Charles Ruggles
Encyclopedia
Charles Sherman “Charlie” Ruggles (February 8, 1886 – December 23, 1970) was a comic American
actor
. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films. He was also the brother of director, producer, and silent actor Wesley Ruggles (1889–1972).
, California
in 1886. Despite training to be a doctor
, Ruggles soon found himself on the stage, appearing in a stock production of Nathan Hale in 1905. At Los Angeles
's Majestic Theatre, he played the romantic lead Private Jo Files in L. Frank Baum
and Louis F. Gottschalk
's musical, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz
in 1913. He moved to Broadway
to appear in Help Wanted in 1914. His first screen role came in the silent Peer Gynt
the following year. Throughout the 1910s and 1920s Ruggles continued to appear in silent movies, though his passion remained the stage, appearing in long-running productions such as The Passing Show of 1918
, The Demi-Virgin and Battling Butler
. His most famous stage hit was one of his last before a twenty year hiatus, Queen High
, produced in 1930.
From 1929, Ruggles appeared in talking pictures. His first was Gentleman of the Press in which he played a comic, alcoholic newspaper reporter. Throughout the 1930s he was teamed with comic actress Mary Boland
in a string of domestic farces, notably Six of a Kind
, Ruggles of Red Gap
, and People Will Talk; Boland was the domineering wife and Ruggles the mild-mannered husband. Ruggles is best remembered today as the big-game hunter in Bringing Up Baby
. In other films he often played the "comic relief
" character in otherwise straight films. In all, he appeared in about 100 movies.
In 1949, Ruggles halted his film career to return to the stage and to move into television. He was the headline character in the TV series The Ruggles
, a family comedy in which he played a character also called Charlie Ruggles, and The World of Mr. Sweeney
. He guest starred on NBC
's The Martha Raye Show
.
Ruggles returned to the big screen in 1961, playing Charles McKendrick in The Parent Trap and Mackenzie Savage in The Pleasure of His Company
. In the latter film, he reprised the role for which he had won a Tony Award
in 1959. He had a recurring guest role on The Beverly Hillbillies
in the mid-1960s as Lowell Redlings Farquhar, father-in-law of Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey
). Ruggles also played Aunt Clara's (Marion Lorne
) old flame, the warlock Hedley Partridge as well as a Mr. Caldwell in the TV series Bewitched
, with Agnes Moorehead
, Dick York
, and Elizabeth Montgomery
.
Ruggles also lent his voice to the Aesop and Son features in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show television cartoon series produced by Jay Ward
and Bill Scott. Ruggles played Aesop.
Both of his marriages, to Adele Rowland (1914–1921) and Marion LaBarba (1942–1970), ended in divorce.
Ruggles died of cancer at his Hollywood home in 1970 at the age of 84. He was interred in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
on Hollywood Boulevard.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films. He was also the brother of director, producer, and silent actor Wesley Ruggles (1889–1972).
Background
Charlie Ruggles was born in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1886. Despite training to be a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, Ruggles soon found himself on the stage, appearing in a stock production of Nathan Hale in 1905. At Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
's Majestic Theatre, he played the romantic lead Private Jo Files in L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
and Louis F. Gottschalk
Louis F. Gottschalk
Louis Ferdinand Gottschalk was an American composer and conductor born in St. Louis, Missouri. The son of a Missouri governor, also named Louis, he studied music in Stuttgart, Germany, where his father, a judge, was American consul.He came to attention as conductor of the U.S. premiere of Franz...
's musical, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz
The Tik-Tok Man of Oz
The Tik-Tok Man of Oz is a musical play with book and lyrics by L. Frank Baum and music by Louis F. Gottschalk that opened in Los Angeles, California on March 31, 1913. It is loosely inspired by Baum's book, Ozma of Oz , and the basis for his 1914 novel, Tik-Tok of Oz. It was promoted as "A...
in 1913. He moved to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
to appear in Help Wanted in 1914. His first screen role came in the silent Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
the following year. Throughout the 1910s and 1920s Ruggles continued to appear in silent movies, though his passion remained the stage, appearing in long-running productions such as The Passing Show of 1918
The Passing Show of 1918
The Passing Show of 1918 is a Broadway musical revue featuring music of Sigmund Romberg and Jean Schwartz , with book and lyrics by Harold R. Atteridge. The show introduced the hit songs "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and "Smiles"....
, The Demi-Virgin and Battling Butler
Battling Butler
Battling Butler is a 1926 comedy silent film directed by and starring Buster Keaton.-Plot summary:Alfred's father, portrayed as a wealthy aristocrat, feels his son has grown up too comfortably and as a result has not become what a man should be. To remedy this predicament he sends his son Alfred...
