Interview with Arthur Thirkell

[Graham Bunn]

July 16th 1955.

Taken from an article in which Ruby was interviewed at home by Arthur Thirkell.


She is twenty years old and has fair hair with just a tint of auburn,she is reported to earn between four and five hundred pounds a week,and of the eight records she has made since last September,five at one period were in the Top Dozen,her name is Ruby Murray.

The other day I called on Ruby Murray at her London house.It is not in Mayfair,or even in one of Londons smart suburbs.
I found her at home in a railway cottage the home of her Uncle Will.
In a little dining room at the back of the house I found Ruby contemplating her wardrobe..two lemon coloured dresses,a smart grey costume,and a blue blazer.
They were hanging from a hook on the door.
"Gosh" said Ruby "I'm having lunch with Eamonne Andrews in an hours time and I don't know what to wear."she sounded as excited as a girl going to her first Ball.

Leaving Ruby to ponder over her problem I had a word with her mother.
I asked Mrs Murray"What does Ruby like doing in her spare time".
"She likes Cooking"replied Mrs Murray and is a great collector of recipes.Recently when playing at the Sutherland Empire she asked the landlady of the digs where she was staying if she would show her how to make Yorkshire pudding they had just eaten.The landlady did and when Ruby came home she made so many Yorkshire puddings we nearly ended up looking like them".

Not in the interview.........I seem to remember someone who wrote sleeve notes on one of Rubys L.p's indicating that the compliments he gave to Ruby would stand him in good stead for a meal at her home so I would guess that Ruby was a good cook (Bernie you can supply this information)

Ruby having now decided that she was going to wear the grey costume for her lunch with Eamonne Andrews was still undecided about the shoes to go with it.

But I am glad to report that there is one thing on which Miss Murray is most decided about,she will not let anyone turn her into a glamour girl.Her only concession to the Powder and Paint Experts was to have a small gap in her teeth filled.But false eyelashes are out and she will not tolerate treatment from hairstylists.

Her fan mail is considerable ,three secretaries work full time on the thousand odd letters she receives each week,and only a few days before I met her they had posted about four thousand signed photographs.
Some of the letters she gets propose marriage ,these are dealt with tactfully.

The clock on the mantlepiece showed five minutes past one.
"Won't you be late for your date with Eamonne I asked"Oh no" said Ruby with a smile "We always keep the clock thirty five minutes fast"

There was no need to ask why she's like her mother ,shes Irish.



Hope you enjoy the article


Best Wishes

[Bernie Burgess]

Hello Graham.
I enjoyed reading the article that you posted, thanks for posting it, it's very interesting, I will respond to it when I get back to Spain.

Kindest regards. Bernie.

[Jk]

Hello Graham, I really enjoyed reading that article you have posted,thanks for letting us see it. Do you have anymore for us to see?

[Gerald Lawrence]

I add my thanks, too. I don't remember seeing the article before, but everything in it is typical of the Ruby we all knew and loved.

[MARTIN FOSTER]

Hi Graham,

Hope you are well.

Thanks for a very interesting article. Hope you have got a lot more you can show us as they are really good.

Martin