New Pictures Of Ruby

[Jk]

Hello Everyone, Bernie has just sent me a few photo of Ruby which I have placed on behalf of Bernie in the "Photo Library".
Look At The photo "Host Of Stars" And try and name them, the first two rows are easy, then it starts to get harder, no cheating and blowing up the photo. I have now enlarged the photo "A Host Of Stars" for those who are older than me, and need some help to see, but no looking at the names, it is up to you lot to name them, I should have deleted the names then you could not have cheated. I fancy Graham to win this.

I would like to thank Bernie for sharing these new photos with us all, I believe he has spent a lot of time looking through boxes of photos to let us all see them, and I think we have more to come.

[Gerald Lawrence]

A very fine batch of new photographs. Many thanks to Bernie for unearthing them, and congratulations to John for all the uploading!

[MARTIN FOSTER]

Hi John, Hi Gerald,

Hope you are both well and enjoying the sunshine.

Well done on including the new pictures John. There are some really good ones of Ruby. I especially like the one of Ruby with Ronnie Hilton and also the one of Ruby at the Hulme Hippodrome.

As for the picture "A host of stars", the only people I could recognise were Ruby, Bruce Forsyth, Harry Secombe and Alma cogan. Does anybody know the year of that photo and what the occasion was?

Thanks to John and also to Bernie for making the pictures available to us. Some more gems for the scrapbook I think.

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello Friends,

Thanks to John for uploading the unearthed photos for me, I ran into difficulties when trying to do it myself but John came to the rescue. I started the rummaging through the boxes when I was contacted by a very kind lady who could remember seeing Ruby and I in a coffee bar in Wolverhampton in 1960 and I told her that I had a copy of the pantomime publicity poster and I would send a copy to her as an attachment. Once I had embarked on the search I couldn't stop, I was coming across so many photos that would be of interest to all the friends on the website so I just kept on going. The great difficulty of course was that as I went it pulled at the heartstrings by bringing back so many memories.

I think most of them are self explanatory but if anyone would like to ask any questions then post them and I will be only too pleased to answer them. Martin raised one question concerning A Host of Stars. It was taken at the start of the summer season in Blackpool in 1960. The gathering was mainly to advertize the shows that were being presented for that season. I will put some names to the faces. On the back row -on the left is Sid Millward (& His Nitwits) - 3rd one in is John Barry (He of the Seven). The lady sitting next to Alma Cogan is Pearl Carr - her husband partner Teddy Johnson is sitting in the middle of the front row between Bruce and Harry. On the right of Harry is Paul Burnett the Musical Director, he was Pianist/MD to The Jones Boys and later played for Ruby. The man lying on the floor in front is Tony Dali the Italian tenor and the wee fella sitting on the extreme right is Jimmy Clitheroe.

I will most likely send some more to John so that he can upload them so watch this space friends

Adios Amigos. Bernie.

[Graham Bunn]

Hi Bernie,
Just to say thanks for the wonderful photographs that you given to all of us......It's so nice to see photographs that have never been seen or published before........I like the family photos and as you say they must bring back many memories for you.

You have given us a taste and I guess like everyone else we want more.

Well done John in the uploading of all these photographs

Take Care

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello friends.

In the Multitude of Stars photo. I know that it will be difficult for most friends to put names to faces because not everyone is as old as I am so I had better name them for you. Starting from left to right,
Cicely Courtnedge, Robertson Hare, Richard Hearne (Mr. Pastry) Dorothy Dickson. 'Wee' Georgie Wood- Jess Conrad(Behind). Elsie Randolph. - Frank Berry(Canadian Comedian/Magician) - Arthur Askey. Beatrice Lilley Elizabeth Welsh and - RUBY.

The majority were West-end Stars and were noy very often seen in the Provinces.

Watch this space for more photos later,

Adios Amigos. Bernie.

[Jk]

Hi my friends, I have uploaded 3 more photos sent to me by Bernie, hope you enjoy them. I still have more and will post again in the week, so keep watching this space.

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello Friends.

The photos that John has uploaded - The one with Harry Secombe was taken back stage at the Palace Theatre in Blackpool - sadly no longer there. Harry Worth was also in the show.

The shot of me helping Ruby into her costume was taken at the Hulme Hippodrome in Manchester in 1959/60 Ruby was expecting our first baby, Julie, and it was becoming difficult to fasten her costumes.

The Bachelors called to see us at Rectory Cottage and they were listening to Ruby's latest release.

Keep your eye on this space for more new photos of Ruby.

Adios Amigos. Bernie.

[Jk]

Hello All, I have just uploaded 3 more pictures from Bernie. I have still got more, so keep a look out. I don't see many thanks to Bernie for supplying us with these photos, which is a pity really.

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello John, Hello Friends'

I am so happy to be able to intruduce some photos of Ruby that perhaps have not been seen before. They come from my own personal collection and I am enjoying sharing them with all of the friends on the website.. Thanks to John for doing all the technical things that I was having difficulty with.
If anyone has any questions about the photos, I would be more than pleased to answer them, as best I can.

Keep watching, "There's More"

Adios Amigo, Bernie.

[MARTIN FOSTER]

Hi John, Hi Bernie, Hi everyone!

Some more good pictures for the scrapbook. In the picture of Ruby with the globe Ruby reminds me of a schoolgirl!

Looking at the picture of Ruby and Bernie in the dressing room I was struck at how basic the dressing room was. Bernie, was this often the case with dressing rooms and facilities etc?

Keep up the good works guys!

Martin.

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello Martin,

Regarding your question about dressing room facilities. It is true to say that, at that time, those sort of facilities were mainly very poor indeed. In later years, there were a few 'star' names that began to insist that the managements provided them with better dressing rooms, in fact some inserted a clause in their contract to compell managements to provide first class facilities. A certain lady (from Tiger Bay) inserted clauses that demanded extremely high standards of dressing room facilities. The majority of artistes, star names and supporting acts, accepted what ever was provided and in some cases suffered appalling conditions.

Once these clauses began to appear the demands started to escalate. When I was General Manager at The New Cresta I was amazed at some of the clauses that began to be inserted. Crates of beer and other drinks plus meals were to be provided in the dressing room. The power of the star attraction was such that if the management needed to book a particular star name then they had to comply with their demands. A far cry from what was provided in our day.

There were many other facilities that had to be endured. For example, sound sytems in those days were mostly very inferior indeed, almost as bad as having to use megaphones, it was so bad that it was laughable. Look at the sound sytems of today, stacks of speakers towering high and a sound mixing desk stationed in the auditorium. The level of D.B.s is deafening which makes me smile when I think of that tin can suspended on an elastic band that we had had to use at one venue. Times change.

Adios Amigo. Bernie.

[Jk]

I have uploaded 3 more pictures from Bernie, and we have more.

[rbl.ca]

Hi, Bernie & John.

These last photos are excellent at showing how pretty and sweet Ruby was. Well, done.

I type this as I listen to 'The Meeting of the Waters'.

Keep 'em comin', Bernie.
Ralph

[MARTIN FOSTER]

Hi guys,

Thanks for that interesting overview Bernie. These so called stars of today don't know they are born!

Martin.