Name	Rudy Vallée
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Hubert Prior Vallée
Born	July 28, 1901Island Pond, Vermont, U.S.
Died	July 03, 1986North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer, actor, bandleader, entertainer
Years active	1924–1984
Label	RCA Victor
Url	www.rudyvallee.com

Rudy Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986) was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.

Early life

Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée. Both of his parents were born and raised in Vermont, but their parents were immigrants; the Vallées being of French Canadian origin from neighboring Quebec, while the Lynches were from Ireland. Vallée grew up in Westbrook, Maine.

Career

Having played drums in his high school band, Vallée played clarinet and saxophone in various bands around New England in his youth. In 1917, he decided to enlist for World War I, but was discharged when the Navy authorities found out that he was only 15. He enlisted in Portland, Maine on March 29, 1917, under the false birthdate of July 28, 1899. He was discharged at the Naval Training Station, Newport, Rhode Island, on May 17, 1917 with 41 days of active service. From 1924 through 1925, he played with the Savoy Havana Band at the Savoy Hotel in London, where his fellow band-members discouraged his attempts to become a vocalist. He then returned to the States to obtain a degree in Philosophy from Yale and to form his own band, "Rudy Vallée and the Connecticut Yankees." With this band, which featured two violins, two saxophones, a piano, a banjo and drums, he started taking vocals (supposedly reluctantly at first). He had a rather thin, wavering tenor voice and seemed more at home singing sweet ballads than attempting vocals on jazz numbers. However, his singing, together with his suave manner and handsome boyish looks, attracted great attention, especially from young women. Vallée was given a recording contract and in 1928, he started performing on the radio.

Vallée became the most prominent and, arguably, the first of a new style of popular singer, the crooner. and "Vieni, Vieni" in the latter 1930s. Vallée sang fluently in three Mediterranean languages, and always varied the keys, thus paving the way for later pop crooners such as Dean Martin, Andy Williams and Vic Damone. Another memorable rendition of his is "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries", in which he imitates Willie Howard's voice in the final chorus. One of his record hits was "The Drunkard Song," popularly known as "There Is a Tavern in the Town." Vallée couldn't stop laughing during the first take, and managed a second take reasonably well. The "laughing" version was so infectious, however, that Victor released both takes.

Vallée's last hit song was the 1943 reissue of the melancholy ballad "As Time Goes By", popularized in the feature film Casablanca in 1943 (Due to the mid-1940s recording ban, Victor reissued the version he had recorded 15 years earlier.) During World War II, Vallée enlisted in the Coast Guard to help direct the 11th district Coast Guard band as a Chief Petty Officer. Eventually he was promoted to Lieutenant and led the 40 piece band to great success. In 1944 he was placed on the inactive list and he returned to radio.

When Vallée took his contractual vacations from his national radio show in 1937, he insisted his sponsor hire Louis Armstrong as his substitute (this was the first instance of an African-American fronting a national radio program). Vallée also wrote the introduction for Armstrong's 1936 book Swing That Music.

In 1937 Vallée attended Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Vallée acted in a number of Hollywood films starting with "The Vagabond Lover" in 1929. His earliest films showed him rather stiff and unemotional. He improved during the 1930s, and by the time he began working with Preston Sturges in the 1940s he had become a successful comedic supporting player. He appeared opposite Claudette Colbert in the 1942 Preston Sturges screwball comedy The Palm Beach Story. Other films in which he appeared include I Remember Mama, Unfaithfully Yours and The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.

In 1955, Vallée was featured in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, co-starring Jane Russell, Alan Young, and Jeanne Crain. The production was filmed on location in Paris. The film was based on the Anita Loos novel that was a sequel to her acclaimed Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Gentlemen Marry Brunettes was popular throughout Europe at the time and was released in France as A Paris Pour les Quatre ("Paris for the Four"), and in Belgium as Tevieren Te Parijs.

In 1971 he made a television appearance as a vidictive surgeon in the Night Gallery episode "Marmalade Wine."

In middle age, Vallée's voice matured into a robust baritone. He performed on Broadway in the show How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and appeared in the film of the same name. He appeared in the campy 1960s Batman television show as the character "Lord Marmaduke FFogg". He toured with a one-man theater show into the 1980s. He occasionally opened for The Village People.

