Benay Venuta
Benay Venuta, born Benvenuta Rose Crooke on January 27, 1910 in San Francisco,
California, was an American actor-singer. She began her career as a dancer in
London and made her first screen appearance in the silent film Trail of '98 in
1928. Venuta's breakthrough came when she replaced Ethel Merman in the lead role
of Reno Sweeney in Cole Porter's Anything Goes on Broadway in 1935. She parlayed
her success into a radio career, hosting popular shows like The Benay Venuta
Hour. Venuta continued to work in musicals both on stage and in Hollywood. Her
television credits included a ro...