. His most famous stage hit was one of his last before a twenty year hiatus, Queen High
Queen High
Queen High is the title of an early musical-comedy produced by Paramount Pictures in 1930.Based upon a stage musical by Buddy DeSylva, Lewis Gensler, and Laurence Schwab, the storyline loosely concerns a rivalry between two businessmen that results in a game of poker...
, produced in 1930.
From 1929, Ruggles appeared in talking pictures. His first was Gentleman of the Press in which he played a comic, alcoholic newspaper reporter. Throughout the 1930s he was teamed with comic actress Mary Boland
Mary Boland
-Career:Born Marie Anne Boland in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of William Boland, an actor, and his wife Mary Cecilia Hatton. She had an older sister named Sara....
in a string of domestic farces, notably Six of a Kind
Six of a Kind
Six of a Kind is a 1934 comedy film directed by Leo McCarey. It is a whimsical and often absurd Road movie about three couples who decide to share their expenses on a trip to Hollywood.-Cast:*Charles Ruggles*Mary Boland*George Burns*Gracie Allen...
, Ruggles of Red Gap
Ruggles of Red Gap
Ruggles of Red Gap was serialized beginning December 26, 1914 in the Saturday Evening Post and became a best selling novel in 1915 by Harry Leon Wilson, adapted for the Broadway stage as a musical the same year, and made into a movie several times, most famously in 1935.In the comedy Western film...
, and People Will Talk; Boland was the domineering wife and Ruggles the mild-mannered husband. Ruggles is best remembered today as the big-game hunter in Bringing Up Baby
Bringing up Baby
Bringing Up Baby is an American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, and released by RKO Radio Pictures....
. In other films he often played the "comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
" character in otherwise straight films. In all, he appeared in about 100 movies.
In 1949, Ruggles halted his film career to return to the stage and to move into television. He was the headline character in the TV series The Ruggles
The Ruggles
The Ruggles is an early American family-oriented situation comedies. The series, broadcast live on ABC, with a few episodes recorded on kinescope, began November 3, 1949--a month after radio hit The Life of Riley moved to television on NBC---and ended on June 19, 1952...
, a family comedy in which he played a character also called Charlie Ruggles, and The World of Mr. Sweeney
The World of Mr. Sweeney
The World of Mr. Sweeney is an American sitcom that aired on NBC in primetime and daytime. The series first aired live in primetime from June 30, 1954 to August 20, 1954, four nights a week from Tuesday to Friday, and from October 1954 to December 1955 five days a week in daytime. A total of 345...
. He guest starred on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Martha Raye Show
The Martha Raye Show
The Martha Raye Show is an hour-long comedy/variety show which aired live on NBC from January 23, 1954, to May 29, 1956. The series was hosted by the late Martha Raye, a Montana native, who often called herself "The Big Mouth." Her boyfriend on the program and a foil for her humor was portrayed by...
.
Ruggles returned to the big screen in 1961, playing Charles McKendrick in The Parent Trap and Mackenzie Savage in The Pleasure of His Company
The Pleasure of His Company
The Pleasure of His Company is a comedy film starring Fred Astaire and Debbie Reynolds, released by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the 1958 play of the same name by Samuel A. Taylor and Cornelia Otis Skinner.-Plot:...
. In the latter film, he reprised the role for which he had won a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
in 1959. He had a recurring guest role on The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
in the mid-1960s as Lowell Redlings Farquhar, father-in-law of Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey
Raymond Bailey
Raymond Thomas Bailey was an American actor on the Broadway stage, movies, and television. He is best known for his role as wealthy banker, Milburn Drysdale, in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies....
). Ruggles also played Aunt Clara's (Marion Lorne
Marion Lorne
Marion Lorne MacDougall was an American actress. After a career in theatre in New York and London, Lorne made her first film in 1951, and for the remainder of her life, played small roles in films and television...
) old flame, the warlock Hedley Partridge as well as a Mr. Caldwell in the TV series Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
, with Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
, Dick York
Dick York
Richard Allen "Dick" York was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as the first Darrin Stephens on the ABC television fantasy sitcom Bewitched...
, and Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery was an American film and television actress whose career spanned five decades. She is perhaps best remembered for her roles as Samantha Stephens in Bewitched, as Ellen Harrod in A Case of Rape and as Lizzie Borden in The Legend of Lizzie Borden.-Early life:Born in Los...
.
