Songwriter, Screenwriter. A Tin Pan Alley tunesmith, he co-wrote hundreds of ephemeral ditties for Broadway shows of the 1910s and 1920s. One of them, "That Shakespearean Rag" (1912), became part of literary history when T. S. Eliot quoted it in his landmark poem "The Waste Land" (1922). He later worked in Hollywood, where his best-known songs were "It Must Be Love" for the film "Blond Cheat" (1938), "Only When You're in My Arms" for "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" (1939), and "A Poco No" (also known as "Charlie Kane") for "Citizen Kane" (1941). Ruby was born in New York City, and started out as a song plugger in Manhattan's famed Brill Building. During his varied career he moonlighted as a comedy writer for Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor, and was head of Warner Bros. Vitaphone short subject department from 1931 to 1935. He also contributed to the screenplays of such films as "Words & Music" (1931), "Hot Sands" (1931), "The Old Grey Mayor" (1935), and "Man of Courage" (1943). In 1953 Ruby suffered a stroke and was bedridden for the rest of his life.
Songwriter, Screenwriter. A Tin Pan Alley tunesmith, he co-wrote hundreds of ephemeral ditties for Broadway shows of the 1910s and 1920s. One of them, "That Shakespearean Rag" (1912), became part of literary history when T. S. Eliot quoted it in his landmark poem "The Waste Land" (1922). He later worked in Hollywood, where his best-known songs were "It Must Be Love" for the film "Blond Cheat" (1938), "Only When You're in My Arms" for "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" (1939), and "A Poco No" (also known as "Charlie Kane") for "Citizen Kane" (1941). Ruby was born in New York City, and started out as a song plugger in Manhattan's famed Brill Building. During his varied career he moonlighted as a comedy writer for Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor, and was head of Warner Bros. Vitaphone short subject department from 1931 to 1935. He also contributed to the screenplays of such films as "Words & Music" (1931), "Hot Sands" (1931), "The Old Grey Mayor" (1935), and "Man of Courage" (1943). In 1953 Ruby suffered a stroke and was bedridden for the rest of his life.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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