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Dean Martin dubbed the young
actress "Loudy" as her bright and sonorous voice rose above the spicy
repartee of the Rat Pack out on the town. "Loudy" was Ruta Lee, one of
the most versatile of Hollywood's final generation of classy performers,
a statuesque blond who could mesmerize with her dancing, rivet with her
dramatic intensity, and delight with her comedic flair. Fans of
Hollywood Westerns in particular are indebted to Ruta for her countless
appearances in classic Westerns of both the big and little screen,
beginning with the unforgettable musical Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers.
Ruta Lee was born Ruta Kilmonis in Montreal, Canada, in 1936,
of Lithuanian-refugee parents. In a recent exclusive interview with
Wildest Westerns, Ruta shared memories of her mother: "Motina---Mother---was
the farthest thing from a showbiz mom in the world. She was a simple
Lithuanian peasant girl who, as a child, carried her shoes to church so
they wouldn't get worn out and could be passed on to the next youngest
girl, and to the next youngest girl after that."
The Kilmonis family was fortunate enough to be able to
emigrate from Lithuania on the eve of World War II and, because the
American immigration quota had been filled, settled in Canada. There
Ruta began elementary school and, even as a kindergartner, was
recognized as a natural entertainer, so much so that even her unassuming
mother began to envision her as "Lithuania's answer to Shirley Temple."
Finally, the family was able to move to the United States,
and to Los Angeles, no less, thanks to the assistance of Monsignor John
Kucingas, founder of St. Casimir's Lithuanian National Parish, located
at the foot of the Hollywood Hills. When Ruta found herself at Hollywood
High School, the staging ground of many a screen siren's career, stardom
seemed to beckon; and, in fact, at a mere seventeen years of age, Ruta
landed her first role as the youngest of the traipsing farm girl brides
in Stanley Donen's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, released in
1954.
Ruta recalls how "they thought Seven Brides was just
going to be a cutesy-pie, throwaway picture but then realized, 'Wow, we
really have something here.'" To publicize the new movie, the
seven brides were sent out on tour throughout the country and Ruta
remembers......................... |
