Carmen D'Antonio

Nicoletta Carmen D'Antonio (November 28, 1911 – February 9, 1986) was an American actress and dancer.

Carmen D'Antonio
A young woman with olive skin and dark hair, wearing a striped bikini
D'Antonio in Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)
Born
Nicoletta Carmen D'Antonio

(1911-11-28)November 28, 1911
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedFebruary 9, 1986(1986-02-09) (aged 74)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer
Years active1939–1969

Early life and education

D'Antonio was born in Philadelphia,[1] the daughter of Carmine D'Antonio and Teresa Colantuono D'Antonio. Her father was born in Italy, and her mother was born in the United States, to Italian immigrant parents.[2] In some publicity, she claimed more far-flung origins, and a much younger age.[3][4][5]

Career

D'Antonio was a dancer whose act was usually characterized as "exotic".[6][7][8] She had a nightclub act at the Pirate's Den in Hollywood.[3] "She smears herself with oil and does such dances as to give the censors the shudders," according to a 1944 report.[4] Her publicist staged a photograph of her, bathing in "strong black coffee", to add to her mystique.[4]

D'Antonio's film credits included roles in Another Thin Man (1939), Destry Rides Again (1939), Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940),[9][10] Angels over Broadway (1940),[11] The Long Voyage Home (1940),[12] Arabian Nights (1942), Hard Boiled Mahoney (1947), Sirocco (1951),[11] Golden Girl (1951), World for Ransom (1954), Maracaibo (1958), Tank Commando (1959), and Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960).[11]

D'Antonio appeared in television programs through the 1960s, often cast as a Native American character in Westerns, as in Have Gun–Will Travel (1962, 1963),[13] Wagon Train (1964) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964), but she also had roles in The Thin Man (1959), Checkmate (1961), My Three Sons (1965),[14] and Family Affair (1969).

D'Antonio also danced on Broadway in Panama Hattie (1940).[15][16] She made a number of short exotic dance films in the 1940s, with titles including "Jungle Drums Artist" (1941), "Balinesia Artist" (1942) and "Conchita Pepita" (1942).[9] In the 1950s she toured the United States, dancing at nightclubs and casinos.[17][18] "She offered Hollywood a pretty and generic otherness that could authenticate its fantasies of Singapore, Arabia, or Morocco," commented one film scholar.[19]

References
  1. "Frisky Filly from Philly". The Courier-Journal. 1941-03-22. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Details of her family from Nicoletta D'Antonio's birth certificate, date of birth 11-28-11; and the 1920 US Federal Census, both via Ancestry
  3. "Carmen D'Antonio is Hollywood's New Night-Club Dance Sensation". Life: 58–59. September 16, 1940.
  4. Othman, Frederick C. (1944-01-05). "Dancer's Best Friend is her Press Writer". The News-Messenger. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Wiggles in Jungle Oil; Carmen D'Antonio is Dance Sensation in Broadway Musical". The Windsor Star. 1941-01-11. p. 30. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Famous Dancer Enjoys Beach". Tampa Bay Times. 1943-04-04. p. 26. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Carmen D'Antonio Scores in New Hacienda Show". The Fresno Bee. 1956-01-25. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Carmen D'Antonio is a Latin from Philly". Dayton Daily News. 1940-12-29. p. 73. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Cantor, Mark (2023-04-19). The Soundies: A History and Catalog of Jukebox Film Shorts of the 1940s (in Czech). McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-4642-8.
  10. Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony; Vitone, R. J. (2015-05-20). The Flash Gordon Serials, 1936-1940: A Heavily Illustrated Guide. McFarland. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-7864-5500-3.
  11. Blottner, Gene (2015-03-31). Columbia Noir: A Complete Filmography, 1940-1962. McFarland. pp. 11, 130, 203. ISBN 978-0-7864-7014-3.
  12. McGhee, Richard D. (2016-09-30). John Wayne: Actor, Artist, Hero. McFarland. p. 331. ISBN 978-1-4766-2824-0.
  13. "Have Gun, Will Travel". The Orlando Sentinel. 1962-01-13. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "A Lone Redman in Indian Episode". The Morning Herald. 1965-05-15. p. 24. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Dietz, Dan (2015-02-02). The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-4422-4528-0.
  16. "Oil Dressed Up". Pic. 9 (9): 25–27. April 29, 1941 – via Internet Archive.
  17. "Carmen D'Antonio, Famed Dancer, at Silver Moon Club". The Town Talk. 1950-07-26. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Dancing Star at Jamboree". The Daily Oklahoman. 1952-05-18. p. 96. Retrieved 2023-07-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. Brown, Judith Christine (2009). Glamour in Six Dimensions: Modernism and the Radiance of Form. Cornell University Press. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-8014-4779-2.
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