Ruth Terry
Terry in 1940
Born
Ruth Mae McMahon

(1920-10-21)October 21, 1920
DiedMarch 11, 2016(2016-03-11) (aged 95)
Resting placeForest Lawn Cemetery, Cathedral City, California
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1937–1964
Spouses
  • John Martin
    (m. 1942; div. 19??)
  • John P. Gilmour
    (m. 1946; div. 19??)
John Ledbetter
(m. 1966)
[1]

Ruth Mae Terry (born Ruth Mae McMahon, October 21, 1920 March 11, 2016)[2] was an American singer and actress in film and television from the 1930s to the 1960s. She claimed her stage name came from Walter Winchell, who combined the names of two then-famous baseball players, Babe Ruth and Bill Terry.[3]

Early years

Terry was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan,[2] the daughter of Irish-American parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. E. McMahon.[4] She attended St John's Catholic School in Benton Harbor.[5]

Terry won a number of prizes for singing before singing with the Paul Ash Theater Orchestra at the age of twelve. At that same age, she left her hometown to sing with Clyde McCoy's orchestra.[5]

Career

Terry's first movie was Love and Hisses in 1937 with Walter Winchell, at which time she was earning $400 per week. Her first western was Call of the Canyon with Gene Autry. She appeared in several Roy Rogers movies. Her best-known movie was Pistol Packin' Mama, based on the song of the same name with Robert Livingston. She retired when she married her second husband in 1947.[6]

While making films, Terry continued her singing career in a limited way. On August 15, 1943, she appeared as guest female singer on The Bob Crosby Show on NBC radio.[7]

Personal life

On June 20, 1942, Terry and test pilot John Martin eloped and were married in Las Vegas, Nevada.[5] On October 25, 1947, she married John P. Gilmour, a Canadian. A November 8, 1947, article in her hometown newspaper, The News-Palladium, reported, "She has given up her career as an actress and she and her husband and her four-year-old son by a previous marriage will make their home at St. Genevieve de Pierre Fonds, Quebec."[8]

Terry was a Republican who supported Dwight Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election.[9]

Death

Terry died on March 11, 2016, at the age of 95. She was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City).[10]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1937Love and HissesHawaiian Specialty Singer
1938International SettlementVera Dale
Alexander's Ragtime BandRuby20th Century Fox
Hold That Co-edEdie
1939Wife, Husband and FriendCarol
The Hound of the BaskervillesBetsy AnnUncredited
Hotel for WomenCraig's Receptionist
Slightly HonorableAnn SeymourUnited Artists
1940An Angel from TexasValerie Blayne
Sing, Dance, Plenty HotIrene
1941Blondie Goes LatinLovey Nelson, the SingerColumbia
Rookies on ParadeLois Rogers
Appointment for LoveEdith Meredith
1942Sleepytime GalSugar CastonRepublic
The Affairs of Jimmy ValentineBonnie ForbesRepublic
Call of the CanyonKatherine 'Kit' CarsonRepublic
Youth on ParadePatty Flynn / Betty ReillyRepublic
Heart of the Golden WestMary Lou PopenRepublic
1943The Man from Music MountainLaramie WintersRepublic
Mystery BroadcastJan CornellRepublic
Pistol Packin' MamaVicki Norris / Sally BensonRepublic
1944Hands Across the BorderKim AdamsRepublic
JamboreeRuth Cartwright
Goodnight, SweetheartCaryl Martin
Three Little SistersHallie Scott
Sing, Neighbor, SingVirginia Blake
My BuddyLola
Lake Placid SerenadeSusan Cermak
1945Steppin' in SocietyLola Forrest
The CheatersTherese Pidgeon
Tell It to a StarCarol LambertRepublic
Robert Livingston and Aurora Miranda
1947Smoky River SerenadeSue GreeleyColumbia
1962Hand of DeathWoman with Packages
1964The New InternsCarolyn's MotherUncredited, (final film role)

References

  1. "Ruth Terry, Hollywood actress – obituary". The Telegraph. May 4, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Ruth Terry, Hollywood actress – obituary". The Telegraph. May 4, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  3. Fitzgerald, Mike. "Ruth Terry Interview". Western Clippings. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  4. "Ruth Terry -- A Local Product". The News-Palladium. Michigan, Benton Harbor. January 1, 1938. p. 134. Retrieved June 20, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. 1 2 3 "Ruth Terry Wed At Las Vegas To Test Pilot On Saturday". The News-Palladium. Michigan, Benton Harbor. June 22, 1942. p. 4. Retrieved June 22, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. "Ruth Terry, Miami film discovery, appears at Lincoln Theater tonight". The Miami News. December 27, 1939. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  7. Rathbun, Joe (August 15, 1943). "Joe's Radio Parade". The Times Recorder. Ohio, Zanesville. p. 22. Retrieved June 22, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. "Actress Ruth Terry Marries Canadian, Drops Film Career". The News-Palladium. Michigan, Benton Harbor. November 8, 1947. p. 8. Retrieved June 22, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 34, Ideal Publishers
  10. "Ruth Mae Ledbetter Obituary (2016) the Desert Sun".
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