tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post5828142059737686779..comments2024-03-18T23:01:39.823-04:00Comments on Jungle Frolics: AcquanettaRichard Belandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551263003857476982noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-16118675077134627502024-03-18T23:01:39.823-04:002024-03-18T23:01:39.823-04:00Richard Beland, Acquanetta was obviously Caucasian...Richard Beland, Acquanetta was obviously Caucasian. Are you claiming that a "drop" of dreaded "black blood" makes a white person "black"? Are you can advocate of white racial "purity"? lloyd1927https://www.blogger.com/profile/06021625057056552907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-49674231774481443082024-03-18T21:18:54.186-04:002024-03-18T21:18:54.186-04:00I'd rather this last "Anonymous" had...I'd rather this last "Anonymous" had elaborated somewhat on the "racist" comment. During Acquanetta's brief career in moviedom racism was certainly more rampant and blatant than it is today, and hiding her race wasn't exactly a show of the sense of racial pride we expect today, though her reasons (at least professionally) for denial were understandable. Or perhaps the article I wrote seems racist in itself, for some obscure reason. Only Anonymous can say.Richard Belandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09551263003857476982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-38802581999723720942024-03-18T20:45:51.813-04:002024-03-18T20:45:51.813-04:00Ok racist.Ok racist.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-579801984058907292021-12-07T21:26:55.744-05:002021-12-07T21:26:55.744-05:00The controversy over Acquanetta's ethnicity wa...The controversy over Acquanetta's ethnicity was widely reported in the press throughout the 1940s -- right from the beginning of her career -- and it's been a matter of curiosity since. Her sons have had many decades and ample opportunity to address the issue, if they were of a mind to do so.Richard Belandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09551263003857476982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-3326520792337565362021-12-04T15:41:36.802-05:002021-12-04T15:41:36.802-05:00There is too much bunkum on this thread. Has an e...There is too much bunkum on this thread. Has an enterprising journalist ever asked one of Acquanetta's children about her ancestry?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-5223282624339629562021-06-20T18:52:39.608-04:002021-06-20T18:52:39.608-04:00I admire Acquanetta for claiming her European-Amer...<br /><br />I admire Acquanetta for claiming her European-American heritage and rejecting the "one drop" myth that fooled some of her family members. Acquanetta aka Mildred Davenport was NOT "black." If her partial African ancestry had been filtered through Latin America, no one would dare to even mention it. Acquanetta had a successful career and was under no obligation to identify with a "race" that did not describe her. Nearly all Hollywood actors were less than forthcoming about their Jewish, Hispanic, Slavic, Arab or whatever ancestry and Acquanetta was no different. lloyd1927https://www.blogger.com/profile/06021625057056552907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-12813853680856215052021-06-20T13:11:42.460-04:002021-06-20T13:11:42.460-04:00Fascinating story! Thanks you so much for writing ...Fascinating story! Thanks you so much for writing this.<br /><br /><br />Mildred Davenport's biography sounds eerily similar to another Hollywood starlet named Dona Drake (see http://www.mixedracestudies.org/?p=59641).<br /><br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Steve RileySteve Rileyhttp://mixedracestudies.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-68939649192880479482017-07-19T02:34:57.006-04:002017-07-19T02:34:57.006-04:00Interesting, I thought she was Venezuelan lol. Any...Interesting, I thought she was Venezuelan lol. Anywaus, too bad she didn't reach her potential as an actress, but I don't feel bad about her, with such a personality and well educated siblingsJavier a. Escuderohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17668060507421549624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-80614561750417842712016-07-31T02:40:49.877-04:002016-07-31T02:40:49.877-04:00and here I thought she was just another exotic pre...and here I thought she was just another exotic pretty face. Thank you Omnistmoenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-70266677765978383852016-07-31T00:35:38.706-04:002016-07-31T00:35:38.706-04:00Thank you to "The Omnist" for telling us...Thank you to "The Omnist" for telling us about Acquanetta's very interesting family history.