Editing Rudy Vallée (section)

== Career ==
=== Music ===
[[File:Rudy Vallee - Screenland, Jan. 1930 01.jpg|thumb|upright|Rudy Vallée, {{circa}} 1929]]
After playing drums in his high school band, Vallée played clarinet and saxophone in bands around [[New England]] as a teenager. The popularity of the saxophone and an unexpected reply from his idol Rudy Wiedoeft prompted Vallée to perfect his technique. He paid [[Columbia Records]] to make four "personal records", which he used for audition purposes with a number of bands. From 1924 to 1925, he played with the [[Savoy Havana Band]] at the [[Savoy Hotel]] in London, where band members discouraged his attempts to become a vocalist.<ref>Rust, Brian, "The Savoy Havana at the Savoy Hotel, London", sleeve notes to disc 2 of World Record Club LP set SH165/6, issued 1971</ref> He returned to the United States, briefly attending the [[University of Maine]]. While at the University of Maine, he initiated into [[Sigma Alpha Epsilon]] fraternity on December 5, 1921. He transferred to [[Yale University]] in 1924, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1927. As a Yale student he led the football band and was the lead saxophonist in the Yale Collegians with [[Peter Arno]], who became a cartoonist for ''[[The New Yorker]]'' magazine.<ref>"Cartoonist Peter Arno of the New Yorker Dies". ''The Milwaukee Journal''. February 23, 1968. Part 1, p. 20.</ref>

After graduation, he formed Rudy Vallée and the Connecticut Yankees, having named himself after saxophonist [[Rudy Wiedoeft]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/essays/v12p068y1989.pdf|title=How Rudy Wiedoeft's Saxophobia Launched the Saxual Revolution|website=Garfield.library.upenn.edu|access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref> With this band (formed in 1928),<ref>''Walker'' p. 167</ref> which included two violins, two saxophones, a piano, a banjo, and drums, he began singing as a member of a trio and as a soloist. He had a thin, wavering [[tenor voice]] and seemed more at home singing sweet ballads than [[jazz]] songs. But his singing, saxophone playing, and the innovative arrangements he wrote for his band attracted attention from a rapidly increasing number of listeners, especially from young women.<ref name="Crooners">{{cite web|url=http://www.shsu.edu/~lis_fwh/book/roots_of_rock/support/crooner/EarlyCroonersIntro2.htm|title=The Coming of the Crooners|author=Whitcomb, Ian|publisher=Sam Houston University|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> In 1928 he started performing on the radio, first at New York station WABC, leading his Yale Collegians Orchestra,<ref>"Tonight's Features from Nearby Stations," ''Bridgewater NJ Courier-News'', March 3, 1928, p. 4,</ref> and then on WEAF and the NBC Red Network beginning in February 1929.<ref>"Tomorrow's Radio Programs," ''St. Cloud MN Times'', February 26, 1929, p. 5.</ref>

[[File:Rudy Vallee Megaphone.JPG|thumb|left|Vallée megaphone crafted between shows at the New York Palace in May 1929]]

He became one of the first [[crooner]]s.<ref name="Crooners" /> Singers needed strong voices to fill theaters in the days before microphones. Crooners had soft voices that were suited to the intimacy of radio; the microphones, in this case, promoted direct access to "a vulnerable and sensuous interior," or in other words, "a conjured intimacy".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Brothers|first=Thomas|title=Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company|year=2014|isbn=978-0-393-06582-4|location=New York, NY|pages=400}}</ref> 
Vallée was one of the first celebrity radio vocalists.<ref name="Crooners" /> [[Flappers]] pursued him wherever he went.<ref name="Crooners" /> His live appearances were usually sold out. Contrary to popular belief, he did not have screaming girls at his appearances. However, his voice still failed to project in venues without microphones and amplification, so he often sang through a megaphone, a device he had used when leading the Yale football band. A caricature of him singing this way was depicted in the Betty Boop cartoon ''[[Poor Cinderella]]'' (1934).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/Betty_Boop_Poor_Cinderella_1934|title=Betty Boop: Poor Cinderella|date=September 29, 1934|website=Archive.org}}</ref> Another caricature is in ''[[Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee]]'', which parodies him, [[Bing Crosby]], and [[Russ Columbo]].

