Rubys portrait

[Graham Bunn]

Hello Bernie,

Seeing the replies relating to Rubys version of "This Is My Song"(Very nice version) got me thinking about 1960.

In that year Ruby did a Summer Seaon at the Palace Theatre with Harry Secombe and Harry Worth,I think the show was called "Secombe Here"and was presented by Bernard Delfont(You were also in the show Bernie).

I can remember seeing pictures of Ruby with baby Julie looking at a portrait of herself that a Blackpool artist by the name of Fred Wood had painted in 1960.

I have seen photographs of you standing by this portrait and also remember a photo shoot when Ruby was in your home in Northampton and she was lying on a very floral settee with the potrait hanging on a wall above.

A newspaper clip I have indicates that the portrait was with Ruby in her Harbour Flat in Torquay..........I would like to think that this portrait is now either with you ,Julie or Tim ....Could you kindly let me know what has happened to it .

Best Wishes

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello Graham,

What a memory! You are indeed correct on all counts. The portrait was painted by Fred Wood. (strange name for a painter?) He did paint it in 1960. It did hang on the wall, both in our house at Oxshott, shortly after he painted it, and in our cottage in Wootton, Northampton. I did have my photo taken standing in front of it at Oxshott. Ruby did have photos taken in Rectory Cottage with the portrait behind her. It then went to Torquay and stayed there until her passing. During that period, some 20 or so years, it became rather badly tarnished. Ray Lamar was almost a chain smoker and the portrait became yellowed with the smoke. Much to my amazement, Ruby took up smoking too, which added to the tarnishing.

After Ruby passed away, Tim went to the harbour apartment and claimed quite a few things that were Ruby's, the painting amongst them. Currently it is proudly hanging in my apartment and it looks down at me from it's position on the wall and I don't mind admitting that I speak to it every day. I have promised myself that I will find someone who will be able to remove the smoke from it, but it is proving to be hard to find someone capable of cleaning it here in my area. It would be very difficult to fly back to England with it tucked under my arm, it would give the appearance of me robbing a picture gallery, but I will find an answer to the problem.

With regard to J,K's comments about Harry Secombe and the song, you could well be right John, it might have been a later show that we did with the great man. Whilst on the subject of that season, I well remember Harry singing the hugely popular - (now how do you spell it ) Nessum Dorma? He used to laughingly refer to it as 'None Shall Kip' That I am right about.

We had a garden party that year to celebrate Julie's christening and amongst the guests was Joan Savage and her husband Ken Morris, they had a new baby too, Kelly Anne, I wonder where she is these days?

How wonderful it is to look back on treasured memories.

Adios Amigos. Bernie.

[Graham Bunn]

Hi Bernie,

Thanks for the update on the portrait and I must say I now feel that Ruby has come home and I'm so pleased that you get comfort from it.

Another story with an ending,I do hope that at some stage you will be able to restore the painting to it's full glory.

Thanks again or the information.
Take Care

[Sandy]

Just popped in to say that I have posted a photo of Bernie holding the oil painting you enquired about, which I took in Spain in 2003. (Library - photos). I had Bernie's permission for this just in case anyone is wondering!
Sandy

[Gerald Lawrence]

Well done, Sandy, you just beat me to it! I also have a photograph taken when I visited Bernie in Spain, but I have to admit yours is better because you thought to have Bernie in the picture too. Mine is just of the painting. Mind you, if I had remembered where I had put the photograph I might have won! I must go and have a good search for it.....

My thanks to Graham for triggering this discussion. I did not know about the painting until my first visit to Bernie's apartment in Spain. He showed me into the room where I would be sleeping, and I must admit to being a bit startled to see Ruby looking down at me! But I slept very well after dozing off in happy memories thinking about how well she looked when I was a young teenager. After all, I used to have a black and white picture of her on the wall in my bedroom when I was just 14!

[Jk]

Hello All, What a beautiful portrait of Ruby, it really brought a tear to my eyes, and it also showed Bernie looking very proud. Thank you Sandy for sharing that with us, I will download it and do a print, as it is my Birthday today I could have not got a nicer present.

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello John.

As I have said to Sandy when she posted it "It was taken when I was much older".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN.. - Don't overdo the celebrations

Adios Amigo. Bernie.

[Jk]

Thank you Bernie

[Gerald Lawrence]

Happy Birthday from me also, John. And many more to come!

[Jk]

Thank you Gerald.
I can't see any reason why you cannot put your picture on as well, then we have one with Bernie and one of Ruby on her own, I think that would be nice.

[Gerald Lawrence]

No sooner said than done (I found my photographs last night).

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello Friends,

The photos of the portrait are both superb, well done to both Sandy and Gerald. I can detect a degree of enhancing which really improves the portrait and seems to have removed a little of the yellowing that took place during it's stay in the Torquay apartment.

The year 1960 seems light years away, almost half a century,. Doesn't Ruby look beautiful?

Thanks to everyone concerned.

Adios Amigos. Bernie

[Jk]

Like Bernie says both are brilliant, thanks to both of you.

[MARTIN FOSTER]

Hi guys,

How lovely Ruby looks in the portrait. I like the way her eyes have come out and also the shawl...Could that be an Irish touch? It is a shame about the smoke damage but still it has come out very well in the photos. It would have made a great album cover.

It is good that it is with you now Bernie. Is it really true that Ruby started smoking late on in life?

Hope everybody is well and best wishes for your birthday John.

Martin.

PS: Gerald, I had a picture of Kylie on my bedroom wall when I was 14 but thankfully I have grown out of that shady phase now. Does anybody else have pictures of Ruby hanging in their homes? I don't apart from my scrapbooks but I have thought of framing some record sleeves etc. Be interested to hear what other friends have done.

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello Martin,

Yes, regrettably, Ruby took up smoking whilst she was in Torquay. I suppose it was a case of - It you can't beat 'em, join 'em. As I said, Lamar was as good as a chain smoker.

I am so lucky to have the possession of the painting, I also have the engagement ring that I bought for Ruby. Julie was handed both rings by the nursing staff when Ruby sadly passed away and Julie gave the engagement ring to me but we both agreed that the wedding ring should go to Marie in gratitude for her long standing, staunch friendship with Ruby.

Other treasured possessions that I have are, the brass name plate from her dressing room door when she played The London Palladium in 1955 and the 2 statuette awards - The Daily Mirror Disc Festival Awards of Merit for 1955 and 1956. Strange as it may seem, I get a tingling whenever I handle all three of them for cleaning. They really are treasures indeed. I must place them together one day and photograph them for the 'Library'. Uploading the photos will prove a bit of a problem because invariably I get it all wrong when I do it.

Kindest regards to you and all the fans/friends.

Adios Amigo. Bernie.