[78-L] What happened to Rufy Vallee...

Sun May 31 17:11:04 PDT 2009

There were other and equally horrible letters to nice people like Dorothy 
Lamour,  along with the baffled and hurt replies from the targeted 
recipients.

About ten months before Vallee died,  the director of the Thousand Oaks 
Library and the members of the Library Foundation went with me to the Vallee 
home,  where we were "entertained" by Vallee with a non-stop monologue about 
his career,  his sex life,  and his all-around astounding greatness.  I did 
manage to ask one question about his music,  which was if he had played sax 
on any of the Victors or just done the vocals...it was the latter, 
according to Vallee.

I recall being served bad California Champagne,  warm out of the bottle, 
but thoughtfully poured over ice cubes,  along with some nibbles which were 
so hideous looking that I wouldn't try them (Is that a plate of nachos, 
or....?).

Bud mentioned meeting a singer who had worked with Vallee in the old days, 
and who had fond memories of him.  It's most likely a good thing that she 
didn't encounter him in his later years,  after he had become bitter and 
morbidly self-absorbed.  I don't think any other major figure in American 
show business had as many "second acts" as did Rudy Vallee,  which in itself 
is a testimonial to his talent and determination:  pioneer radio crooner in 
the late 20s,  popular singer/bandleader/impresario in the 30s,  terrific 
comic film actor in the 40s,  major night club star in the 50s...and then, 
once again,  hitting the top in another field...on Broadway in How To 
Succeed in Business in 1961.

Taylor

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <soundthink at aol.com>
To: <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 12:20 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] What happened to Rufy Vallee...

> Having worked in the archive myself (I once spent a summer dubbing his 
> sorry, sad, one-man shows for Sun City dowagers from reel-to-reel to 
> cassette), I can vouch for the often repulsive attitudes Vallee had for 
> his fellow man. Among things preserved in the collection are a series of 
> angry, vindictive letters sent to Ozzie Nelson, whose success on 
> television he envied. In his one-man shows,?he sang his songs and told 
> old, wheezy jokes, accompanied only by a pre-taped piano. One mortifying 
> collection was his jokes, stories, and one-liners, neatly categorized by 
> race and religious persuasion. His ego was such that it is likely he had 
> collected every single item ever printed about him - reviews, radio 
> listings, personal appearances - it's all there. The only person who I 
> think may rival him in self-documentation is Jerry Lewis. It's an 
> astounding collection, assembled by a man who was obsessed with himself.
>
> Cary Ginell
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Sun, 31 May 2009 1:29 pm
> Subject: [78-L] What happened to Rufy Vallee...
>
>
>
> In the late 1980s I was agent for the Thousand Oaks Public Library as they
> built their wonderful collection of radio and television historic 
> materials.
> The most difficult time I had was in our original dealings with Vallee.
> Over the years he had become ever more self-absorbed and angry,  imagining
> that many people had betrayed him and that he was not getting his just 
> dues
> as a key figure in show business.
>
> Although Vallee's sales agent assured us that he and his wife wanted to 
> sell
> the material (an amazing archive of scripts,  letters,  posters,  records,
> documents, etc. etc.) it was impossible to even discuss it with the 
> man...he
> had visions of someone buying his big house (in the Hollywood Hills) and
> turning it into a museum to the Greater Glory of Vallee.
>
> Within weeks of Vallee's death in 1985,  his widow was again in contact 
> with
> us and,  after even more unpleasant machinations,  the Vallee archive (not
> including a few  parts which  "mysteriously vanished") did go to the
> Thousand Oaks Library.
>
> As I made my original examination of the material,  I was able to see
> Vallee's decline into a bizarre eccentricity in his older age...he would
> make dozens of copies of  nasty letters which he sent to the media,  old
> friends,  etc.  often full of profanity,  which were mostly complaints 
> that
> people didn't understand how important he was.  Very sad...esp. in light 
> of
> the many,  many fine things he did for people in the 30s and 40s,  few of
> which were made public.  He helped support and encourage many show biz
> old-timers when they fell on hard timers,  including Al Bernard and many
> others.  I know,  because I read their letters to Vallee.  My point here 
> is
> that he was not only a show biz giant but,  at one time in his life,  a
> decent fellow.
>
> But somewhere along the line his very strong ego morphed into something
> self-destructive,  and by the end of his life,  he was a semi-addled 
> parody
> of his former glamorous self.  I imagine the "crazy" Vallee of later years
> has ruined the stamp chances of th
> e pioneer and trend-setting "real" Rudy
> Vallee,  at least for the time being.
>
> Taylor B
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <soundthink at aol.com>
> To: <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 11:07 AM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Rudy Vallee rejected for postage stamp
>
>
>> The article states that a person's stature has a lot to do with whether 
>> or
>> not they are accepted; thus, only major figures such as Elvis, Bob Hope,
>> and Frank Sinatra make the cut. The only way minor figures are included 
>> is
>> if they are parts of a series; which explains how lesser known personages
>> as Theda Bara, Josh White, and the Carter Family have made it.
>>
>> Cary Ginell
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Dnjchi at aol.com
>> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
>> Sent: Sun, 31 May 2009 12:43 pm
>> Subject: Re: [78-L] Rudy Vallee rejected for postage stamp
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> In a message dated 5/31/2009 1:41:39 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>> sternth at attglobal.net writes:
>>
>> Does  anyone know of any reason he might have been rejected? (political
>> activity,  social/ethnic/racial attitudes)
>>
>>
>>
>> One wonders why Kate Smith was skipped over, considering the work she did
>> for the War effort.
>> Don Chichester
>> **************An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy
>> Steps!
>> (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221823251x1201398665/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=May
>> ExcfooterNO62)
>> _______________________________________________
>> 78-L mailing list
>> 78-L at klickitat.78online.com
>> http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 78-L mailing list
>> 78-L at klickitat.78online.com
>> http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 78-L mailing list
> 78-L at klickitat.78online.com
> http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
>
> _______________________________________________
> 78-L mailing list
> 78-L at klickitat.78online.com
> http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
> 