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Monica Lewis, a former Benny Goodman vocalist who headlined the very first broadcast of "The Ed Sullivan Show," was the voice of the popular Chiquita Banana cartoons, clowned opposite Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton and Danny Kaye, and had co-starring roles in such films as "Earthquake," "Airport 1975" and "The Concorde - Airport '79," died on June 12 of natural causes at her apartment in Woodland Hills, Calif. She was 93.
Ms. Lewis was born in Chicago to a musical family headed by her father, Leon Lewis, who was a symphonic composer and conductor. Her mother, Jessica, sang with the Chicago Opera Company and her sister, Barbara, was an accomplished classical pianist. Her brother, Marlo, became head of variety for CBS-TV and created Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" show.
Ms. Lewis studied voice with her mother from the time she was a toddler, but when the family lost everything during the Depression, they moved to New York to start over. Ms. Lewis quit school when she was 17, took a job as a radio vocalist to supplement the family's income, and soon had her own program on WMCA. This led to her debut at the Stork Club (though she was still too young to drink).
In 1943, Benny Goodman's vocalist Peggy Lee eloped with guitarist Dave Barbour, and Mr. Goodman was frantically auditioning women trying to find a replacement. Ms. Lewis auditioned and got the job, performing with Mr. Goodman that same night on national radio. She finished out his New...