Sam Cooke, Mississippi John Hurt, and Lindsay Lohan.
    She was a 19th Century Marissa Alexander (without the prison sentence).
    She would be a perfect NRA spokesperson for today's Guns Rights activists (she slept with her pistol under her pillow for protection).
    She is yet another example of white entertainers lifting material from black performers, making it their own, and then denying credit to the original source.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 20 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 30 Votes: 46.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 42 Votes: 52.38% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 13 Votes: 61.54% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 26 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 24 Votes: 58.33% Annoying