Rudy Vallée
Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901[1] – July 3, 1986),[2] known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, saxophonist, bandleader, actor, and entertainer. He was the first male singer to rise from local radio broadcasts in New York City to national popularity as a "crooner".
Rudy Vallée
Hubert Prior Vallée
July 28, 1901
Island Pond, Vermont, U.S.
July 3, 1986 (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Singer
- musician
- actor
- radio host
- Vocals
- saxophone
- clarinet
1924–1984
Early life[edit]
Hubert Prior Vallée was born in Island Pond, Vermont, on July 28, 1901,[1] the son of Catherine Lynch and Charles Alphonse Vallée. His maternal grandparents were English and Irish, while his paternal grandparents were French Canadians from Quebec. Vallée grew up in Westbrook, Maine. On March 29, 1917, he enlisted in the US Navy in Portland, Maine to fight in World War I, but authorities discovered he was only 15 years old and had given the false birth date of July 28, 1899. He was discharged at the Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island, on May 17, 1917, after 41 days of active service.
Personal life[edit]
Vallée was married four times. He married Jane Greer on December 2, 1943 in Hollywood, but they separated after three months and divorced on July 27, 1944. His fourth and final wife Eleanor wrote a memoir titled My Vagabond Lover.
NBC announcer George Ansbro wrote in his memoirs that Vallée "had quite a temper and a very foul mouth... almost always the butt of his nastiness was the orchestra... his outbursts were mean-spirited, and he didn't care who overheard".[29] However, Alton Cook wrote, "Vallée may be fuming at his orchestra, but a Vallée hour rehearsal never quite loses its air of being a gathering of old friends... Rudy is grimly serious about rehearsal. He sometimes has his band spend a quarter-hour going over one short passage that doesn't satisfy him. On those occasions his temper wears thin..."[30]
During his divorce from his first wife Fay Webb, she alleged that "Vallée is possessed of a violent, vicious, and ungovernable temper, and given to the use of blasphemy and the use of intemperate, vile, and vituperative language, particularly when applied to [her]". She accused him of committing adultery with three women, including actress Alice Faye. Vallée denied the allegations and charged infidelity on her part. The judge found him "not guilty of any misconduct or maltreatment of Webb which detrimentally affected her health, physical or medical condition."[31]
In a heated dispute with producer George White on the set of the 1934 film George White's Scandals, White struck Vallée in the jaw. Dorothy Brooks wrote in 1936, "Other stars on the air have their troubles, their disagreements, and yet you don't read about their ending in black eyes. Only Rudy Vallee seems to figure in endings of this kind." In an interview with Brooks, Vallée claimed he found fighting "savage and stupid" and "the wrong way to try to solve problems, because it never solves them." When asked why he fought, he replied, "I just lost my temper. I'll admit I have a too-quick temper."[32]
Vallée was a Republican who strongly supported Richard Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign, saying: "Every chance I get I sound off for Nixon. I'm advocating that Reader's Digest reprint 'Cuba, Castro and JFK,' a very brilliant article. I also send in checks from time to time." Nixon had written the Reader's Digest article in November 1964.[33][34]
Vallée maintained an estate at Kezar Lake.[35]
Vallée died of cancer at his Los Angeles estate known as Silvertip on July 3, 1986 while watching the televised centennial ceremonies of the restored Statue of Liberty. His wife Eleanor said that his last words were: "I wish we could be there; you know how I love a party."[36]
Legacy[edit]
In 1995, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.[37]
For his work in radio, Vallée was inducted into the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2011.
Painted by Rolf Armstrong on November 21, 1929
1929 caricature from Radio Revue
Caricature in the 1932 Merrie Melodies cartoon Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee; note the megaphone and the curl in his hair
