Ruth Hussey
Encyclopedia
Ruth Carol Hussey was an American actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as photographer Elizabeth Imbrie in The Philadelphia Story.
in 1911. At the age of nine her father died from the Spanish flu
. After her mother remarried, she adopted her stepfather's surname and grew up as Ruth O'Rourke. Following graduation from high school, she went on to attend Pembroke College
graduating in 1936. She never landed a role in any of the plays she tried out for at Pembroke. She then studied drama graduate school at the University of Michigan
School of Drama, and worked as an actress with a summer stock
company in Michigan for two seasons.
and on her first day there she signed-up with a talent agent who booked her for a role in a play starting the next day back at the Providence Playhouse.
In New York City she also worked for a time as a model with the world-famous Powers agency. She then landed a number of stage roles with touring companies. Dead End
toured the country in 1937 and the last theater on the road trip was at the Biltmore Hotel
in Los Angeles where she was spotted on opening night by MGM talent scout Billy Grady. MGM signed her to a players contract and she made her film debut in 1937. She quickly became a leading lady in MGM's "B" unit, usually playing sophisticated, worldly roles. For a 1940 "A" picture role she was nominated for an Academy Award
for her turn as Elizabeth Imbrie, the cynical magazine photographer and girlfriend of Jimmy Stewart
's character Macaulay Connor in The Philadelphia Story.
Hussey also worked with Robert Taylor
in Flight Command
(1940), Robert Young
in H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), Van Heflin
in Tennessee Johnson
(1942), Ray Milland
in The Uninvited
(1944) and Alan Ladd
in The Great Gatsby
(1949). In 1946 she starred on Broadway in State Of The Union the Pulitzer Prize play. In 1960 she co-starred in The Facts of Life
with Bob Hope
. Hussey was also active in early television drama.
On August 9, 1942, Hussey married talent agent and radio producer C. Robert Bob Longenecker (1909–2002) at Mission San Antonio de Pala
in North San Diego County, California. Longenecker was born and raised in Lititz, Pennsylvania
. They raised three children: Rob Longenecker, John Longenecker, and Mary Hendrix. Following the birth of her children, Hussey focused much of her attention on family activities, and, in 1964 designed a family cabin in the mountain community of Lake Arrowhead, California
.
In 1977 she and her husband moved from their Brentwood
family home to Rancho Carlsbad in Carlsbad, California
. Her husband died in 2002 shortly after celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
Her son John Longenecker
works as a cinematographer and film director. He won an Academy Award for producing a live action short film The Resurrection of Broncho Billy
(1970).
Early life
Hussey was born in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
in 1911. At the age of nine her father died from the Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
. After her mother remarried, she adopted her stepfather's surname and grew up as Ruth O'Rourke. Following graduation from high school, she went on to attend Pembroke College
Pembroke College (Brown University)
Pembroke College in Brown University was the coordinate women's college for Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1891 and closed in 1971.-Founding and early history:...
graduating in 1936. She never landed a role in any of the plays she tried out for at Pembroke. She then studied drama graduate school at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
School of Drama, and worked as an actress with a summer stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
company in Michigan for two seasons.
Career
After working as an actress in summer stock, she returned to Providence and worked as a radio fashion commentator on a local station. She wrote the ad copy for a Providence clothing store and read it on the radio each afternoon. One day she was encouraged by a friend to try out for acting roles at the Providence Playhouse. The theater director there turned her down, saying the roles were cast only out of New York City. Later that week she journeyed to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and on her first day there she signed-up with a talent agent who booked her for a role in a play starting the next day back at the Providence Playhouse.
Dead End
Dead End is a 1937 crime drama film. It is an adaptation of the Sidney Kingsley 1935 Broadway play of the same name. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, and Sylvia Sidney...
toured the country in 1937 and the last theater on the road trip was at the Biltmore Hotel
Biltmore Hotel
Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a chain created by hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman.The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The name has...
in Los Angeles where she was spotted on opening night by MGM talent scout Billy Grady. MGM signed her to a players contract and she made her film debut in 1937. She quickly became a leading lady in MGM's "B" unit, usually playing sophisticated, worldly roles. For a 1940 "A" picture role she was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for her turn as Elizabeth Imbrie, the cynical magazine photographer and girlfriend of Jimmy Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
's character Macaulay Connor in The Philadelphia Story.
