Rudy Vallee

Rudy Vallée
Vallée late 1920s
Background information
Born as:	Hubert Prior Vallée
Born	Jul 28, 1901 Island Pond, Vermont, U.S.
Died	Jul 3, 1986 - age  84 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation:	Singer, musician, actor, radio host
Instrument{s}	Vocals, saxophone, clarinet
Label{s}	Harmony, RCA Victor, Bluebird, Columbia, Hit of the Week, Melotone
Years active	1924–1984
Website:	rudyvallee.com
Genre(s):	Traditional pop

Hubert Prior Vallée (✦July 28, 1901 – †July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type.

Early life

Hubert Prior Vallée was born in Island Pond, Vermont, United States, on July 28, 1901, 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 to fight in World War I, but was discharged when U.S. Navy authorities discovered he was only 15 years old. He had enlisted in Portland, Maine, under 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

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 last wife, Eleanor, wrote a memoir called "My Vagabond Lover".

Always loyal to Yale University, Vallée never forgot his Maine roots, and maintained an estate at Kezar Lake.

NBC announcer George Ansbro wrote in his memoir 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". Alton Cook, however, 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..."

During his divorce from his second 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 the judge found him "not guilty of any misconduct or maltreatment of Webb which detrimentally affected her health, physical or medical condition".

Vallée got into a fist fight with producer George White on the set of the 1934 film George White's Scandals. 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 got into fights, he replied, "I just lost my temper. I'll admit I have a too-quick temper."

Vallée died of cancer at his home 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."

Legacy

In 1995, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

For his work in radio, Vallée was inducted into the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2011.

Career

Wikipedia article: Rudy Vallee Career

Filmography

Wikipedia article: Rudy Vallee Filmography

External links

Wikipedia article: Rudy Vallee

Note:   Rudy Vallee was a volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen