Carmen D'Antonio

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

Carmen D'Antonio
D'Antonio in Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)
Born	Nicoletta Carmen D'Antonio (1911-11-28)November 28, 1911 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	February 9, 1986(1986-02-09) (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress, dancer
Years active	1939–1969
Spouse(s)	Carl Gustav Verner Laand (m. 1944 – ?)

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]

Personal life and death

D'Antonio married Karl Gustav Verner Laand in San Francisco, California on December 16, 1944.^[20]

On February 9, 1986, D'Antonio died of undisclosed causes in Los Angeles, California.^[21]

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. September 16, 1940. pp. 58–59.
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.
20. "California, San Francisco County Records, 1824-1997", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL4Y-SNGS : Tue Oct 03 22:00:43 UTC 2023), Entry for Karl Gustav Verner Laand and Nicolletta Carmen d'Antonio, 16 Dec 1944.
21. "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VGPQ-8YP : 26 November 2014), Nicolette Carmen Dantonio, 09 Feb 1986; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

External links

• Carmen D'Antonio at IMDb
• Carmen D'Antonio in "Jungle Drums" short film (1940), on YouTube