Ruggles also lent his voice to the Aesop and Son features in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show television cartoon series produced by Jay Ward
Jay Ward
J Troplong "Jay" Ward was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken...
and Bill Scott. Ruggles played Aesop.
Both of his marriages, to Adele Rowland (1914–1921) and Marion LaBarba (1942–1970), ended in divorce.
Ruggles died of cancer at his Hollywood home in 1970 at the age of 84. He was interred in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
on Hollywood Boulevard.
Partial filmography
- Gentlemen of the Press (1929)
- The Lady Lies (1929)
- Young Man of ManhattanYoung Man of ManhattanYoung Man of Manhattan is a 1930 film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Monta Bell, and starring Claudette Colbert, Norman Foster, Ginger Rogers and Charles Ruggles...
(1930) - Roadhouse NightsRoadhouse NightsRoadhouse Nights is a 1930 gangster film very loosely based on the novel Red Harvest written by Dashiell Hammett , but the screenplay differs sharply from the novel, with the storyline almost entirely rewritten by screenwriter Ben Hecht...
(1930) - Charley's AuntCharley's AuntCharley's Aunt is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. It broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances....
(1930) - Queen HighQueen HighQueen High is the title of an early musical-comedy produced by Paramount Pictures in 1930.Based upon a stage musical by Buddy DeSylva, Lewis Gensler, and Laurence Schwab, the storyline loosely concerns a rivalry between two businessmen that results in a game of poker...
(1930) - Honor Among LoversHonor Among LoversHonor Among Lovers is a 1931 drama film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Dorothy Arzner. The film stars Claudette Colbert, Fredric March, Monroe Owsley, Charles Ruggles and Ginger Rogers.-Plot:...
(1931) - The Smiling LieutenantThe Smiling LieutenantThe Smiling Lieutenant is an American film directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert, and released by Paramount Pictures.-Production background:...
(1931) - One Hour with YouOne Hour with YouOne Hour with You is a 1932 American film. It was produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch and written by Samson Raphaelson, from the Lothar Schmidt play Only a Dream....
(1932) - This Is the NightThis Is the Night (film)This Is the Night is a 1932 comedy film made by Paramount Pictures, and directed by Frank Tuttle.The film stars Lili Damita, Charles Ruggles, Roland Young, Thelma Todd, and Cary Grant....
(1932) - Love Me TonightLove Me TonightLove Me Tonight is a 1932 musical comedy film produced and directed by Rouben Mamoulian, with music by Rodgers and Hart. It stars Maurice Chevalier as a tailor who poses as a nobleman and Jeanette MacDonald as a princess with whom he falls in love...
(1932) - Trouble in Paradise (1932)
- If I Had a MillionIf I Had A MillionIf I Had a Million is a Paramount Studios anthology film. There were seven directors: Ernst Lubitsch, Norman Taurog, Stephen Roberts, Norman Z. McLeod, James Cruze, William A. Seiter, and H. Bruce Humberstone...
(1932) - Girl Without a RoomGirl Without a RoomGirl Without a Room is a 1933 musical comedy film starring Charles Farrell, Charles Ruggles, and Marguerite Churchill. This early light comedy farce set in Paris was written by Claude Binyon, Frank Butler, and Jack Lait, and directed by Ralph Murphy....
(1933) - Six Of a KindSix of a KindSix of a Kind is a 1934 comedy film directed by Leo McCarey. It is a whimsical and often absurd Road movie about three couples who decide to share their expenses on a trip to Hollywood.-Cast:*Charles Ruggles*Mary Boland*George Burns*Gracie Allen...
(1933) with W. C. FieldsW. C. FieldsWilliam Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
, George BurnsGeorge BurnsGeorge Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
, and Gracie AllenGracie AllenGrace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen , known as Gracie Allen, was an American comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns... - Murder in the Private Car (1934)
- Ruggles of Red GapRuggles of Red GapRuggles of Red Gap was serialized beginning December 26, 1914 in the Saturday Evening Post and became a best selling novel in 1915 by Harry Leon Wilson, adapted for the Broadway stage as a musical the same year, and made into a movie several times, most famously in 1935.In the comedy Western film...
(1935) with Charles LaughtonCharles LaughtonCharles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
and Zasu Pitts - The Big Broadcast of 1936The Big Broadcast of 1936The Big Broadcast of 1936 is a Paramount Pictures production, directed by Norman Taurog, and is the second in the series of Big Broadcast movies...
(1935)
- Anything Goes (1936) with Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Ethel MermanEthel MermanEthel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's... - Hearts DividedHearts DividedHearts Divided is a 1936 musical film about the real-life marriage between American Elizabeth 'Betsy' Patterson and Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. It starred Marion Davies and Dick Powell as the couple...
(1936) - Bringing Up BabyBringing up BabyBringing Up Baby is an American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, and released by RKO Radio Pictures....
(1938) with Katharine HepburnKatharine HepburnKatharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
and Cary GrantCary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship... - His Exciting Night (1938) with Maxie RosenbloomMaxie RosenbloomMax Everitt Rosenbloom, known as Slapsie Maxie was an American boxer, actor, and television personality.-Life and career:...
and Stepin FetchitStepin FetchitStepin Fetchit was the stage name of American comedian and film actor Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry.... - The Farmer's Daughter (1940) with Martha RayeMartha RayeMartha Raye was an American comic actress and standards singer who performed in movies, and later on television....
- Friendly EnemiesFriendly EnemiesFriendly Enemies is a 1942 American drama film starring Charles Winninger, Charles Ruggles, James Craig, and Nancy Kelly. The film was directed by Allan Dwan, adapted from a play by Aaron Hoffman and Samuel Shipman...
(1942) - Three Is a FamilyThree Is a FamilyThree Is a Family is a 1944 comedy film directed by Edward Ludwig. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording .-Cast:* Marjorie Reynolds as Kitty Mitchell* Charles Ruggles as Sam Whitaker...
(1944) - Incendiary BlondeIncendiary BlondeIncendiary Blonde is a 1945 American musical drama film of 1920s nightclub star Texas Guinan. Filmed in Technicolor by director George Marshall, it starred actress Betty Hutton in the title role. The music was written by Robert Emmett Dolan...
(1945) - A Stolen Life (1946) with Bette DavisBette DavisRuth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
and Glenn FordGlenn FordGlenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades... - Gallant JourneyGallant JourneyGallant Journey is a historical film about early U.S. aeronautical experimenter John Joseph Montgomery. It depicts his efforts to build and fly gliders, from his childhood through to his death in 1911.The chief pilot for the film was Paul Mantz....
(1946) - It Happened on 5th AvenueIt Happened on 5th AvenueIt Happened on Fifth Avenue is a 1947 motion picture comedy, with an Academy Award nomination for original story.-Production:It marked the debut of Allied Artists Pictures, the higher-budget division of Monogram Pictures, formerly a low-budget film studio...
(1947) - RamrodRamrod (film)Ramrod is a 1947 Western film directed by André De Toth.This cowboy drama from Hungarian director De Toth was the first of several films based on the stories of Western author Luke Short. De Toth's first Western is often compared to films noir movies released around the same time...
(1947) - The Bells of St. Mary'sThe Bells of St. Mary's (1959 film)The Bells of St. Mary's is a 1959 television adaptation of the famous Bing Crosby - Ingrid Bergman film. The television version is directed by Tom Donovan, and stars Claudette Colbert and Marc Connelly.-Plot:...
(1959) (TV) - All in a Night's WorkAll in a Night's Work (film)All in a Night's Work is a 1961 romantic screwball comedy starring Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine, and directed by Joseph Anthony.-Plot:Tony Ryder's uncle, the wealthy owner of a newspaper, has just died...
(1961) with Dean MartinDean MartinDean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
and Shirley MacLaineShirley MacLaineShirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career... - The Parent Trap (1961)
- Papa's Delicate ConditionPapa's Delicate ConditionPapa's Delicate Condition is a 1963 comedy film starring Jackie Gleason and Glynis Johns. It was an adaptation of the Corinne Griffith memoir of the same name, about her father and growing up in Texarkana, Texas. Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn won an Academy Award for Best Song for "Call Me...
(1963) - I'd Rather Be RichI'd Rather Be RichI'd Rather Be Rich is a 1964 romantic comedy film with musical aspects directed by Jack Smight, produced by Ross Hunter and starring Sandra Dee. The film focuses on dying man who wishes to meet his granddaughter's fiancé, but he is unavailable, so the woman persuades another man to substitute for...
(1964) - The Ugly DachshundThe Ugly DachshundThe Ugly Dachshund is a 1966 Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette in a story about a Great Dane who believes he's a dachshund. Based on a 1938 novel by Gladys Bronwyn Stern, the film was written by Albert Aley and directed by Norman Tokar...
(1966) - Follow Me, Boys!Follow Me, Boys!Follow Me, Boys! is a 1966 family film released through Walt Disney Pictures, based on the book God and My Country by MacKinlay Kantor. It was the last production released before Walt Disney died of lung cancer...
(1966)