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Barbara Ruick (December 23, 1932 – March 3, 1974) was an American actress and singer.


Early years

Ruick was the daughter of actors
Lurene Tuttle Lurene Tuttle (August 29, 1907 – May 28, 1986) was an American actress and acting coach, who made the transition from vaudeville to radio, and later to films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's more versatil ...
and Melville Ruick, and grew up acting out scenes with dolls, employing her mother as an audience. Ruick attended
North Hollywood High School North Hollywood High School (NHHS) is a public high school in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is in the San Fernando Valley and enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Several neighborhoods, including m ...
. She did little acting in high school but joined a school band at the age of 14. Ruick sang with the band at dances and benefits.


Career

Early in her career, Ruick sang in clubs and acted in Little Theater productions. She achieved success in radio, then signed as a contract player with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
. She was heard in the original radio version of ''Dragnet''. She also recorded several songs for
MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...
. In the 1950s, Ruick starred as Kay in the first LP recording of the songs from
George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
and
Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the ...
's 1926 Broadway musical '' Oh, Kay!''. This studio cast recording was released by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
and conducted by
Lehman Engel A. Lehman Engel (September 14, 1910, Jackson, Mississippi – August 29, 1982, New York City) was an American composer for television, film, and operas and a conductor of Broadway musicals and operas. Work in theatre, television and films Enge ...
. She landed a job on '' Hollywood Screen Test'', a talent show which aired on ABC from 1948 to 1953. Ruick appeared on the ''
Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947, on NBC, airing at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Impe ...
'', soap operas, and ''The College Bowl'' (1950), which was hosted by
Chico Marx Leonard Joseph "Chico" Marx ( ; March 22, 1887October 11, 1961) was an American comedian, actor, and pianist. He was the oldest brother in the Marx Brothers comedy troupe, alongside his brothers Harpo Marx, Arthur ("Harpo"), Groucho Marx, Juliu ...
. She also performed for fifteen weeks on ''The Jerry Colonna Show''. In 1955, she was a regular on '' The Johnny Carson Show''. She made guest appearances on '' The Millionaire'' (1957), '' The Public Defender'' (1954), '' The Brothers Brannagan'' (1960), '' The 20th Century Fox Hour'' (1956), and '' Climax Mystery Theater'' (1955). In 1951, Ruick was signed by MGM for a role in the film '' Invitation'' (1952). She had bit parts in her first four films, one of them being ''
The Band Wagon ''The Band Wagon'' is a 1953 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. The plot follows an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway show will revive his career, but the play ...
'' (1953), and then graduated to supporting roles. Her best remembered roles both came from
Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...
. She played Carrie Pipperidge in the film version of ''
Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
'' (1956) and Esmerelda, one of the wicked stepsisters, in the 1965 TV version of '' Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella''. She released several singles of her singing on the MGM label in 1952 and 1953, including some with arrangements by Nelson Riddle.


Personal life

Ruick married actor Robert Horton in 1953. She had co-starred with Horton in the movie '' Apache War Smoke'' the previous year. The couple separated just prior to their second wedding anniversary in 1955 and divorced in 1956, just after he accompanied her to the world premiere of ''
Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
''. She then married the young composer
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
, who later became famous for ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' and many other films. Williams dedicated his First Violin Concerto to her memory (notes to DGG recording 289 471 326–2). During her marriage to Williams, Ruick appeared in few motion pictures. They had three children together, one of whom, Joseph Williams, is lead singer in the rock band Toto.


Death

Ruick died in
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
, aged 41, while playing a small role on location in
Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...
's '' California Split.'' She was found dead the afternoon of March 3, 1974, in her hotel room, where her body had been lying for 10 to 12 hours. She had complained of nausea and headache the previous night. The coroner found that her death was caused by a ruptured berry (saccular) aneurysm and
intracerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into Intraparenchymal hemorrhage, the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its Intraventricular hemorrhage, ventricles, or into both. An ICH is ...
. She was interred at the Columbarium of Blessedness, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California.Gravestone
Columbarium of Blessedness, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California. Accessed July 22, 2023.


Filmography


Notes


References

* ''Charleston, West Virginia Daily Mail'', "Actress Found Dead in Hotel", Monday, March 4, 1974, page 5B * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Barbara Ruick Real Gone Among Bop Set", July 6, 1952, page D3 * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Actress Wins Out Despite Head Start", August 16, 1953, page D3 * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Actress Barbara Ruick Files Suit for Divorce", August 11, 1955, page 4


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruick, Barbara 1932 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers American film actresses American television actresses American radio actresses Actresses from Pasadena, California MGM Records artists Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Musicians from Pasadena, California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American women singers North Hollywood High School alumni