Leah Ray Hubbard (February 16, 1915 – May 27, 1999) was an American singer and actress born in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

. She sang with major dance bands and acted in more than a dozen motion pictures.

Big-band vocalist

Soon after Ray moved to California, her uncle introduced her to Phil Harris and arranged for a tryout. As a result, she was singing for the Harris orchestra at age 16. She also sang with

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

's orchestra.

Films

Leah Ray's screen debut came in 1934, co-starring with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

in his own screen debut, the musical-comedy short subject '' Going Spanish'' (1934). The film was produced in New York by

Educational Pictures Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational pr ...

and distributed by

Twentieth Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

. Fox signed Ray for feature films, including '' One in a Million'' (1936)., '' The Holy Terror'' (1937), '' Wake Up and Live'' (1937), and (co-starring with Tony Martin) '' Sing and Be Happy'' (1937). In a situation described in a newspaper article as "extraordinary," Ray's mother (also named Leah Ray Hubbard) was her daughter's stand-in, "working with her in all her pictures."

Personal life

While singing with the Phil Harris orchestra, Leah Ray met

Music Corporation of America MCA Inc. (originally an initialism for Music Corporation of America) was an American media conglomerate founded in 1924. Originally a talent agency with artists in the music business as clients, the company became a major force in the film ind ...

executive Sonny Werblin. They married on March 27, 1938, and had three sons: Robert, Thomas, and Hubbard. The Werblin's were married for more than 50 years until his death in 1991. She and her husband established the David and Leah Ray Werblin Foundation that provided financial support for Rutgers University, charitable causes, and cultural activities

Thoroughbred racing

Sonny Werblin was a shareholder and director of Monmouth Park Racetrack and builder of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, which included a horse racing venue. Leah Ray Werblin and her husband raced

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

horses under the ''

nom de course NOM may refer to: * National Organization for Marriage * Natural organic matter * New Order Mormons * Nickelodeon Original Movies * ''Nintendo Official Magazine'', official British Nintendo magazine; now discontinued, superseded by '' Official ...

'', Elberon Farm. Among their racing successes, their colt,

Silent Screen Silent Screen (1967–1993) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Silent Screen was trained by J. Bowes Bond for owners Sonny and Leah Ray Werbin who raced under the '' nom de course'', Elberon Farm. Racing career Si ...

, was voted the 1969 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. Leah Ray Werblin died on May 27, 1999, at her home in

Rumson, New Jersey Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 7,343, reflecting a 3.1% increase from the 7,122 enume ...

at the age of 82.Staff
"Leah Ray Werblin, Singer, 82"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', June 4, 1999. Accessed February 14, 2011. "Leah Ray Werblin, a vocalist in the Big Band era and later, with her husband, the owner of the Elberon Farm in thoroughbred racing, died in her sleep May 27 at her home in

References

Sources

*
June 4, 1999 ''New York Times'' obituary for Leah Ray Werblin
1915 births 1999 deaths Big band singers American film actresses American racehorse owners and breeders Actresses from Virginia Musicians from Norfolk, Virginia People from Rumson, New Jersey 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers Actors from Norfolk, Virginia 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American philanthropists {{US-film-actor-1910s-stub