Harry Ruby
Encyclopedia
Harry Ruby was a Jewish American
songwriter
(composer) and screenwriter
.
After failing in his early ambition to become a professional baseball
player,
Ruby toured the vaudeville
circuit as a pianist
with the Bootblack Trio and the Messenger Boys Trio, where he met his long-time partner, lyricist Bert Kalmar
. Together, Ruby and Kalmar formed a successful songwriting team until the latter's death in 1947, and this partnership is portrayed in the 1950 MGM musical Three Little Words
starring Fred Astaire
as Kalmar and Red Skelton
as Ruby. He died in Woodland Hills, California. His interment was located at Chapel of the Pines Crematory
.
Harry Ruby was the best friend of Groucho Marx. He appeared several times on Marx's television program, You Bet Your Life.
Music composed by Ruby can be heard in the films:
Ruby also screenwrote such works as:
Ruby's works on Broadway include the following:
In his 1972 concert at Carnegie Hall
, Groucho Marx
presented this intro and a song of Ruby's that he liked:
I have a friend in Hollywood... I think I do, but I'm not sure. [laughter] His name is Harry Ruby [applause] and he wrote a lot of songs that I've sung over the years...
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
(composer) and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
After failing in his early ambition to become a professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player,
Ruby toured the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
circuit as a pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
with the Bootblack Trio and the Messenger Boys Trio, where he met his long-time partner, lyricist Bert Kalmar
Bert Kalmar
Bert Kalmar was a Jewish American lyricist.He was born in New York, New York. He ran away from home at the age of 10 to become a magician at a tent show, and retained an interest in magic all his life. He never got much of an education, but decided to make a career in show business...
. Together, Ruby and Kalmar formed a successful songwriting team until the latter's death in 1947, and this partnership is portrayed in the 1950 MGM musical Three Little Words
Three Little Words (film)
Three Little Words is a 1950 American musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Kalmar and Ruby and stars Fred Astaire as lyricist Bert Kalmar, Red Skelton as composer Harry Ruby, along with Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl as their wives, with Debbie Reynolds in a small but...
starring Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
as Kalmar and Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
as Ruby. He died in Woodland Hills, California. His interment was located at Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Chapel of the Pines Crematory is a crematory and columbarium located at 1605 South Catalina Street Los Angeles, California, in the historic West Adams District a short distance southwest of Downtown...
.
Harry Ruby was the best friend of Groucho Marx. He appeared several times on Marx's television program, You Bet Your Life.
Music composed by Ruby can be heard in the films:
- Animal CrackersAnimal Crackers (film)Animal Crackers is a 1930 American comedy film, in which mayhem and zaniness ensue when a valuable painting goes missing during a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding. The film was both a critical and commercial success upon initial release, and remains one of the Marx...
(1930) - Horse FeathersHorse FeathersHorse Feathers is a Marx Brothers film comedy. It stars the four Marx Brothers and Thelma Todd. It was written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, S. J. Perelman, and Will B. Johnstone. Kalmar and Ruby also wrote some of the original music for the film...
(1932) - Duck Soup (1933)
- Bright Lights (1935)
- Walking on Air (1936)
- Three Little WordsThree Little Words (film)Three Little Words is a 1950 American musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Kalmar and Ruby and stars Fred Astaire as lyricist Bert Kalmar, Red Skelton as composer Harry Ruby, along with Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl as their wives, with Debbie Reynolds in a small but...
(1950)
Ruby also screenwrote such works as:
- The Kid from Spain (1932)
- Horse Feathers (1932)
- Duck Soup (1933)
- Bright Lights (1935)
- Walking on Air (1936)
- The Life of the Party (1937)
- Lovely to Look at (1952)
Ruby's works on Broadway include the following:
- Ziegfeld FolliesZiegfeld FolliesThe Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
of 1918 (1918)- revueRevueA revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
- featured songwriter - Helen of Troy, New York (1923) - musical - co-composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and co-lyricistLyricistA lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:... - No Other Girl (1924) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist
- Holka Polka (1925) - musical - co-book-editorEditingEditing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
- The Ramblers (1926) - musical - co-composer, co-lyricist and co-bookwriter
- Lucky (1927) - musical - co-bookwriter
- The Five O'Clock GirlThe Five O'Clock GirlThe Five O'Clock Girl is a musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson, music by Harry Ruby, and lyrics by Bert Kalmar. It focuses on wealthy Beekman Place playboy Gerald Brooks and impoverished shopgirl Patricia Brown, who become acquainted with each other via a series of anonymous 5...
(1927) - musical - composer - She's My Baby (1928) - musical - co-bookwriter
- Good Boy (1928) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist
- Animal CrackersAnimal Crackers (theatre)Animal Crackers is a musical with music and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical starred the Marx Brothers.-Productions and background:...
