Dona Drake
| Dona Drake | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Eunice Westmoreland November 15, 1914 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | June 20, 1989 (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Una Novella Rita Novella Rita Rio Una Velon (or Una Villon) Rita Shaw |
| 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. Of three-quarters black heritage, she presented herself as Mexican and went by the names Una Novella and Rita Novella, typically being cast in "ethnic" roles including Hispanics and Middle Easterners. Also cast as white, she was never cast as nor identified with being black. As Mexican "Rita Rio", she also led a touring all-girl orchestra in the early 1940s, also known as "Dona Drake and her Girl Band", among other names for her musical and dance acts.
Drake was born Eunice Westmoreland in Miami, Florida,(Another source says she was born in Jacksonville, Florida.) in 1914, one of five children of Joseph Andrew Westmoreland of Arkansas and his wife, Novella Smith of Alabama. U.S. Census reports on her family history show her grandparents were one black couple and one couple that was black/white.
Entering show business in the 1930s, she used the names Una Velon (or Una Villon),Rita Rio and Rita Shaw.
She began performing in 1932, working under the name Una Villon as a chorus girl and in nightclubs. As Una Villon, she appeared in Earl Carroll's Vanities in 1933, prompting Paul Harrison to write in a review printed in The Indiana Gazette: "Most noteworthy newcomer is Miss Una Villon who sings, dances and looks like a 16-year-old incarnation of Ann Pennington. Only a couple of days before the premiere she was hired away from a Broadway night club and already has proved her right to a place in the big-time spotlight."
In 1934, columnist Walter Winchell wrote about her performance in a night club: "Una Villon's torso shifting serves to synchronize the tempos instead of Berren's directing — this young lady directs the tooters with her wiggling."
She began using the name Rita Rio in 1935, when she was featured at the Paradise cabaret on Broadway. Besides singing and dancing, she sometimes played piano, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone and drums and occasionally led the orchestra. In 1936, she and another woman formed an orchestra. After the group had financial problems in 1940, she went to Hollywood, where she had screen tests using the name Rita Shaw.
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 (borrowing her mother's first name as a new last)
Her striking, angular features and dark curly hair led her to being cast as an ethnic character, such as a Latina, Middle Easterner, Native American, or Gypsy. She is perhaps best known for playing the Native American maid of Bette Davis in Beyond the Forest. She also appeared as an Arab girl opposite Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in Road to Morocco in 1942. In 1944 she appeared as a lead role as a big band singer in a B-movie titled Hot Rhythm, which also featured Irene Ryan (Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies) as a ditsy secretary.
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