Doris Ruby (1927 – December 16, 1951) was a 24-year-old dancer from

Sunnyside, Queens Sunnyside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. It shares borders with Hunters Point, Queens, Hunters Point and Long Island City to the west, Astoria, Queens, Astoria to the no ...

who died in the 1951 Miami Airlines C-46 crash. She was a popular nightclub entertainer.''List of Dead in Crash of Plane in New Jersey'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', December 17, 1951, pg. 2.

Club performer

She opened at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

in late April 1951. Ruby appeared with

Fran Warren Frances Wolff (March 4, 1926 – March 4, 2013), known professionally as Fran Warren, was an American singer.Danny Thomas Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz, (born January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) known professionally as Danny Thomas, was an American comedian, actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in ''The Danny Thomas Show''. In additio ...

at the

Latin Casino The Latin Casino was a Philadelphia-area nightclub that first opened in 1944 as the "Latin" located at 1309 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many top entertainers performed at the Latin, including Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Durante, Samm ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, in early May. She teamed with George Price and Betty Reilly at the Capri in

Atlantic Beach, New York Atlantic Beach is a village located on the west end of the Long Beach Barrier Island in the Town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 1,707 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Atlan ...

in mid-June. She was romantically linked to Paul Thomas, brother of Danny Thomas, at this time.

Untimely death

Ruby was booked to dance at the Vagabond Club, on

Biscayne Boulevard U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) in Florida runs along the state's east coast from Key West to its crossing of the St. Marys River into Georgia north of Boulogne and south of Folkston. US 1 was designated through Florida when the U.S. ...

, in

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, the week after her death. She had most recently appeared at the

Cafe Society A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargile ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She appeared briefly on WJZ prior to preparing for her fatal flight to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. WJZ had broadcast from Howie's Restaurant on the

Avenue of the Americas Sixth Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas, is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The avenue is commercial for much of its length, and traffic runs northbound, or uptown. Sixth Avenue begins four blocks b ...

between 52nd and 53rd Streets in Manhattan.''Dancer Killed in Crash, On Radio Here Yesterday'', ''The New York Times'', December 17, 1951, pg. 22. She had been in Hanson's Drug Store, 51st Street and 7th Avenue, only a few hours prior to boarding the plane. This was a popular celebrity hangout. Gregg Sherwood, showgirl and best friend of Ruby, tried to discourage her from flying the night before her death. Sherwood told Ruby that if she had ten days before her Miami opening, she could likely get a cancellation on a better airline. 56 people died on the nonscheduled airliner which crashed in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.American Guild of Variety Artists The American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) is an American entertainment union representing performers in variety entertainment, including circuses, Las Vegas showrooms and cabarets, comedy showcases, dance revues, magic shows, theme park ...

held a benefit for Ruby's family, who were destitute following her death. She was their main support.

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...

reported that Ruby might have flown to Florida earlier if the last night club she appeared in had paid her on time. AGVA, the actors' union, paid her out of the owners' bond (to guarantee wages). This occurred belatedly, a week after she made flying plans.''Walter Winchell ... Of New York'', Washington Post, December 26, 1951, pg. B11.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruby, Doris American female dancers Dancers from New York (state) People from Sunnyside, Queens Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States 1927 births 1951 deaths Accidental deaths in New Jersey Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1951 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American women