Ruth Gilbert (actress)
Encyclopedia
Ruth Gilbert was an American actress, best known for her role as Alice
in the first sound version of Alice in Wonderland
in 1931, and as Max in The Milton Berle Show.
, Gilbert's role as Alice in the 1931 film Alice in Wonderland
was her first major role. The film was made by Metropolitan Studios, an independent film company from Fort Lee, New Jersey
. They made it for educational purposes in readiness for the 100th anniversary of Lewis Carroll
s birth the following year
Gilbert's success in Alice in Wonderland gained her national recognition and this led to her first Broadway
role in Girls in Uniform in 1932, a play inspired by the German film Mädchen in Uniform, which was in turn based upon the Christa Winsloe
novel and play. Her role as Alice also got Gilbert noticed by Eugene O'Neill
who cast her in the role of Muriel in the Theatre Guild
production of Ah, Wilderness!
, which also starred George M. Cohan
.
She continued to work steadily on Broadway and as a radio actress throughout the 1930s and 1940s. During this period, she appeared as Sadie in John Howard Lawson
's Processional at the Federal Theatre Project
in 1937. She was also a member of the Group Theatre for two years, and in 1946 O'Neill cast her as Pearl in his play The Iceman Cometh
. On radio, she appeared in Norman Corwin
's Columbia Presents Corwin.
In 1949, Gilbert replaced Lee Grant
as the shoplifter in the Broadway run of Detective Story
. That same year, she also appeared in the NBC Presents episode entitled, "The Florist Shop", and she became the star of her own short lived TV series, Ruthie on the Telephone
, which co-starred Phillip Reed
. The latter series was notable in that it was a prime time show in which each episode was only five minutes long.
Gilbert continued to work well into the 1950s. From 1953 to 1955, she played Max, the lovesick, scatterbrained secretary, in ten episodes of The Milton Berle Show. Her often repeated line in the show, "Let's not fight this, Mil-l-ton, it's bigger than both of us," became her catchphrase However, midway through her tenure on the show, she was fired for becoming pregnant. Nevertheless, the matter was ultimately resolved by arbitration and she returned to the program after the birth of her daughter.
Gilbert's career reached its zenith in the 1950s and thereafter began to slow down. However, a year before her death, she made one last comeback in a cameo as Mrs. Landesman in the film Me, Myself and I
in 1992.
of brain cancer.
Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
Alice is a fictional character in the literary classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There. She is a young girl from Victorian-era Britain.-Development:...
in the first sound version of Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (1931 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1931 black-and-white American-made film based on Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The first sound version of the story, and therefore the first film to use Carroll's original dialogue, the film starred Ruth Gilbert as Alice and Leslie King as the Mad...
in 1931, and as Max in The Milton Berle Show.
Career
A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic ArtsAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
, Gilbert's role as Alice in the 1931 film Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (1931 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1931 black-and-white American-made film based on Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The first sound version of the story, and therefore the first film to use Carroll's original dialogue, the film starred Ruth Gilbert as Alice and Leslie King as the Mad...
was her first major role. The film was made by Metropolitan Studios, an independent film company from Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
. They made it for educational purposes in readiness for the 100th anniversary of Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
s birth the following year
Gilbert's success in Alice in Wonderland gained her national recognition and this led to her first Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
role in Girls in Uniform in 1932, a play inspired by the German film Mädchen in Uniform, which was in turn based upon the Christa Winsloe
Christa Winsloe
Christa Winsloe was a 20th century German-Hungarian novelist, playwright and sculptor, best known for her play Gestern und heute, filmed in 1931 as Mädchen in Uniform and the 1958 remake.- Biography :...
novel and play. Her role as Alice also got Gilbert noticed by Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
who cast her in the role of Muriel in the Theatre Guild
Theatre Guild
The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of the Washington Square Players.Its original purpose was to...
production of Ah, Wilderness!
Ah, Wilderness!
Ah, Wilderness! is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 2 October 1933.-Plot summary:...
, which also starred George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
.
She continued to work steadily on Broadway and as a radio actress throughout the 1930s and 1940s. During this period, she appeared as Sadie in John Howard Lawson
John Howard Lawson
John Howard Lawson was an American writer. He was head of the Hollywood division of the Communist Party USA. He was also the cell's cultural manager, and answered directly to V.J. Jerome, the Party's New York-based cultural chief...
's Processional at the Federal Theatre Project
Federal Theatre Project
The Federal Theatre Project was a New Deal project to fund theatre and other live artistic performances in the United States during the Great Depression. It was one of five Federal One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administration...
in 1937. She was also a member of the Group Theatre for two years, and in 1946 O'Neill cast her as Pearl in his play The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1940 the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on 9 October 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling where it ran for 136 performances to close on 15 March 1947.-Characters:* Night Hawk-...
. On radio, she appeared in Norman Corwin
Norman Corwin
Norman Lewis Corwin was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing...
's Columbia Presents Corwin.
In 1949, Gilbert replaced Lee Grant
Lee Grant
Lee Grant is an American stage, film and television actress, and film director. She was blacklisted for 12 years from film work beginning in the mid-1950s, but worked in the theatre, and would eventually win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Felicia Carp in the...
as the shoplifter in the Broadway run of Detective Story
Detective Story (play)
Detective Story is a 1949 play in three acts by American playwright Sidney Kingsley. The play opened on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre on March 23, 1949 where it played until the production moved to the Broadhurst Theatre on July 3, 1950. The production closed on August 12, 1950 after 581 ...
. That same year, she also appeared in the NBC Presents episode entitled, "The Florist Shop", and she became the star of her own short lived TV series, Ruthie on the Telephone
Ruthie on the Telephone
Ruthie on the Telephone is an American comedy television series that aired on the CBS network from August 7, to November 5, 1949. It is perhaps most notable for the fact that each episode was only five minutes long, yet it aired during a prime-time television slot.-Synopsis:The series features a...
, which co-starred Phillip Reed
Phillip Reed
Phillip Reed was an American actor. He was perhaps best known for his role as Steve Wilson in a series of four films based on the Big Town radio series. Television appearances include a lead role in the 1955 anthology drama series Police Call. He also appeared as King Toranshah in the 1965 Elvis...
. The latter series was notable in that it was a prime time show in which each episode was only five minutes long.
Gilbert continued to work well into the 1950s. From 1953 to 1955, she played Max, the lovesick, scatterbrained secretary, in ten episodes of The Milton Berle Show. Her often repeated line in the show, "Let's not fight this, Mil-l-ton, it's bigger than both of us," became her catchphrase However, midway through her tenure on the show, she was fired for becoming pregnant. Nevertheless, the matter was ultimately resolved by arbitration and she returned to the program after the birth of her daughter.
Gilbert's career reached its zenith in the 1950s and thereafter began to slow down. However, a year before her death, she made one last comeback in a cameo as Mrs. Landesman in the film Me, Myself and I
Me, Myself and I (film)
Me, Myself & I is a 1992 dark romantic comedy starring JoBeth Williams and George Segal. The movie is the directorial debut of editor and producer Pablo Ferro. Bill Macy, Shelley Hack and Ruth Gilbert also appear in this independent film shot in Ontario, Canada.-Cast:*JoBeth Williams ... Crazy...
in 1992.
Death
Gilbert died on the October 13, 1993 in Nassau, New YorkNassau (town), New York
Nassau is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, USA. The population was 4,818 at the 2000 census.The Town of Nassau is at the southern border of the county.- History :The region was first settled around 1760....
of brain cancer.