Acquanetta
Encyclopedia
Acquanetta nicknamed "The Venezuelan Volcano," was a B-movie
actress known for her exotic beauty.
parents at the age of 2, she lived briefly with another family before being taken in by an artistic couple with whom she remained until she made the choice to live independently at the age of 15.
in New York City
with Harry Conover. She signed with Universal Studios
in 1942 and acted mostly in B-movies, including Tarzan and the Leopard Woman
, Arabian Nights, The Sword of Monte Cristo, and Captive Wild Woman
, in which Universal attempted to create a female monster movie franchise with Acquanetta as an ape.
She retired from movies in the 1950s after marrying Jack Ross, a car dealer. They settled in Mesa, Arizona
, and she returned to a degree of celebrity by appearing with Ross in his local television advertisements, and also by hosting a local television show called Acqua's Corner that accompanied the Friday late-night movies. She and Ross had four children, and divorced in the 1980s.
Acquanetta also authored a book of poetry, The Audible Silence, illustrated by Emilie Touraine (Flagstaff, AZ): Northland Press, 1974. In 1987, the all-girl band The Aquanettas
adopted (and adapted) their name from hers.
on August 16, 2004, at Hawthorn Court in Ahwatukee, Arizona. She was 83.
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
actress known for her exotic beauty.
Early years
Although accounts differ, Acquanetta claimed she was born Burnu Acquanetta in Ozone, Wyoming. Orphaned by her ArapahoArapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
parents at the age of 2, she lived briefly with another family before being taken in by an artistic couple with whom she remained until she made the choice to live independently at the age of 15.
Career
Acquanetta started her career as a modelModel (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with Harry Conover. She signed with Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in 1942 and acted mostly in B-movies, including Tarzan and the Leopard Woman
Tarzan and the Leopard Woman
Tarzan and the Leopard Woman was a 1946 action film based on the Tarzan character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and portrayed by Johnny Weissmuller. Directed by Kurt Neumann, the premise of the movie is Tarzan encounters a tribe of leopard-worshippers....
, Arabian Nights, The Sword of Monte Cristo, and Captive Wild Woman
Captive Wild Woman
Captive Wild Woman is a sci-fi horror film, starring John Carradine, Milburn Stone, Evelyn Ankers, and Acquanetta. It was released by Universal Pictures and was directed by Edward Dmytryk.-Plot:...
, in which Universal attempted to create a female monster movie franchise with Acquanetta as an ape.
She retired from movies in the 1950s after marrying Jack Ross, a car dealer. They settled in Mesa, Arizona
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, and she returned to a degree of celebrity by appearing with Ross in his local television advertisements, and also by hosting a local television show called Acqua's Corner that accompanied the Friday late-night movies. She and Ross had four children, and divorced in the 1980s.
Acquanetta also authored a book of poetry, The Audible Silence, illustrated by Emilie Touraine (Flagstaff, AZ): Northland Press, 1974. In 1987, the all-girl band The Aquanettas
The Aquanettas
The Aquanettas were an all-girl band from New York City that one New York Times writer said played "classic, basic rock-and-roll: just rugged guitar riffs and lyrics about the more bothersome aspects of romance". Their music was influenced by classic rock such as Led Zeppelin and punk bands such as...
adopted (and adapted) their name from hers.
Personal life
Acquanetta succumbed to complications of Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
on August 16, 2004, at Hawthorn Court in Ahwatukee, Arizona. She was 83.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Arabian Nights Arabian Nights (1942 film) Arabian Nights is a 1942 adventure film starring Sabu, Maria Montez, Jon Hall and Leif Erickson and directed by John Rawlins. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but owes more to the imagination of Universal Pictures than the original Arabian stories... |
Ishya | (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Rhythm of the Islands Rhythm of the Islands Rhythm of the Islands is a 1943 American film starring Jane Frazee.... |
Luani | as Burnu Acquanetta |
| Captive Wild Woman Captive Wild Woman Captive Wild Woman is a sci-fi horror film, starring John Carradine, Milburn Stone, Evelyn Ankers, and Acquanetta. It was released by Universal Pictures and was directed by Edward Dmytryk.-Plot:... |
Paula Dupree - the Ape Woman | ||
| 1944 | Jungle Woman Jungle Woman Jungle Woman is a 1944 horror film released by Universal Pictures. The movie features Evelyn Ankers, J. Carrol Naish, Samuel S. Hinds, Lois Collier, Milburn Stone, Douglass Dumbrille, and Acquanetta... |
Paula Dupree - the Ape Woman | |
| Dead Man's Eyes Dead Man's Eyes Dead Man's Eyes is a 1944 Inner Sanctum mystery film directed by Reginald Le Borg, and starring Lon Chaney, Jr. and Jean Parker. The film was distributed by Universal Pictures. The "Inner Sanctum" franchise originated with a popular radio series and all of the films star Lon Chaney, Jr.-Plot:Artist... |
Tanya Czoraki | ||
| 1946 | Tarzan and the Leopard Woman Tarzan and the Leopard Woman Tarzan and the Leopard Woman was a 1946 action film based on the Tarzan character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and portrayed by Johnny Weissmuller. Directed by Kurt Neumann, the premise of the movie is Tarzan encounters a tribe of leopard-worshippers.... |
Lea, the High Priestess | |
| 1951 | The Sword of Monte Cristo | Felice | |
| Lost Continent | Native Girl | ||
| Callaway Went Thataway Callaway Went Thataway Callaway Went Thataway is a 1951 American comedy film starring Fred MacMurray, Dorothy McGuire, and Howard Keel. It was written, directed, and produced by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama... |
Native Girl with Smoky | (uncredited) | |
| 1953 | Take the High Ground! Take the High Ground! Take the High Ground! is a film about the Korean War, starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden as drill instructors who must transform a batch of everyday civilians into soldiers.-Plot:... |
Bar Girl | (uncredited) |
| 1990 | The Legend of Grizzly Adams |