Ruth Wallis
Encyclopedia
Ruth Wallis was a novelty
Popular cabaret
singer.
, New York
, Wallis began her career singing jazz and cabaret standards - with such bands like Isham Jones
and Benny Goodman
on road tours for a couple of months; but gained fame in the 1940s and 1950s for her risqué, satirical songs, rife with double entendre
that she wrote herself. She did have a mainstream hit with "Dear Mr. Godfrey
," a song about Godfrey's public firing of Julius La Rosa
, that reached #25 in late 1953.
She sang with a studio orchestra and often took on an accent
for songs about characters from other countries. Her music was occasionally featured on the Doctor Demento show in the 1970s.
She started singing in lounges and cocktail bars, where she met her husband Hy Pastman. Eventually it became clear that her novelty songs, which relied mostly upon double entendres, were the most popular. These songs discussed a number of topics that were taboo
in fifties America, such as homosexuality
and infidelity
. For this reason, her songs were banned from Boston
radio stations. She often had difficulty securing distribution for her works, so she started her own record label, Wallis Original Recordings. When she arrived in Australia
for a tour customs agents seized her records. Rather than ruin her career, this only brought out crowds.
Wallis retired in the 1970s to spend more time with her husband and two children, but continued to work on material for Broadway shows. Some of her most famous songs were collected and became the Off-Broadway hit, BOOBS! The Musical: The World According to Ruth Wallis
. BOOBS! opened at the Triad Theater in New York City on May 19, 2003; by closing date it had played nearly 300 performances. Produced and choreographed by Lawrence Leritz
, it has had subsequent runs in New Orleans and Wichita
.
In March 2007 Wallis was honored by the National Archives of Australia. Memorabilia of hers was included in 'Memory of a Nation', a permanent exhibition opening in Canberra.
Wallis died on December 22, 2007, in South Killingly, Connecticut, from complications of Alzheimer's Disease
.
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
Popular cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
singer.
Career
Born Ruth Shirley Wohl in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Wallis began her career singing jazz and cabaret standards - with such bands like Isham Jones
Isham Jones
Isham Jones was a United States bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.-Career:Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, to a musical and mining family, and grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, where he started his first band...
and Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
on road tours for a couple of months; but gained fame in the 1940s and 1950s for her risqué, satirical songs, rife with double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
that she wrote herself. She did have a mainstream hit with "Dear Mr. Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
," a song about Godfrey's public firing of Julius La Rosa
Julius La Rosa
Julius La Rosa is an American traditional popular music singer who has worked in both radio and television since the 1950s.-Early years and big break:...
, that reached #25 in late 1953.
She sang with a studio orchestra and often took on an accent
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
for songs about characters from other countries. Her music was occasionally featured on the Doctor Demento show in the 1970s.
She started singing in lounges and cocktail bars, where she met her husband Hy Pastman. Eventually it became clear that her novelty songs, which relied mostly upon double entendres, were the most popular. These songs discussed a number of topics that were taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
in fifties America, such as homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and infidelity
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
. For this reason, her songs were banned from Boston
Banned in Boston
"Banned in Boston" was a phrase employed from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century to describe a literary work, motion picture, or play prohibited from distribution or exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts, USA...
radio stations. She often had difficulty securing distribution for her works, so she started her own record label, Wallis Original Recordings. When she arrived in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for a tour customs agents seized her records. Rather than ruin her career, this only brought out crowds.
Wallis retired in the 1970s to spend more time with her husband and two children, but continued to work on material for Broadway shows. Some of her most famous songs were collected and became the Off-Broadway hit, BOOBS! The Musical: The World According to Ruth Wallis
Boobs! The Musical
Boobs! The Musical: The World According to Ruth Wallis is a musical revue with lyrics and music by 1950s and 1960s star Ruth Wallis. Using 23 of Wallis' songs, Boobs! tells the story of Ruth Wallis' international career and struggles in performing her naughty songs...
. BOOBS! opened at the Triad Theater in New York City on May 19, 2003; by closing date it had played nearly 300 performances. Produced and choreographed by Lawrence Leritz
Lawrence Leritz
Lawrence Leritz is an American dancer, singer, actor, producer, fitness expert and choreographer.-Life and career:...
, it has had subsequent runs in New Orleans and Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
.
In March 2007 Wallis was honored by the National Archives of Australia. Memorabilia of hers was included in 'Memory of a Nation', a permanent exhibition opening in Canberra.
Wallis died on December 22, 2007, in South Killingly, Connecticut, from complications of Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
.
Track listing for Ruth Wallis' Greatest Hits - Boobs
- "Queer Things"
- "Boobs"
- "Drill 'Em All"
- "Ubangi"
- "The Pistol Song"
- "He'd Rather Be A Girl"
- "Follies Bergere"
- "Admiral's Daughter"
- "Pizza"
- "De Gay Young Lad"
- "The Pop-Up Song"
- "Cape Canaveral Blues"
- "The Army Gave My Husband Back"
- "The Dinghy Song" (aka "Davy's Dinghy")
- "Freddie The Fisherman's Song"
- "Hawaiian Lei Song"
- "The Same Little Yo-Yo"
- "Marriage Jewish Style"
- "The Bell Song"
Sources
- Ruth Wallis, Singer-Writer of Risqué Songs, Dies at 87 By MARGALIT FOX at the New York Times on January 3, 2008
- Boobs! The Musical.com
- Ruth Wallis: Return of the Saucy Chanteuse, an article originally published in GoldmineGoldmine (magazine)Goldmine, established in 1974, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, interviews, discographies, histories, current reviews on recording stars of the past and present. Discographies...
magazine, written by Chuck Miller