In the words of a magazine writer in 1929,
<blockquote>
At the microphone he is truly a romantic figure. Faultlessly attired in evening dress, he pours softly into the radio's delicate ear a stream of mellifluous melody. He appears to be coaxing, pleading and at the same time adoring the invisible one to whom his song is attuned.<ref>{{cite journal |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=What is the Secret of Rudy Vallee's Success? |url=https://archive.org/stream/radiorevue01unse#page/n11/mode/2up |journal=Radio Revue |location=New York |date=December 1929 |access-date=November 7, 2015 }}</ref>
</blockquote>

Vallée had his share of detractors as well as fans when his popularity was at its height. ''Radio Revue'', a radio [[fan magazine]], held a contest in which people wrote letters explaining his success. The winning letter, written by a man who disliked Vallée's music, said, "Rudy Vallee is reaping the harvest of a seed that is seldom sown this day and age: LOVE. The good-looking little son-of-a-gun really and honestly LOVES his audience and his art. He LOVES to please listeners—LOVES it more than he does his name in the big lights, his mug in the papers. He loved all those unseen women as passionately as a voice can love, long before they began to purr and to caress him with two-cent stamps."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hansen |first=Martin |date=January 1930 |title=Mere Man Wins First Prize in Rudy Vallee Contest |url=https://archive.org/stream/radiorevue01unse#page/n85/mode/2up |journal=Radio Revue |location=New York |access-date=November 7, 2015 }}</ref>

Vallée made his first commercial recordings in 1928 for [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]'s low-priced labels [[Harmony Records|Harmony]], [[Velvet Tone]], and [[Diva Records|Diva]]. He signed with [[RCA Victor]] in February 1929 and remained with the company through 1931, leaving after a heated dispute with executives over song selections. He then recorded for the short-lived [[Hit of the Week Records|Hit of the Week]] label which sold rather poor quality records laminated onto a cardboard base. In August 1932, he signed with Columbia and remained with the label through 1933. Vallée returned to RCA Victor in June 1933; his records were initially issued on Victor's low-priced [[Bluebird Records|Bluebird]] label until November 1933, when he was back on the standard Victor label. He remained with RCA Victor until signing with [[American Record Corporation|ARC]] in 1936. ARC issued his records on the [[Perfect Records|Perfect]], [[Melotone Records (US)|Melotone]], [[Conqueror Records|Conqueror]] and [[Romeo Records|Romeo]] labels until 1937, when he again returned to RCA Victor.

With his group the Connecticut Yankees, Vallée's best-known recordings include "[[The Maine Stein Song|The Stein Song]]" (a.k.a. University of Maine school song) in 1929<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rudy-vallee/the-maine-stein-song|title=The Maine Stein Song by Rudy Vallée - Songfacts|website=Songfacts.com}}</ref> and "Vieni, Vieni" in the latter 1930s.

His last hit record was a reissue of "[[As Time Goes By (song)|As Time Goes By]]", popularized in the 1942 film ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]''. Due to the [[1942–44 musicians' strike|1942-44 AFM recording ban]], RCA Victor reissued the version he had recorded in 1931.<ref name=pc1a>{{Pop Chronicles 40s|1|A}}</ref> During World War II, he enlisted in the [[United States Coast Guard]] to help direct the 11th district Coast Guard band as a [[chief petty officer]]. He was promoted to lieutenant and led the 40-piece band to great success. In 1944, he was placed on the inactive list and returned to radio.<ref>[http://www.uscg.mil/history/faqs/rudyvallee.asp USCG: Frequently Asked Questions]. Uscg.mil. Retrieved on 2012-01-30.</ref>

According to [[George P. Oslin]], Vallée on July 28, 1933, was the recipient of the first [[singing telegram]]. A fan telegraphed birthday greetings, and Oslin had the operator sing "[[Happy Birthday to You]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/10/business/the-singing-telegram-at-50.html |title=The Singing Telegram At 50 |date=1983 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 13, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/cns/2002-07-07/168.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108220256/http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/cns/2002-07-07/168.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 8, 2006 |title=Special delivery: The singing telegram endures |author=Liz Sadler |work=Columbia News Service |publisher=Columbia School of Journalism |access-date=September 13, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://soundbeat.org/episode/the-first-singing-telegram/ |title=The First Singing Telegram |work=Sound Beat |publisher=Syracuse University Libraries |access-date=September 13, 2018 }}</ref>