(1928) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist - Top Speed (1929) - musical - co-producerTheatrical producerA theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
and co-bookwriter - High Kickers (1941) - musical - co-composer, co-lyricist and co-bookwriter
- FosseFosseFosse is a three-act musical revue showcasing the choreography of Bob Fosse. After 21 previews, the original Broadway production, conceived and directed by Richard Maltby, Jr...
(1998) - revue - featured songwriter for "Who's Sorry Now" from "All That JazzAll That JazzAll That Jazz is a 1979 American musical film directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur and Fosse is a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on aspects of Fosse's life and career as dancer, choreographer and director. The film was inspired by Bob Fosse's manic effort to edit his...
" 1979
In his 1972 concert at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
presented this intro and a song of Ruby's that he liked:
I have a friend in Hollywood... I think I do, but I'm not sure. [laughter] His name is Harry Ruby [applause] and he wrote a lot of songs that I've sung over the years...
- Today, Father, is Father's Day
- And we're giving you a tie
- It's not much we know
- It is just our way of showing you
- We think you're a regular guy
- You say that it was nice of us to bother
- But it really was a pleasure to fuss
- For according to our mother
- You're our father
- And that's good enough for us
- Yes, that's good enough for us
Hit songs by Kalmar and Ruby
- "My Honey's Lovin' Arms": Later recorded by Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
on her album The Barbra Streisand AlbumThe Barbra Streisand Album- Side two :- Personnel :* Barbra Streisand — vocals* Mike Berniker — producer* Peter Matz — arrangements* Fred Plaut and Frank Lacio — recording engineers* John Berg — design* Hank Parker — photography* Harold Arlen — liner notes- Chart performance :...
. - "Who's Sorry Now?Who's Sorry Now?"Who's Sorry Now?" is a popular song with music written by Ted Snyder and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. It was published in 1923."Who's Sorry Now?" was featured in the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca , directed by Archie Mayo and released by United Artists.The song has been...
" (1923): Kalmar and Ruby's first big hit. - "Rebecca Came Back From MeccaRebecca Came Back From MeccaRebecca is a popular song, with words and music by the prolific songwriting team of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. The song was published in 1921 by EMI Mills Music, Inc...
" (1921) - "I Wanna Be Loved by YouI Wanna Be Loved by You"I Wanna Be Loved by You" is a song written by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, for the 1928 musical "Good Boy". It was chosen as one of the Songs of the Century in a survey made by the RIAA in which 200 people responded...
" (1928): a hit for Helen KaneHelen KaneHelen Kane was an American popular singer; her signature song was "I Wanna Be Loved By You". Kane's voice and appearance were a likely source for Fleischer Studios animator Grim Natwick when creating Betty Boop, although It-girl Clara Bow is another possible influence.-Early life:Born as Helen...
, known as the "Boop-boop-a-doop girl." - "Everyone Says I Love YouEveryone Says I Love YouEveryone Says I Love You is a 1996 American musical film that was written and directed by Woody Allen. The film features many stars, including Julia Roberts, Alan Alda, Edward Norton, Drew Barrymore, Gaby Hoffmann, Tim Roth, Goldie Hawn, and Natalie Portman.Set in New York, Venice, and Paris, the...
" (1932) - "I Love You So Much" (1928)
- "Three Little WordsThree Little Words (song)"Three Little Words" is a popular song with music by Harry Ruby and the lyrics by Bert Kalmar, published in 1930.The Rhythm Boys, accompanied by the Duke Ellington orchestra, sang it in the Amos 'n' Andy film Check and Double Check. It also figured prominently in the film of the same name, a biopic...
" (1930): Their biggest hit. - "NeverthelessNevertheless (I'm in Love with You)"Nevertheless I'm in Love with You" is a popular song written by Harry Ruby with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, first published in 1931...
" (1931): A hit for both Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Rudy ValleeRudy ValléeRudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
, later done by The Mills Brothers and Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
. - "What A Perfect Combination" (1932): lyrics by Kalmar and Irving CaesarIrving CaesarIrving Caesar was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for "Swanee," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Crazy Rhythm," and "Tea for Two," one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written. He was born and died in New York.Caesar, the son of Morris Keiser, a Romanian Jew, was...
, music by Ruby and Harry AkstHarry AkstHarry Akst was an American songwriter, who started out his career as a pianist in vaudeville accompanying singers such as Nora Bayes, Frank Fay and Al Jolson.-Life and career:Akst was born in New York, United States....
, written for the Broadway show The Kid, which starred Eddie CantorEddie CantorEddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
. - "A Kiss to Build a Dream onA Kiss To Build a Dream On"A Kiss to Build a Dream On" is a song composed by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1935. It was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1951 . It was also performed by Armstrong as well as by Mickey Rooney and William Demarest in the 1951 film "The Strip," and was a sort of recurring...
" (1935): His last hit. - "Thinking of You" (1927): Had hit recordings in 1950 by Eddie Fisher and Don Cherry.