Harry Ruby

Harry Ruby (January 27, 1895 – February 23, 1974) was a Jewish American songwriter (composer) and screenwriter.

Ruby was born in New York City After failing in 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, where he met his long-time partner, lyricist Bert Kalmar. Together, Ruby and Kalmar formed a successful songwriting team until the latter's death in 1947, and this partnership is portrayed in the 1950 MGM musical Three Little Words starring Fred Astaire as Kalmar and Red Skelton as Ruby. He died in Woodland Hills, California. His interment was located at Chapel of the Pines Crematory.

Harry Ruby was the best friend of Groucho Marx. He appeared several times on Marx's television program, You Bet Your Life.

Music composed by Ruby can be heard in the films:

  • Animal Crackers (1930)
  • Horse Feathers (1932)
  • Duck Soup (1933)
  • Bright Lights (1935)
  • Walking on Air (1936)
  • Three Little Words (1950)

Ruby also screenwrote such works as:

  • The Kid from Spain (1932)
  • Horse Feathers (1932)
  • Duck Soup (1933)
  • Bright Lights (1935)
  • Walking on Air (1936)
  • The Life of the Party (1937)
  • Lovely to Look at (1952)

Ruby's works on Broadway include the following:

  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1918 (1918)- revue - featured songwriter
  • Helen of Troy, New York (1923) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist
  • No Other Girl (1924) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist
  • Holka Polka (1925) - musical - co-book-editor
  • The Ramblers (1926) - musical - co-composer, co-lyricist and co-bookwriter
  • Lucky (1927) - musical - co-bookwriter
  • The Five O'Clock Girl (1927) - musical - composer
  • She's My Baby (1928) - musical - co-bookwriter
  • Good Boy (1928) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist
  • Animal Crackers (1928) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist
  • Top Speed (1929) - musical - co-producer and co-bookwriter
  • High Kickers (1941) - musical - co-composer, co-lyricist and co-bookwriter
  • Fosse (1998) - revue - featured songwriter for "Who's Sorry Now" from "All That Jazz" 1979

In his 1972 concert at Carnegie Hall, Groucho Marx presented this intro and a song of Ruby's that he liked:

I have a friend in Hollywood... I think I do, but I'm not sure. His name is Harry Ruby and he wrote a lot of songs that I've sung over the years...

Today, Father, is Father's Day
And we're giving you a tie
It's not much we know
It is just our way of showing you
We think you're a regular guy
You say that it was nice of us to bother
But it really was a pleasure to fuss
For according to our mother
You're our father
And that's good enough for us
Yes, that's good enough for us

Read more about Harry Ruby:  Hit Songs By Kalmar and Ruby

Famous quotes by harry ruby:

    “Why don’t you go home to your wife? I’ll tell you what. I’ll go home to your wife and outside of the improvements, you’ll never know the difference. Pull over to the side of the road there and let me see your marriage license.”
    —S.J. Perelman, U.S. screenwriter, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, and Norman Z. McLeod. Groucho Marx, Horsefeathers, a wisecrack made to Huxley College’s outgoing president (1932)

    “I’d horsewhip you if I had a horse.”
    —S.J. Perelman, U.S. screenwriter, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, and Norman Z. McLeod. Groucho Marx, Horsefeathers, a wisecrack made to his son Frank (Zeppo Marx)