Frankie Baker - the Frankie of 'Frankie and Johnny'

Home of Frankie Baker
Based on historical maps of Portland, Oregon in 1950, this appears to be the previous location of a house that Frankie Baker called home at the former address of 22 North Clackamas Street.

Haunted By a Song
Frankie Baker moved to Portland after a short stint in Omaha, Nebraska trying to escape the infamous notoriety of the murder ballad, Frankie and Johnny (or Frankie and Albert). The song was a factually inaccurate representation of a night in 1899 that Baker took the life of Allen Britt in St. Louis, Missouri. By that point the song had evolved into telling that Frankie intentionally hunted down and shot Allen, despite the fact that Baker was acquitted of all charges. It has been reported that Baker first heard the song two months after Britt's death as people sang it aloud as she approached. She fled to Omaha in humiliation, only to find the song follow her there shortly thereafter.

Legal Battles and Illness
She spent much of her time at this house in the 1930's after she came down with an illness. In 1935, the film She Done Him Wrong opened in town and featured Mae West singing Frankie and Johnny. It introduced a whole new audience to the song and Baker once again found people pointing and bothering her about the details. Broke and frustrated, she decided to sue the studio that produced the film and subsequently lost. To add to her indignation, Republic Pictures then released a movie simply called Frankie and Johnny based on the story in 1936. In 1942, she sued once again for defamation.

Return to St. Louis
The trial was held in St. Louis and was widely reported in no small part because of Baker's colorful character. It turned into an interesting look into the history of ballads and their creations. Despite some compelling evidence to the contrary, it was reported that the jurors who viewed the movie with white actors had a problem seeing how this 66-year old black woman could have inspired it. According to the book, The Rose & The Briar, Hugo Monnig, representing Republic Pictures, said in his closing arguments, "Frankie Baker wants to appropriate for her own use one of the finest ballads of American folklore. If you give her a verdict, she will have a claim against anybody whoever sang the song. Send her back to Portland, Oregon, and her shoeshine business; for an honest shine, let her have an honest dime. Don't make her a rich woman, because forty years ago, she shot a little boy here in St. Louis." Baker lost the case.

Decline of Health
Baker did return to Portland and in the 1950's went before another judge to determine her competency. She informed the judge that she had taken the life of her lover in 1899, but also that she had come to Portland 100 years earlier. She was subsequently sent to a mental institution in Pendleton, Oregon.

The Location Today
Frankie Baker's house has since been torn down. Where it once stood is a parking lot that is attached to the much bigger grounds called The Rose Quarter Commons. On the grounds is the Rose Garden Arena, home of the NBA team Portland Trailblazers. It is a bit of an ironic twist, considering the apartment complex in St. Louis where Frankie shot Allen is now also part of a large sports arena, the Scottrade Center, home of the NHL St. Louis Blues.