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-10243710589963409382016-03-10T11:43:20.833-05:002016-03-10T11:43:20.833-05:00To clarify Acquanetta's actual identity, she w...To clarify Acquanetta's actual identity, she was "mixed" - which in America, makes her "black." She was my aunt, my mother's sister. Her genetic ancestry was African, European, and Native American. Her true family history is actually even more interesting than the made up one. Her oldest brother Edward was an undertaker in Norristown, PA. My mother, her oldest sister Carolyn, was Executive Secretary of the Philadelphia NAACP during World War II, responsible for desegregating the Philadelphia Transit Drivers, which resulted in the Philadelphia Transit Strike of 1944. My mother was married to Clifford R. Moore, a lead attorney in the Trenton Six Case appeals, later appointed first black U.S. Commissioner since Reconstruction. Her sister Winifred married a distinguished physician in New York, Lloyd Barnes, and went on to acquire a number of graduate degrees at Columbia University. Her sister Kathryn became a psychiatric social worker and married Fred C. Barnes, an Army eye surgeon who became prominent in post-WWII Japan for teaching eye surgery to an entire generation of surgeons there. Retiring at the rank of Colonel, he later became head of the San Francisco medical society of eye surgeons. Her brother Horace became senior judge of the Montgomery County Pennsylvania Court. Horace's daughter Alice, an attorney who taught at Northeastern University, married Roderick Ireland, recently retired chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Her younger brother Julius was a merchant marine ship's radio officer on the North Atlantic route during WWII, survived being torpedoed by a German U-boat, and eventually was recognized at a White House ceremony. When Julius, on leave in 1944 as a merchant marine, was arrested trying to buy a ticket for the main lobby of a segregated movie theater, Carolyn organized protests to integrate it. She also integrated the Philadelphia YWCA in 1946, on of the first in the nation. Acquanetta and her siblings were born in Newberry, South Carolina, and migrated to Norristown, Pennsylvania. Her cousin from South Carolina, Frances Davenport, married Ernest Finney, Jr., first black since Reconstruction elected to the South Carolina legislature, then appointed to the State Supreme Court, and then chief justice. Acquanetta's niece, Diane Barnes, daughter of Winifred and Lloyd Barnes, became a physician, taught at Stanford, and did some modeling in San Francisco, with an uncanny resemblance to Acquanetta. There are others as well. Suffice to say, there was much more to the Mildred Davenport story in its truth than in its fiction.The Omnisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03367704721399188785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-90978367180634739892016-01-24T03:32:48.411-05:002016-01-24T03:32:48.411-05:00It is sad that uncertainty regarding her ethnicity...It is sad that uncertainty regarding her ethnicity may, in the <br />racially hampered American culture of the mid-20th century, <br />have been an obstacle to this incredibly beautiful and talented <br />actress being cast as a leading lady in romantic roles. <br />I can understand why every ethnic group would want to claim <br />her as one of their own. Regardless of what others might think, <br />however, her ethnicity was unique – goddess, in every facet and <br />nuance of the word.The Bard of Chelseahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03483013888051992217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-63836676612473249862015-02-15T00:11:38.574-05:002015-02-15T00:11:38.574-05:00I just finished watching captive woman and was int...I just finished watching captive woman and was intrigued by her style. Then it dawned on me that I have seen all her movies and was intrigued by her allure as a young man. I knew she was black but accepted her ability to be south American. It was harmless and inoffensive. Anyway, I was very happy to read such an interesting biography and she still arouses me even at this late stage. RIP AquanettaDisconiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08698903424912212507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-34288932667575526852014-11-16T21:55:41.447-05:002014-11-16T21:55:41.447-05:00Acquanetta was NOT "black" - whether she...Acquanetta was NOT "black" - whether she had a small amount of "negro blood" or not. We should all admire her for rejecting the false black lie of "one drop" and claiming an identity that was appropriate for her looks, culture and outlook on life.