Rudy Vallee's song compositions included "Oh! Ma-Ma! (The Butcher Boy)" in 1938, recorded by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, "Deep Night", which was recorded by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, "If You Haven't Got a Girl", "Violets", "Where To", "Will You Remember Me?", "We'll Never Get Drunk Any More", "Sweet Summer Breeze", "Actions Speak Louder Than Words", "Ask Not", "Forgive Me", "Charlie Cadet", "Somewhere In Your Heart", "You Took Me Out Of This World", "Old Man Harlem" with Hoagy Carmichael, which was recorded by the Dorsey Brothers band, "I'm Just a Vagabond Lover", and "Betty Co-Ed".

In 1967 Rudy Vallee recorded a new record album. Called "Hi-Ho Everybody" it was produced by Snuff Garrett and Ed Silvers for Dot Records on its Viva label; arranged by Al Capps. The engineers were Dave Hassinger and Henry Leroy. Included on the album were songs: "Winchester Cathedral", "Michelle", "My Blue Heaven", "Sweet Heart of Sigma Chi", "Who Likes Good Pop Music?", "Bluebird", "Who", "Lady Godiva", "Mame", The Wiffenpoof Song", "Strangers in The Night", and "One of Those Songs".

Personal life

Vallée was married briefly to actress Jane Greer, but that ended in divorce in 1944. His previous marriage to Leonie Cauchois was annulled and the one to Fay Webb ended in divorce. After divorcing Jane Greer, he married Eleanor Norris in 1946, who wrote a memoir, My Vagabond Lover. Their marriage lasted until his death in 1986.

Vallée's career was representative of the assimilation process of Franco-Americans. He never forgot his Maine roots, and maintained an estate at Kezar Lake in Maine.

Death

Vallée died at his home at the age of 84 on July 3, 1986. He is interred in St. Hyacinth's Cemetery, in Westbrook, Maine.

Selected filmography

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- | 1929 | Glorifying the American Girl | Himself |- | 1932 | The Musical Doctor | Dr. Vallee |- | 1934 | George White's Scandals | Jimmy Martin |- | 1935 | Sweet Music | Skip Houston |- | 1938 | Gold Diggers in Paris | Terry Moore | Alternative title: The Gay Impostors |- | 1939 | Second Fiddle | Roger Maxwell |- | 1941 | Time Out for Rhythm | Daniel "Danny" Collins |- | 1942 | The Palm Beach Story | John D. Hackensacker III |- | 1943 | Happy Go Lucky | Alfred Monroe |- | 1945 | Man Alive | Gordon Tolliver |- | 1946 | The Fabulous Suzanne | Hendrick Courtney, Jr. |- | rowspan=2|1947 | The Sin of Harold Diddlebock | Lynn Sargent | Alternative title: Mad Wednesday |- | The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer | Tommy | Alternative title: Bachelor Knight |- | rowspan=2|1948 | I Remember Mama | Bachelor Knight |- | Unfaithfully Yours | August Henshler |- | rowspan=4|1949 | Mother Is a Freshman | John Heaslip | Alternative title: Mother Knows Best |- | The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend | Charles Hingleman |- | Father was a Fullback | Mr. Roger "Jess" Jessup |- | My Dear Secretary | Charles Harris |- | 1950 | The Admiral Was a Lady | Peter Pedigrew (Jukebox king) |- | 1954 | Ricochet Romance | Worthington Higgenmacher |- | 1955 | Gentlemen Marry Brunettes | Himself |- | 1957 | The Helen Morgan Story | Himself | Alternative titles: Both Ends of the CandleWhy Was I Born? |- | 1967 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J.B. Biggley |- | rowspan=2|1968 | Live a Little, Love a Little | Louis Penlow |- | The Night They Raided Minsky's | Narrator |- | 1975 | Sunburst | Proprietor | Alternative title: Slashed Dreams |- | 1976 | Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Autograph Hound |- |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Television |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 1956–1957 | December Bride | Himself | 2 episodes |- | 1957 |The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour | Himself | 1 episode |- | 1967 | Batman | Lord Marmaduke Fogg | 3 episodes |- | 1969 | Petticoat Junction | Herbert A. Smith | 1 episode |- | 1970 | Here's Lucy | Himself | 1 episode |- | 1971 | Night Gallery | Dr. Francis Deeking | 1 episode |- | 1971–1972 | Alias Smith and Jones | Winford Fletcher | 2 episodes |- | 1976 | Ellery Queen | Alvin Winer | 1 episode |- | 1979 | CHiPs | Arthur Forbinger | 1 episode |- | 1984 | Santa Barbara | Elderly Con | 1 episode |}

