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Singer-actress Monica Lewis dies at 93
Highlights
American singer-actress Monica Lewis, best known for voicing popular cartoon series \"Chiquita Banana\", has passed away. She was 93.
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American singer-actress Monica Lewis, best known for voicing popular cartoon series "Chiquita Banana", has passed away. She was 93.
She died yesterday of natural causes at her apartment in Woodland Hills, California, reported Variety.
The former Benny Goodman vocalist is survived by sons Rocky and Mike (the noted jazz pianist) and three grandchildren.
She began a 14-year campaign as the voice of Chiquita Banana series that was shown in movie theatres, and soon the entire country was singing along to "You should never put bananas in the refrigerator?No No, No No!"
The singer's character in the Chiquita Banana cartoon advertisement reminded people not to put bananas in the refrigerator.
In 1943, American jazz and swing musician Goodman's vocalist Peggy Lee eloped with guitarist Dave Barbour, and he was frantically auditioning girls trying to find a replacement.
Lewis auditioned and got the job, performing with Goodman that same night on national radio.
In 1945, Lewis was briefly married to Bob Thiele, a former disc jockey who had started a small independent label, Signature Records.
She scored a series of hits on Signature including "Put the Blame on Mame", "But Not for Me", "I'm Gonna Be a Bad Girl", and "The House I Live In", and when the company was bought by
Decca Records, she continued her string of hits with "A Tree in the Meadow", "The Gentleman Is a Dope" and "The Bluest Kind of Blues".
In 1947 she introduced columnist Ed Sullivan to her brother Marlo and suggested they try to do a variety show for CBS, to complete with Milton Berle's "Texaco Star Theatre" on NBC.
The result was "Toast of the Town", which made its debut on June 20, 1948, with Lewis headlining alongside composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and the comedy team of
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The show came to be known as "The Ed Sullivan Show".
Lewis guest-starred on popular TV shows such as "Wagon Train", "Night Gallery", "The Virginian", and "Marcus Welby, MD".
She made cameo appearances in several of her second husband producer Jennings Lang's films like "Earthquake", "Charley Varrick", "Nunzio", "Rollercoaster", "Airport 1975" and "The Concorde ? Airport '79".
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