<br /><br />http://melungeon.ning.com/forum/topics/5th-union-presentation-by-a-d-powellAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07783089872297312677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-64514780037609778442014-08-11T14:53:27.168-04:002014-08-11T14:53:27.168-04:00Fantastic , my grandmother knew her family , she w...Fantastic , my grandmother knew her family , she was friends with her brother Horace. Everybody in Norristown knew she went to become a movie actress and that she passed although most thought for white not Indian. She came home every now and then . Wow memories, My nana migrated north about the same time as the Davenport. I always heard about this woman who passed with a hairspray name , lol. I always thought it was veronica lake ! great informative post . Yes she was black , the family was lightskin .nataliehttp://www.walkersinclairvisuals.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-7593114508395650252013-08-10T11:22:33.275-04:002013-08-10T11:22:33.275-04:00Thanks for this exhaustive bio of one of my favori...Thanks for this exhaustive bio of one of my favorite B actresses and sex symbols!Patrickhttp://www.beatnikspy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-21445075912400497942013-06-25T03:51:09.111-04:002013-06-25T03:51:09.111-04:00I remember her well and would see her all over tow...I remember her well and would see her all over town. I don't ever remember a show called "Acqua's Corner," but I do remember many years of watching her on the late night movie show she and Jack Ross hosted called, "Jack Ross Lincoln Mercury Theater." <br />She would come on and sing, "Hello everybody hello. Welcome to another Jack Ross Show." Indeed "Mr. Touchdown" was the theme song, and that's how she would introduce her husband. <br />She would constantly go on about how she gave up her film career to many Jack.<br />She also had dolls like Chatty Cathy dolls called Acquanetta dolls with black hair in Indian garb. <br />Her son, Lance went to school with us and she would come to our Halloween parties dressed as an Indian maiden. <br />She had a black maid. I remember years later actress Lyn Thomas - a friend of hers - was quoted as saying the maid was actually her mother, which makes sense as she was very protective of the maid. She and Jack Ross lived in a nice but not extravagant subdivision in Mesa at the corner of Main Street and Stapley Drive were I had many friends that lived by them. <br />There was also a very popular kids show, "Wallace and Ladmo," in Phoenix that created a character making fun of her. They called their character "Awky Awky." <br />Lastly she was well known at the Wright's Market in town for wanting them to provide curb service when she came to shop. She was also notorious for buying whole fried chickens and then bring the bones back wanting her money refunded because she said they weren't satisfactory. Quite a character.Charlie LeSueurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01828575290080878943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-88573616025649728202012-12-25T22:09:11.115-05:002012-12-25T22:09:11.115-05:00So enjoyable and very in-depth review Of Acquenatt...So enjoyable and very in-depth review Of Acquenatta's life. Knew nothing about her....<br />on or off the screen. She was strikingly beautiful that's what got the attention from producer's and others in the business. Like that she had kind things to say of her costars.MadManhattenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15085565351326884892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-5577199060610580892011-08-03T02:33:44.807-04:002011-08-03T02:33:44.807-04:00I used to watch Acquanetta and her then husband, J...I used to watch Acquanetta and her then husband, Jack Ross doing his car dealership commercials on the late show in Phoenix back in the '50s. They were very funny even if it was unintentional. The announcer would say something like, "Now here she is, star of stage, screen, radio, and Television, Acquanetta." After a bit, she would announce her husband, Jack Ross, something like this, (to the theme of "They Always Call Him Mr. Touchdown")<br />Here he is, my husband, Mr. Touchdown, Jack Ross."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-56070324950616501142010-09-11T12:59:25.731-04:002010-09-11T12:59:25.731-04:00When you see that posed pic of Weissmuller bound a...When you see that posed pic of Weissmuller bound and helpless (and nearly naked), with Acquanetta about to torture him with that claw, it's no wonder he wanted her to join him when he started the Jungle Jim series. ;-)GLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14482784013522595584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674337471812945230.post-29610699189817777512010-04-14T11:54:31.098-04:002010-04-14T11:54:31.098-04:00Thanks! You´re a wise man! I love Acquanetta, this...Thanks! You´re a wise man! I love Acquanetta, this is the most complete biography I met in internet! <br />Greetings from Spain!El Abuelitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13391388884908521072noreply@blogger.com