Harry Ruby

Jewish American songwriter and screenwriter. Born January 27, 1895 in New York City. Died February 23, 1974 in Woodland Hills, California. Ruby toured the vaudeville circuit as a pianist with the Bootblack Trio and the Messenger Boys Trio, where he met his long-time partner Bert Kalmar. Together, Kalmar and Ruby formed a successful songwriting team until the latter's death in 1947. The partnership was portrayed in the 1950 MGM musical "Three Little Words" starring Fred Astaire as Kalmar and Red Skelton as Ruby. Ruby as a songwriter charted sixty times total, with Kalmar and Ruby charting forty-six times of those. Kalmar and Ruby together wrote twenty-four top 10 songs, and forty-two top 20 songs. Ruby also had chart success co-writing with Ted Snyder (9 songs charted together), Johnnie Scott (four charted songs) and others. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.