Harry Ruby


Harry Rubenstein, known professionally as Harry Ruby, was an American pianist, composer, songwriter and screenwriter, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. He was married to silent film actress Eileen Percy.

Biography

Ruby was born in New York City in 1895. After failing at his early ambition to become a professional baseball player, he toured the vaudeville circuit as a pianist with the Bootblack Trio and the Messenger Boys Trio.
In his early career he worked as a pianist and song plugger for the Gus Edwards and Harry Von Tilzer publishing firms. Ruby also played in vaudeville acts, nickelodeons and cafes throughout New York.
From 1917-1920, Ruby collaborated with songwriters Edgar Leslie, Sam Lewis, Joe Young and George Jessel on the hit songs “What’ll We Do Saturday Night When the Town Goes Dry”, “When Those Sweet Hawaiian Babies Roll Their Eyes”, “Come on Papa”, “Daddy Long Legs” and “And He’d Say Oo-La-La Wee Wee.”
Ruby found his most sustained success as a composer after meeting the man who would become his longtime partner, lyricist Bert Kalmar. Kalmar and Ruby were a successful songwriting team for nearly three decades until Kalmar's death in 1947, a partnership portrayed in the 1950 MGM musical Three Little Words, starring Fred Astaire as Kalmar and Red Skelton as Ruby.
A good friend of Groucho Marx, Ruby appeared several times on his television program, You Bet Your Life. In his 1972 concert at Carnegie Hall, Marx gave the following introduction before performing a song of Ruby's: "I have a friend in Hollywood... I think I do, I'm not so sure. His name is Harry Ruby and he wrote a lot of songs that I've sung over the years..."
In The Dick Cavett Show, recorded June 13, 1969, Marx also sang a second stanza, and introduced it with, "Isn't that a beautiful melody? And a beautiful sentiment:... Today, father, is father's day.... 16 men in that orchestra: nine of them are illegitimate children . Nine and a half including the director."

Works

Selected film scores

Source:Animal Crackers Horse Feathers Duck Soup Bright Lights Walking [on Air (1936 film)|Walking on Air]

Selected screenplays

Source:The Kid from Spain Horse Feathers Duck Soup Bright Lights Walking on Air The Life of the Party

Selected Broadway scores

Source:Ziegfeld Follies of 1918 - revue - featured songwriterHelen of Troy, New York - musical - co-composer and co-lyricistNo Other Girl - musical - co-composer and co-lyricistHolka Polka - musical - co-book-editorThe Ramblers - musical - co-composer, co-lyricist and co-bookwriterLucky - musical - co-bookwriterThe Five O'Clock Girl - musical - composerShe's My Baby - musical - co-bookwriterGood Boy - musical - co-composer and co-lyricistAnimal Crackers - musical - co-composer and co-lyricistTop Speed - musical - co-producer and co-bookwriterHigh Kickers - musical - co-composer, co-lyricist and co-bookwriterFosse - revue - featured songwriter for "Who's Sorry Now?" from All That Jazz 1979

Notable songs

Source:

Selected bibliography

Robert Benchley, Moss Hart, Irving Berlin, Marc Connelly, James Kevin McGuinness, Franklin P. Adams and Nunnally Johnson.

Death

Ruby died on February 23, 1974, in Woodland Hills, California, and was interred at the Chapel of the Pines in Los Angeles.