Notes

External links

Rudy Vallee Official Website

Rudy Vallee Collection at the American Radio Archive located at the Thousand Oaks Library

Media

Rudy Vallee interviewed by Mike Wallace on The Mike Wallace Interview February 22, 1958

The Royal Desserts Hour with Rudy Vallée (May 5, 1938) (one hour in)

Category:1920s American radio programs Category:American music radio programs Category:American bandleaders Category:American crooners Category:American film actors Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American people of French-Canadian descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Traditional pop music singers Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Musicians from Vermont Category:Yale University alumni Category:1901 births Category:1986 deaths Category:People from Essex County, Vermont Category:People from Westbrook, Maine

Name	Cyril Smith
Caption	Cyril Smith addressing the Liberal Party Assembly in 1987
Constituency mp	Rochdale
Parliament	United Kingdom
Predecessor	Jack McCann
Successor	Liz Lynne
Term start	1972
Term end	1992
Birth date	June 28, 1928
Birth place	Rochdale, Lancashire, England
Death date	September 03, 2010
Death place	Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England
Nationality	British
Party	Liberal Party (pre-1988)Liberal Democrats (post-1988)

Sir Cyril Smith, MBE, (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a British politician who served as Liberal and Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Rochdale from 1972 until his retirement in 1992.

Early life

He was born in Rochdale, and was, as he once described himself, “illegitimate, deprived and poor”. Though he never knew the name of his father, he commented “I suspect I know who he was”.

Education and public life

He was educated at Rochdale Grammar School for Boys and then began work at Rochdale Inland Revenue Tax Office. In the 1945 General Election, Cyril, aged just 16, gave a public speech in support of Liberal candidate Charles Harvey. Smith says he was given an ultimatum by his boss in the Tax Office to either choose the civil service or politics.

He quit his job at the tax office and obtained employment as an office boy at the Fothergill & Harvey mill in Littleborough, to the northeast of Rochdale. Although owned by the Harveys, a notable Liberal family, Smith claimed the director Charles Harvey knew nothing of the job application by the young man who had lost his job for his public speech in favour of Harvey's Liberal party candidature.

Smith joined the Liberal Party in 1945 and was a member of the National Executive Committee of the Young Liberals in 1948 and 1949. Between 1948–50, he was Liberal agent in Stockport but following the poor general election results experienced by the Liberal Party in 1950 and 1951, he was advised by the losing Liberal candidate for Stockport, Reg Hewitt, to join the Labour Party.

In 1952 Smith was elected a Labour Party councillor for the Failinge Ward of Rochdale. By 1954, he was Chairman of Rochdale Council's Establishment Committee. In 1963 Smith switched committee roles to be politically responsible for Estates. This included overseeing a considerable amount of residential and town centre development.

In 1966 he became Rochdale's Mayor with his mother Eva as Mayoress. Smith's mother also retained her job as a council cleaner in the town hall whilst Mayoress. Smith's Mayoral duties were recorded for a BBC Man Alive documentary. Also in 1966 Smith was appointed Chairman of the Education Committee. In this role, he oversaw the introduction of comprehensive education in his district. In 1966, he was also appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

According to his autobiography, Smith was found guilty of an offence relating to public lotteries. He was bound over to keep the peace for 12 months.

In 1966 Smith resigned from the Labour whip when his party refused to vote for an increase in council house rents. As a result Smith sat with four other councillors as independents until 1970. His defection, and subsequent election as a Liberal MP, caused some surprise after his prominent role in opposing Ludovic Kennedy, the Liberal candidate in the 1958 Rochdale by-election. Controversy was sparked by older Rochdale Liberals when the existing Liberal parliamentary candidate, Garth Pratt, was deselected to make way for Smith's return to the party.

During the 1960s Smith was active in many Rochdale Council committees regarding youth activities. These included: Rochdale Youth Orchestra, Rochdale Youth Theatre Workshop, Governorship of 29 Rochdale schools and Chairmanship of the Youth Committee, Youth Employment Committee and the Education Committee.

