Ruby Keeler
Birth : 1910-08-25, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Death : 1993-02-28
History
Ruby Keeler, born Ethel Hilda Keeler, (August 25, 1910 – February 28, 1993) was an actress, singer, and dancer most famous for her on-screen coupling with Dick Powell in a string of successful early musicals at Warner Brothers, particularly 42nd Street (1933). From 1928 to 1940, she was married to legendary singer Al Jolson. She retired from show business in the 1940s but made a widely publicized comeback on Broadway in 1971.
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Self (archive footage)
Making-of documentary about the 1933 musical, 42nd Street.
Goldie
A rich young boy arranges to be kidnapped so he'll get more attention from his parents.
From '42nd Street' and 'Dames' (archive footage)
A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from it's orgins after the invention of the movie camera, over the movie musical from the late 20s, 30s, 40s 50s and 60s up to the break dance and the music videos from the 80s.
Self (archive footage)
Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American entertainment industry during the Great Depression.
Ruby Keeler
A rock band is invented by the government as a cover to find hostages in a remote castle in Albania held by communist enemies of the USA.
(archive footage)
This insightful documentary features some of the major and most beautiful actresses to grace the silver screen. It shows how the movie industry changed its depiction of sex and actresses' portrayal of sex from the silent movie era to the present. Classic scenes are shown from the silent movie 'True Heart Susie,' starring Lillian Gish, to 'Love Me Tonight' (1932), blending sex and sophistication, starring Jeanette MacDonald (pre-Nelson Eddy), and to Elizabeth Taylor in 'A Place in the Sun' (1951), plus much , much more.
Herself
A musical which begins with six men and a woman singing; then a dance number; finally, the six men and woman sing again.
Herself (archive footage)
The process by which girls are chosen for chorus line members in movie musical is shown. Numbers from popular 1930s musicals are then presented. These include "Don't Say Goodnight" from Wonder Bar (1934); "Lullaby of Broadway" from Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935) ; "Shadow Waltz" from Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933); and "By a Waterfall" and "Shanghai Lil" from Footlight Parade (1933).
Betty Blake
Ruby Keeler teams with the Nelsons (of TV and radio fame) as the singer in Ozzie's band. The setting is a college campus which is suffering from monetary woes, but somehow Ozzie's band manages to attract enough attention to increase the enrollment and keep the school from having to shut down.
Kitty Carey
A financially-strapped mother and her children relocate from the city to a small rural town.
Herself
A group of stable hands is given a race horse when its owner retires from the business. They raise money to run the horse in the Hollywood Derby at Santa Anita race track. Many Hollywood personalities attend the event.
Ruby Keeler (uncredited)
Orphaned horse-trainer's little daughter has reciprocated bond with horse, which needs her presence to win races.
Jane
Two starving songwriters will only get funding if they get British actress Jane Clarke to star in their show.
Colleen Reilly
Musical about dingaling millionaire businessman Cedric Ames and his various employees
June Blackburn
An admiral's son with no interest in carrying on the family tradition is a successful crooner. He finally joins the Navy to prove he can, but with no real love in it.
Dorothy 'Dot' Wayne
An irresponsible Broadway star gets mixed up with gambling and gangsters.
Kathleen "Kit" Fitts
A private stationed in Hawaii gets involved with the general's engaged daughter. In order to avoid a scandal, the pair break up, but meet again years later when he's at West Point producing the annual play that turns out to star her.
Barbara Hemingway
A reformer's daughter wins the lead role in a scandalous Broadway show.
Self
A short promotional film about Ruby Keeler and her upcoming film "Flirtation Walk." It provides a brief look at her career on Broadway, early films, and personal life away from the studio before showing a trailer for the new film.
Herself
Students at New York's Rovina Finishing School for Girls send their photographs to the makers of Claybury's Beauty Soap, in the hope of being chosen as "Miss Complexion of 1934." Martha Howson wins the contest, which includes a trip to Hollywood and a tour of the Warner Brothers lot with Lyle Talbot. When she gets to the studio, all she wants to do is meet Dick Powell, star of the new Warner Brothers film Dames (1934).
Bea Thorn
A fledgling producer finds himself at odds with his workers, financiers and his greedy ex-wife when he tries to produce live musicals for movie-going audiences.
Polly Parker
Things get tough for Carol and her showgirl pals, Trixie and Polly, when the Great Depression kicks in and all the Broadway shows close down. Wealthy songwriter Brad saves the day by funding a new Depression-themed musical for the girls to star in, but when his stuffy high-society brother finds out and threatens to disown Brad, Carol and her gold-digging friends scheme to keep the show going, hooking a couple of millionaires along the way.
Peggy Sawyer
A producer puts on what may be his last Broadway show, and at the last moment a chorus girl has to replace the star.
Ruby Keeler
Broadway actress leaves New York to become a star in Hollywood, and succeeds despite sleazy directors and her own ego.
