Acquanetta

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the American movie actress. For the African-American dancer, see Mildred Davenport.

Acquanetta
Ahwatukee, Arizona, U.S.
Resting placeParadise Memorial Gardens, Scottsdale, Arizona
OccupationActress
Years active1942–1953
Spouses
Luciano Bashuk
​
​
(m. 1948; div. 1950)​
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1953)​
Children5

Acquanetta (born Mildred Davenport; July 17, 1921 – August 16, 2004),[a] nicknamed "The Venezuelan Volcano", was an American B-movie actress during the 1940s and 1950s. Acquanetta was most known for her "exotic" beauty.

Early years

The facts of Acquanetta's origins are not known with certainty.

Spanish Harlem posing as a Venezuelan before moving to Mexico, then Venezuela to obtain citizenship. The article suggests that the Arapaho orphan story was invented because she was unable to produce any identification for the Screen Actors Guild.[7]

According to the 1940

US Census, she had five siblings, including a sister, Kathryn Davenport,[5][10] and a brother, Horace Davenport, who was, according to the Pennsylvania Bar Association, "the first African-American judge in Montgomery County."[5][11]

Film career

Acquanetta started her career as a model in New York City

RKO where she acted in her only big-budget movie, Tarzan and the Leopard Woman.[5]

Personal life

In 1947, Acquanetta and "Mexican-Jewish millionaire" Luciano Baschuk had a son, Sergei (variously Sergio), who died of cancer in 1952 at age five,

KPOL (AM) in Los Angeles.[5]

By 1955 she had married

1974. The couple settled in Mesa, Arizona,[19] and she returned to a degree of celebrity by appearing with Ross in his local television advertisements,[12] and also by hosting a local television show called Acqua's Corner that accompanied the Friday late-night movies.[5] The couple were prominent citizens, donating to the Phoenix Symphony and the construction of Mesa Lutheran Hospital and founding Stagebrush Theatre.[3] She and Ross had four sons together, Lance, Tom, Jack Jr. and Rex, before divorcing in the early 1980s.[19][20] In 1987, Acquanetta sold the Mesa Grande ruins to the city of Mesa.[3] An apocryphal Phoenix legend has Acquanetta, upon learning of her husband's infidelity, filling the interior of his Lincoln Continental convertible with concrete.[3][21]

Acquanetta wrote a book of poetry, published in 1974, titled The Audible Silence.[3][5][22] She did not smoke, and did not drink alcohol, tea, or coffee.[5]

Acquanetta succumbed to complications of

Ahwatukee, Arizona. She was 83.[23] She is buried in Paradise Memorial Gardens in East Shea, Scottsdale, Arizona.[24]

In popular culture

In 1987, the all-female band The Aquanettas adopted (and adapted) their name from hers.

Acquanetta's obituary inspired the composer Michael Gordon to collaborate with librettist Deborah Artman on the opera Acquanetta (2005/2017). Produced by Beth Morrison Projects, the chamber version received its world premiere at the Prototype Festival in Brooklyn, New York, in January, 2018.

Opera

Acquanetta, based on her life,

Grand Opera in 2006 in Aachen, Germany.[26] The chamber version of Acquanetta had its world premiere at the 2018 Prototype Festival,[27] followed by a subsequent run at Bard SummerScape in 2019.[28]

Filmography

Acquanetta filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1942 Arabian Nights Ishya (uncredited)
1943 Rhythm of the Islands Luani as Burnu Acquanetta
Captive Wild Woman Paula Dupree – the Gorilla Girl
1944 Jungle Woman Paula Dupree – the Gorilla Girl
Dead Man's Eyes Tanya Czoraki
1946 Tarzan and the Leopard Woman Lea, the High Priestess
1951 The Sword of Monte Cristo Felice
Lost Continent Native Girl
Callaway Went Thataway Native Girl with Smoky Uncredited
1953 Take the High Ground! Bar Girl Uncredited
1989 Grizzly Adams – The Legend Never Dies[29] Direct-to-video release

Notes

  1. ^ Some sources, including Social Security records, give her year of birth as 1920.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007". Ancestry.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Wollstein, Hans J. "Acquanetta: Biography". AllMovie. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Acqua Blues". Phoenix New Times. September 2, 2004. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
  4. ^
    The Milwaukee Journal. July 20, 1942. Archived from the original
    on March 12, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Richard Beland (October 15, 2009). "Jungle Frolics: Acquanetta". Junglefrolics.blogspot.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  6. ^
    Jet Magazine
    . February 14, 1952. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  7. ^
    ISSN 0024-3019
    . Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  8. ^ Freulich, Roman; Abramson, Joan (1971). Forty Years in Hollywood: Portraits of a Golden Age. New York: Castle Books. pp. 73-74.
  9. ^ Bojarksi, Richard (September 1971). "John Carradine, the Master Villain". For Monsters Only. 1 (9): 52–53.
  10. ^ Annonces, Vieilles. "Actress Acquanetta's Sister Marries in Tokyo - Jet Magazin…". Flickr. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  11. ^ "Horace Davenport, groundbreaking Montgomery County senior judge, dies at 98". The Pottstown Mercury. April 5, 2017. Archived from the original on January 23, 2020.
  12. ^
    Beaver County Times
    . August 18, 2004. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
  13. ^ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994". FamilySearch. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  14. ^ Annonces, Vieilles. "Actress Acquanetta to Collect $4,000 in Son's Death - Jet …". Flickr. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  15. ^ Annonces, Vieilles. "Actress Acquanetta Has Child - Jet Magazine Aug 5, 1954". Flickr. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  16. ^ "Actress is Sued by Insurance Company". Argus-Leader. South Dakota. March 15, 1953 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Acquanetta Wins Lawsuit Over Death of Her Son". Los Angeles Times. November 29, 1955. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Stanley, John (April 7, 2013). "B-movie Star was A-list Arizonan". Arizona Republic. p. T2 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b Cone Sexton, Connie (February 15, 2013). "A Life Remembered: Jack Ross, iconic Arizona car dealer". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  20. ^ "Acquanetta, Actress known as 'The Venezuelan Volcano'". The Independent. August 19, 2004. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010.
  21. ^ "Best of Phoenix 2014: Legend City / The Many Mysteries of Acquanetta (and Jack Ross)". Phoenix New Times. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  22. ISBN 9780873581196
    .
  23. ^ "Acquanetta, 83, A Star of B Movies". The New York Times. August 23, 2004. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
  24. ^ Resting Places: The Burial Places of 14,000 Famous Persons, by Scott Wilson
  25. ^ Brantley, Ben (July 14, 2019). "Review: In 'Acquanetta,' a Cult Movie Star's Eyes to Die For". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  26. ^ "ACQUANETTA | Beth Morrison Projects". bmp-opera-music. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  27. ^ "Acquanetta". Prototype Festival. January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  28. ^ "Acquanetta at Bard College". Fisher Center at Bard. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  29. ISBN 9781476609553
    .

Further reading

External links

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