Having been Liberal candidate in Rochdale at the 1970 general election when he took the party to second place, Smith won the seat at the 1972 by-election with a large swing from Labour to the Liberals. Smith won with a majority of 5,171. He won the seat on five further occasions. In June 1975 Smith was appointed as the Liberals' Chief Whip and faced much pressure from the press in the wake of a sexual scandal involving party leader Jeremy Thorpe. Smith resigned from the Whips' Office on health grounds. Speaking to Granada Television in 2003, David Steel reflected on events in the 1970s with the conclusion:

:"Cyril was not an ideal Chief Whip because he did not handle a crisis well and had a tendency to say anything to a news camera".

In 1978 Smith approached former Conservative Prime Minister Ted Heath to discuss forming a new Centre Party. In 1981 Smith was involved in moves to create "a party with a new image" but, according to the Rochdale Observer, at the foundation of the SDP in 1981 he warned Liberal Party colleagues to move with caution. Smith was quoted as being "opposed to an alliance at any price".

He was knighted in 1988.

Personal life

A lifelong bachelor, Smith told You magazine: "I haven't had a lot of time for courting women ... I've tended to be married to politics".

After leaving Westminster and the death of his mother Eva in 1994, Smith was invited by a life-long friend, the public relations manager at Cunard, to become a guest lecturer on the QE2 cruise liner.

Smith was a lifelong member of Rochdale Unitarian Church, and maintained strong links with the Unitarian church throughout his political career and afterwards. He held various posts in the church, including Sunday School Superintendent, and a member of the Board of Trustees which he chaired for many years.

In 1988 Smith appeared in an advertisement promoting the Access Credit Card. As a large and jolly figure of fun, Smith was seen attempting to touch his toes whilst a presenter stated: "Nice one, Sir Cyril, but Access is more flexible".

Smith was a reasonable singer. He sang "She's a Lassie From Lancashire" on Jimmy Savile's TV show Clunk Click, appeared on a music video for 1980s pop group Bananarama, and sang a duet with Don Estelle in a 1999 re-recording of the Laurel and Hardy song "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine".

In February 2006 Smith was taken to hospital after a fall at his Rochdale home. According to his brother, he had been weakened by dehydration and low potassium levels. Although retired, he was still active in his community, frequently visiting schools. His hobbies included collecting autographs.

In the summer of 2008 he came under fire for his alleged part in supporting asbestos production in Rochdale in the 1980s. The New Statesman investigation revealed correspondence between Smith and senior directors of Turner & Newall. In November 2008 a parliamentary Early Day Motion and Kevin Maguire of the Daily Mirror called for Smith to be stripped of his knighthood.

Personality

Smith's larger-than-life personality (and stature — he is believed to have been the heaviest British MP ever, having had a peak reported weight of 29 stone 12 pounds, about 190 kilograms) and popular television appearances made him one of the most recognisable British MPs of the 1970s. His nickname, "Big Cyril", was also the title of his autobiography. A common joke on the size of the Parliamentary Liberal Party in the early 1970s was that only one taxi would be needed to transport the entire party; after Smith's election, the party could fill two taxis.

Suffering from cancer and weighing just 10 stone, Smith died in his sleep in a Rochdale nursing home on 3 September 2010.

Allegations that he sexually abused young boys were made in 1979 by both the Rochdale Alternative Press and Private Eye but denied vigorously by his family.

References

Bibliography

Big Cyril: Autobiography (1977) ISBN 0-491-02261-1. Smith's autobiography.

Reflections from Rochdale: As I Saw it and as I See it (1997) ISBN 1-85187-340-6. A later slimmer autobiographical work.

Cyril Smith, entry by Tim Farron in Brack et al. (eds.) Dictionary of Liberal Biography'' (Politico's, 1998)

External links

Sir Cyril in fight against assembly

Celebrating Sir Cyril's 75 years of plain speaking

Sir Cyril 'recovering' after fall, ''BBC News Online, 18 February 2006

Obituary in The Guardian

Obituary in The Independent

Obituary in The Telegraph

Category:1928 births Category:2010 deaths Category:English Unitarians Category:Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies Category:Labour Party (UK) politicians Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs Category:Liberal Democrat (UK) MPs Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Knights Bachelor Category:UK MPs 1970–1974 Category:UK MPs 1974 Category:UK MPs 1974–1979 Category:UK MPs 1979–1983 Category:UK MPs 1983–1987 Category:UK MPs 1987–1992 Category:People from Rochdale Category:Mayors of Rochdale