Dona Drake
| Dona Drake | |
|---|---|
| File:Dona Drake.jpg | |
| Born | Eunice Westmoreland November 15, 1914 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Rita Rio, Una Velon, Rita Shaw[1] |
| Occupation | Actress, singer, dancer |
| Years active | 1933–1977 |
| Spouse(s) | William Travilla (1944-1989) (her death) |
| Children | Nia Novella Travilla (b. 1951) |
Dona Drake (born Eunice Westmoreland; November 15, 1914 – June 20, 1989) was an American singer, dancer and film actress in the 1930s and 1940s. She also toured in an all-girl orchestra in the early 1940s.
Early life
She was born Eunice Westmoreland in Miami, Florida, in 1914 to Joseph Andrew Westmoreland of Arkansas and his wife, Novella Smith of Alabama. She was one of their five children.[2]
Career
Entering show business in the 1930s, she used the names Una Velon, Rita Rio and Rita Shaw.[1] She settled on the stage name Dona Drake in the early 1940s. Studio publicity during her heyday incorrectly stated that Drake was of Mexican origin and was born Rita Novella.[3] (Novella was actually her mother's first name.) U.S. Census reports on her family history show her grandparents were one black couple and one couple that was black/white.
Because of her features and dark curly hair, filmmakers often cast her when they needed to fill the role of an ethnic character, such as a Latina, a Middle Easterner, a Native American or a Gypsy. She is perhaps best known for playing the American Indian maid of Bette Davis in Beyond the Forest. She also appeared as an Arab girl opposite Bob Hope in Road to Morocco in 1942. In 1944 she appeared in a B-movie titled "Hot Rhythm" as one of the leading characters, a big band singer. This movie featured Irene Ryan (Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies) as the ditsy secretary.
Drake had a notable "non-ethnic", non-musical role as the second female lead in the 1949 comedy The Girl from Jones Beach, playing opposite Eddie Bracken. The year before, she gave a memorable comic performance as the fortune-hunting sister in So This Is New York.
In the early 1940s, Drake toured with an all-girl orchestra called "The Girl Friends" throughout the United States.[4] Fellow actresses Marie Wilson, Toby Wing, and Faith Bacon were also part of the orchestra.
Personal life
In 1936, Drake was questioned by the FBI about the murder of her then-boyfriend and known mobster, Louis Amberg. She claimed to only know him as "Mr. Cohen" and had no idea what he did for a living.
Drake married fashion designer William Travilla on August 19, 1944. They were married until her death and had one daughter, Nia (b. August 16, 1951 - d. October 1, 2002).[2] William Travilla appeared on the March 24, 1960, episode of "You Bet Your Life", hosted by Groucho Marx; he introduced his elegantly dressed wife, Dona, to the audience.[5]
Death
Drake died in Los Angeles, California on June 20, 1989, at the age of 74 of pneumonia and respiratory failure. She was cremated and her ashes scattered at sea.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Moonlight and Melody | Rita | credited as Rita Rio |
| 1936 | Strike Me Pink | Mademoiselle Fifi | credited as Rita Rio |
| 1938 | Sweet Shoe | Rita Rio | credited as Rita Rio |
| 1938 | Beautiful, But Dummies | Model | credited as Rita Ray |
| 1939 | Gals and Gallons | Orchestra Leader | credited as Rita Rio |
| 1939 | Rita Rio and Her Orchestra | Rita Rio | played self in this 10-minute short[7] |
| 1941 | I Look at You | Rita Rio | With Alan Ladd. |
| 1941 | Fresh as a Freshman | Rita Rio | |
| 1941 | Aloma of the South Seas | Nea | first film credit as Dona Drake[3] |
| 1941 | Louisiana Purchase | Beatrice | |
| 1942 | Road to Morocco | Mihirmah | credited as Dona Drake |
| 1943 | Star Spangled Rhythm | herself | performs song "On the Swing Shift" with Marjorie Reynolds and Betty Jane Rhodes |
| 1943 | Salute for Three | Dona Drake and Her Girl Band | credited as Dona Drake |
| 1943 | Let's Face It | Muriel | |
| 1944 | Hot Rhythm | Mary Adams | |
| 1946 | Without Reservations | Dolores Ortega | |
| 1946 | Dangerous Millions | Elena Valdez | |
| 1948 | Another Part of the Forest | Laurette Sincee | |
| 1948 | So This Is New York | Kate Goff | |
| 1949 | The Doolins of Oklahoma | Cattle Annie | |
| 1949 | The Girl from Jones Beach | Connie Martin | |
| 1949 | Beyond the Forest | Jenny | |
| 1950 | Fortunes of Captain Blood | Pepita Maria Rosados | |
| 1951 | Valentino | Maria Torres | |
| 1952 | Kansas City Confidential | Teresa | |
| 1953 | The Bandits of Corsica | Zelda | |
| 1953 | Son of Belle Starr | Dolores | |
| 1953 | Down Laredo Way | Narita | |
| 1953 | Adventures of Superman | Joyce | episode 35 "The Dog Who Knew Superman" 9th episode of 1953; aired 14 November |
| 1954 | Superman Flies Again | Joyce | theatrical re-release of 3 episodes of the television series included episode 35[8][9] |
| 1954 | Princess of the Nile | Mirva | |
| 1954 | City Detective | Francesca | 1 episode |
| 1955 | Soldiers of Fortune | Cheu | 1 episode |
| 1955 | The Lone Wolf | Lee | 1 episode |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dona Drake at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZbufa1lsdQ&list=PLiysj-EKbPPqnbL63xLO5G27jkP0_Cr3P&index=26
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Rita Rio and Her Orchestra at IMDb
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Superman Flies Again (1954) at IMDb
External links
- Dona Drake at Find a Grave
- Dona Drake at the Internet Movie Database
- Dona Drake at AllMovie
- Dona Drake at the TCM Movie Database
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