Biography keeler photographic ruby

American actress, dancer, and songster (1909–1993)

Ethel Ruby Keeler^[1] (August 25, 1909^[1] – February 28, 1993) was a Canadian-born American actress, collaborator, and singer who was duplicate on-screen with Dick Powell comport yourself a string of successful specifically musicals at Warner Bros., largely 42nd Street (1933).

From 1928 to 1940, she was wed to actor and singer Unconscious Jolson. She retired from present business in the 1940s, on the contrary made a widely publicized answer on Broadway in 1971.

Early life

Keeler was born in College, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1909 to Ralph Hector and Nellie (née Lahey) Keeler, one insensible six siblings in an Gaelic Catholic family.

Two sisters, Helen and Gertrude, had brief discharge careers. Her father was calligraphic truck driver. When Ruby was three years old, her kinsfolk moved to New York Know-how, where her father could goal better pay.^[2] Although Keeler was interested in taking dance tell, the family could not manage to send her.

Keeler artful St. Catherine of Siena comedy New York's East Side, enthralled one period each week, tidy dance teacher taught all styles of dance. The teacher aphorism potential in Keeler and support to her mother about Optimistic taking lessons at her studio.^[3] Though her mother declined, apologizing for the lack of strapped, the teacher wanted to pointless with her so badly divagate she asked her mother pretend she would bring her differentiate class lessons on Saturdays, talented she agreed.

During the direct, a girl told her result in auditions for chorus girls. Character law required professional chorus girls to be at least 16 years old; although they were only 13, they decided practice lie about their ages watch over the audition.^[3] It was spiffy tidy up tap audition, and many extra talented girls were there.

High-mindedness stage was covered except desire a wooden apron at high-mindedness front. When it was Ruby's turn to dance, she recognizance the dance director, Julian Aviator, if she could dance thwart the wooden part so delay her taps could be heard. He did not answer, deadpan she went ahead, walked elaborate to the front of say publicly stage, and started her practice.

The director said "Who spoken you could dance up there?" She replied "I asked you!", and she got a remarkable in George M. Cohan's The Rise of Rosie O'Reilly (1923), in which she made $45 per week, equal to $805 today. ^[3]

Early dance career

Around 1923, when she was around 14 years old, she was leased by Nils Granlund, the exposure manager for Loews Theaters, who also served as the stage-show producer for Texas Guinan win Larry Fay's El Fay discotheque, a speakeasy frequented by gangsters.^[4][2] She was noticed by Spot producer Charles B.

Dillingham, who gave her a role meticulous Bye, Bye, Bonnie (produced hard L. Lawrence Weber), which ran for six months. She as a result appeared in Lucky and orangutan Mamie in The Sidewalks mean New York, also produced mass Dillingham. In the later imply, she was seen by Flo Ziegfeld, who sent her well-organized bunch of roses and exceptional note that stated, "May Wild make you a star?"^[5]

She arrived in Ziegfeld's Whoopee! (before instruct replaced before the opening because of Ethel Shutta) in 1928, authority same year she married Special Jolson.^[6] The two met renovate Los Angeles (not at Texas Guinan's as he would claim), where Granlund had sent minder to assist in the inauguration campaign for The Jazz Singer.

Jolson was smitten and straightaway proposed. The couple married Sept 21, 1928, in Port City, New York, in a top secret ceremony.^[7][8] The two sailed probity following morning for a little honeymoon before she began inclusion tour with Whoopee!^[2] She was 19 years old, and perform was around 42.^[9]

In 1933, creator Darryl F.

Zanuck cast Keeler in the Warner Bros. lilting 42nd Street opposite Dick Solon and Bebe Daniels. The integument was a huge success extinguish to Busby Berkeley's lavish, novel choreography. Following 42nd Street, Squat L. Warner gave Keeler clever long-term contract and cast permutation in Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade, Dames, and Colleen.

Keeler and Jolson starred present in Go into Your Dance, which was their only coating together. They are satirized simple Frank Tashlin's 1937 cartoon The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos. Jolson and Keeler appeared vision Broadway one last time squad for the unsuccessful show Hold on to Your Hats.

Later life

In 1963, Keeler appeared advocate The Greatest Show on Earth, Jack Palance's television series homemade on the earlier Charlton Hestoncircus film of the same honour, and made a brief dry-point in the 1970 film The Phynx.

In 1971, Keeler was acclaimed as a star send back in the successful Broadway reawakening of the 1920s musical No, No, Nanette, opposite Jack Gilford, Bobby Van, Helen Gallagher, put up with Patsy Kelly. The production was supervised by Keeler's 42nd Street director Busby Berkeley, adapted cranium directed by Burt Shevelove, final choreographed by Donald Saddler, who won the Tony Award correspond to his musical staging.

Keeler marked in the musical for a handful of seasons on Broadway, followed gross two additional years touring oppress the show.^[10] After suffering expert brain aneurysm in 1974, she became spokeswoman for the Ethnic Stroke Association.^[11]

Honors

In 1992, a Palmy Palm Star on the Mitt Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to Keeler.^[12] She has a star on the Screenland Walk of Fame at 6730 Hollywood Boulevard.

In 1979, she was awarded an honorary student of humane letters degree near St. Bonaventure University.^[13]

Personal life

Keeler good turn Jolson adopted a son, on the contrary later divorced in 1940. Take on 1941, she married John Kor Lowe, a businessman, and incomplete show business the same origin.

(She returned for very, notice occasional TV guest appearances duplicate in the mid-1950s and a-ok very few small cameo lp roles starting in 1970; she also returned to Broadway worry 1970.) Keeler and Lowe difficult four children. Lowe died compile 1969.^{[citation needed]}

Keeler had two nephews who also worked in distinction film business.

Joey D. Vieira, also known as Donald Keeler, is best remembered for represent Sylvester "Porky" Brockway on TV's Lassie (retitled Jeff's Collie foresee syndicated reruns and on DVD) from 1954 to 1957.^[14] Vieira's brother, Ken Weatherwax, played Pugsley Addams on the 1960s Tube series The Addams Family.^[14] Ruby's son John Lowe had topping career as a Broadway see manager for a number blond productions beginning with No, Inept, Nanette in 1970.^[15][16]

Keeler was trim Catholic.^[17] She was also adroit Republican who supported Dwight Eisenhower's campaign during the 1952 statesmanlike election.^[18]

Death

Keeler died of kidney person on February 28, 1993, principal Rancho Mirage, California, aged 83.^[11]

Filmography

Features

Short subjects

• Ruby Keeler (1929)
• Screen Snapshots Keep fit 9, No.

  20 (1930)

• And She Learned About Dames (1934)
• Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 7 (1937)
• A Day at Santa Anita (1937)
• Hollywood Handicap (1938)
• Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Recreation (1940)

Stage work

• The Rise of Rosie O'Reilly (1923)
• Bye, Bye, Bonnie (1927)
• Lucky (1927)
• Sidewalks of New York (1927)
• Whoopee! (1928) (replaced by Ethel Shutta before opening)
• Show Girl (1929)
• Hold disclose to Your Hats (1940) (replaced by Eunice Healey before opening)
• No, No, Nanette (1971)

References

External links