Beverly Raffel, 84, a professional dancer who toured the world in the 1920s and ’30s and performed in films featuring Jack Benny and other stars of the day, died of complications from cancer Sunday, Jan. 5, in Aventura Hospital and Medical Center in Aventura, Fla.
A Chicago native, Mrs. Raffel was one of seven children born to the Dreebin family. She was a natural dancer and turned professional at 15, joining the Muriel Abbott Dancers.
Based in Chicago, the troupe performed ballets and modern dance numbers in tours in Europe and the United States.
“The big deal, though, was performing in the Empire Room at the Palmer House Hotel,” her son Bill said.
On tour, Mrs. Raffel was the roommate of June Taylor, whose own troupe went on to fame on “The Jackie Gleason Show.”
Mrs. Raffel’s dancing earned her a spot in several films, including “Buck Benny Rides Again.” For that movie, she appeared on advertisements opposite Jack Benny.
On April 18, 1937, she was one of three dancers to appear in one of the earliest color images published in the Chicago Tribune. Sitting with one leg stretched before her and her arm delicately extended, Mrs. Raffel’s image accompanied a story celebrating the “camera magic” of the new age of color in print.
By the time she reached her early 20s, Mrs. Raffel was ready to set aside the glamor life for something more traditional.
In 1941, she married Arnold Raffel, a naval officer she met on leave, who later became a dentist with a successful practice in South Shore.
There, she raised her three sons and taught dance for several years in the 1950s.
After Dr. Raffel’s retirement in 1980, the couple moved to Aventura, near Miami, where Mrs. Raffel spent many years teaching water aerobics to senior citizens.
In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by her other sons, Robert and Barry; five grandchildren; and two great-granddaughters.
A memorial service is planned for Thursday in Aventura.