Hussey also worked with Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
in Flight Command
Flight Command
Flight Command is a 1940 film about a cocky U.S. Navy pilot who has problems with his new squadron and falls for the wife of his commander...
(1940), Robert Young
Robert Young (actor)
Robert George Young was an American television, film, and radio actor, best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson, the father of Father Knows Best and as physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. .-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father...
in H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), Van Heflin
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
in Tennessee Johnson
Tennessee Johnson
Tennessee Johnson is a 1942 American film about Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States. It was directed by William Dieterle and written by Milton Gunzburg, Alvin Meyers, John Balderston, and Wells Root. It starred Van Heflin as Johnson, Lionel Barrymore as his nemesis Thaddeus...
(1942), Ray Milland
Ray Milland
Ray Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
in The Uninvited
The Uninvited (1944 film)
The Uninvited is a 1944 American supernatural mystery/romance film directed by Lewis Allen. It is based on the Dorothy Macardle novel Uneasy Freehold.Charles Lang was nominated for a 1945 Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography.-Plot:...
(1944) and Alan Ladd
Alan Ladd
-Early life:Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was the only child of Ina Raleigh Ladd and Alan Ladd, Sr. He was of English ancestry. His father died when he was four, and his mother relocated to Oklahoma City where she married Jim Beavers, a housepainter...
in The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby (1949 film)
The Great Gatsby is a 1949 film made by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Elliott Nugent and produced by Richard Maibaum, from a screenplay by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume based on the novel of the same title by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the play by Owen Davis. The music score was by Robert...
(1949). In 1946 she starred on Broadway in State Of The Union the Pulitzer Prize play. In 1960 she co-starred in The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life (film)
The Facts of Life is a 1960 romantic comedy starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball as middle-aged people who have an affair despite being married to other people. Written, directed, and produced by the longtime Hope associates Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, the film was more serious than many other...
with Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
. Hussey was also active in early television drama.
Personal life
Mission San Antonio de Pala
The San Antonio de Pala Asistencia, or the "Pala Mission", was founded on June 13, 1816 as an asistencia to Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, some twenty miles inland upstream from the mission on the San Luis Rey River. It was part of the Spanish missions, asistencias, and estancias system in Las...
in North San Diego County, California. Longenecker was born and raised in Lititz, Pennsylvania
Lititz, Pennsylvania
Lititz is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 6 miles north of the city of Lancaster.-History:Lititz was founded by members of the Moravian Church in 1756, and was named after a castle in Bohemia near the village of Kunvald where the ancient Bohemian Brethren's Church had...
. They raised three children: Rob Longenecker, John Longenecker, and Mary Hendrix. Following the birth of her children, Hussey focused much of her attention on family activities, and, in 1964 designed a family cabin in the mountain community of Lake Arrowhead, California
Lake Arrowhead, California
Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, within the San Bernardino National Forest, adjacent to Lake Arrowhead Reservoir...
.
In 1977 she and her husband moved from their Brentwood
Brentwood, Los Angeles, California
Brentwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California, United States. The district is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, the Santa Monica city limits on the southwest, the border of Topanga State...
family home to Rancho Carlsbad in Carlsbad, California
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
. Her husband died in 2002 shortly after celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
Her son John Longenecker
John Longenecker
John Longenecker is an American film producer, Directors Guild of America member, screenwriter and cinematographer who produced the Academy Award winning live action short film, The Resurrection of Broncho Billy .-Biography:...
works as a cinematographer and film director. He won an Academy Award for producing a live action short film The Resurrection of Broncho Billy
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy is a 1970 live action short Western film, starring Johnny Crawford. It won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject.-Plot:...
(1970).
External links
- Ruth Hussey – official website
- NY Times – Ruth Hussey, a brief biography