Barbara Ruick

Barbara Ruick (December 23, 1930 – March 3, 1974) was an American actress and singer.

Barbara Ruick
Born(1930-12-23)December 23, 1930
Pasadena, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 3, 1974(1974-03-03) (aged 43)
Reno, Nevada, U.S.
OccupationActress, singer
Years active1931–1974
Spouse(s)
Children3, including Joseph Williams
Parent(s)Melville Ruick
Lurene Tuttle

Early years

Ruick was the daughter of actors Lurene Tuttle and Melville Ruick,[1][2] and grew up acting out scenes with dolls, employing her mother as an audience.

Ruick attended Roosevelt High School, Burbank High School, and North Hollywood High School.[3] 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
L-R: Ruick with Bob Fosse, Debbie Reynolds and Bobby Van in The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953)

Early in her career, Ruick sang in clubs[4] and acted in Little Theater productions.[2] She achieved success in radio prior to signing as a contract player with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[5] She was heard in the original radio version of Dragnet. She also recorded several songs for MGM Records. In the 1950s, Ruick starred as Kay in the first LP recording of the songs from George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin's 1926 Broadway musical, Oh, Kay!. This was a studio cast recording released by Columbia Records, and conducted by Lehman Engel.

She landed a job on Hollywood Screen Test, a talent show which aired on ABC Television from 1948-1953. Ruick appeared on the Kraft Television Theater, soap operas, and The College Bowl (1950), which was hosted by Chico Marx.[6] She also performed for fifteen weeks on The Jerry Colonna Show.[6]:531 In 1955 she was a regular on The Johnny Carson Show.[6]:540

She made guest appearances on The Millionaire (1957), Public Defender (1954), Brothers Brannigan (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).[7] She had bit parts in her first four films, one of them being The Band Wagon (1953), and then graduated to supporting roles. Her best remembered roles both came from Rodgers and Hammerstein. She played Carrie Pipperidge in the film version of Carousel (1956) and Esmerelda, one of the wicked stepsisters, in the 1965 TV version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.

Notable work

Marriages

Ruick married actor Robert Horton in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 22, 1953.[8] 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,[9] just after he accompanied her to the world premiere of Carousel.[10] She was the wife of composer John Williams, who composed the music for Star Wars, amongst others, from 1956 until her death. Following 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

Barbara Ruick Williams died on March 3, 1974, aged 43, from a cerebral haemorrhage[11] in Reno, Nevada while on location with her last film, Robert Altman's California Split, which is dedicated to her. She had a cameo role as a bartender. She was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1921The Star of BethlehemNarrator(reissue version)
1952InvitationSarah
1952ScaramoucheAmoureauseUncredited
1952You for MeAnn Elcott
1952Fearless FaganSecond Nurse
1952Apache War SmokeNancy Dekker
1952Above and BeyondMary Malone
1953Confidentially ConnieBarbara
1953I Love MelvinStudio Guide
1953The Band WagonPassenger on TrainUncredited
1953The Affairs of Dobie GillisLorna Ellingboe
1956CarouselCarrie Pipperidge
1974California SplitReno Barmaid(final film role and posthumous release)

Notes
  1. Barbara Ruick genealogy site, jw-collection.de; accessed November 7, 2015.
  2. Danson, Tom E. (May 23, 1951). "TV-Radiologic: Radio-TV Actress Follows, Now In Mama's Footsteps". Wilmington Daily Press Journal. California, Wilmington. p. 4. Retrieved July 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Bill of Rights Skit Given by Compton Group". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. December 14, 1949. p. 33. Retrieved July 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Optimist Dri-Nite Club Bringing 'Surprise Package' To Teen-Agers". The Van Nuys News. California, Van Nuys. August 4, 1949. p. 8. Retrieved July 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Films & Filming, vol.24, 1977, p.32.
  6. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  7. Hopper, Hedda (September 6, 1951). "Ma and Pa Kettle to Tangle With Spy Ring". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. 62. Retrieved July 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Actress Barbara Ruick Files Suit for Divorce". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. August 11, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved July 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Actress Wins a Divorce". The Kansas City Times. Missouri, Kansas City. Associated Press. April 28, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Barbara Ruick". Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  11. "Another Side to Film Composer John Williams". WRTI. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.

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.
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