=== Radio and film ===
[[File:Behind the scenes of the Rudy Vallée Hour - Radioland, November 1933.jpg|thumb|upright|Rudy Vallée on ''[[The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour]]'' in 1933. He always signed on saying, "Heigh-ho, everybody!"]]
In 1929, Vallée began hosting ''[[The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour]]'',<ref>''Walker'' p.169</ref> a popular radio show with guests such as [[Fay Wray]] and [[Richard Cromwell (actor)|Richard Cromwell]] in dramatic skits. Vallée continued hosting radio shows such as the Royal Gelatin Hour, Vallee Varieties, and The Rudy Vallee Show through the 1930s and 1940s.

[[File:Rudy Vallee in Radio Stars.jpg|thumb|left|Vallée as bandleader Skip Houston in ''[[Sweet Music]]'']]

When Vallée took his contractual vacations from his national [[radio show]] in 1937, he insisted his sponsor hire [[Louis Armstrong]] as his substitute.<ref>[http://www.onhifi.com/features/20020301.htm Features Archives]. onhifi.com (March 1, 2002). Retrieved on 2012-01-30.</ref> This was the first instance of an African-American hosting a national radio program. Vallée wrote the introduction for Armstrong's 1936 book ''Swing That Music''.

In 1929, Vallée made his first feature film, ''[[The Vagabond Lover]]'', for [[RKO Radio]]. His first films were made to cash in on his singing popularity. While his initial performances were rather wooden, his acting greatly improved in the late 1930s and 1940s, 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 Sturges's classic 1942 [[screwball comedy]] ''[[The Palm Beach Story]]''. Other films in which he appeared include ''[[I Remember Mama (film)|I Remember Mama]]'', ''[[Unfaithfully Yours (1948 film)|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 (novel)|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''.

Vallée performed on Broadway as J.B. Biggley in the 1961 musical ''[[How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical)|How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]'' and reprised the role in [[How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (film)|the 1967 film version]].<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=1208}}</ref> He appeared in the 1960s ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' television series as the villain Lord Marmaduke Ffogg and in 1971 as a vindictive surgeon in the ''[[Night Gallery]]'' episode "Marmalade Wine".<ref name="Gallery">{{cite book |last1=Skelton |first1=Scott |last2=Benson |first2=Jim |title=Rod Serling's Night Gallery: An After-hours Tour |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nf6HV6mbJGIC&pg=PA159 |access-date=21 December 2018 |year=1998 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=978-0-8156-0535-5 |pages=159– }}</ref>

===Vallee-Video===
From 1948 to 1952, Vallée owned Vallee-Video, a television production company formed in the early days of national TV broadcasts. The company was incorporated on April 3, 1948.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vallee-Video |url=https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ca/C0226326 |website=OpenCorporates |access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref> Vallée made [[16mm film]] shorts for television, including ''These Foolish Things'' and ''Under a Campus Moon'', in which he appeared himself. [[Ed Wynn]], [[Pinky Lee]], [[Buddy Lester]] and Cyril Smith also appeared in Vallee-Video productions.<ref name=crooners>{{cite book |last1=Pitts |first1=Michael |last2=Hoffman |first2=Frank |title=The Rise of the Crooners: Gene Austin, Russ Columbo, Bing Crosby, Nick Lucas, Johnny Marvin, and Rudy Vallee |date=2001 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0810840812 |page=204 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Deb9AAAAQBAJ&q=%22vallee+video%22&pg=PA204 |access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref> Comedy sequences in the productions featured [[laugh track|dubbed-in laughter]].<ref>{{cite magazine |date=February 2, 1949 |page=26 |title=Vallee Sees Separate Coast TV Depts., Sub-Divided Studios as Aids to Biz |magazine=Variety |url=https://archive.org/details/variety173-1949-02/page/n25/mode/1up?view=theater |accessdate=January 17, 2023}}</ref>

In 1949, Vallee-Video produced one of the first cartoon shows on television, ''[[Telecomics|Tele-Comics]]''.<ref name=woolery>{{cite book |last1=Woolery |first1=George W. |title=Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981 |date=1983 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-1557-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool/page/285 285]–286 |url=https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool |url-access=registration |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>

Vallee-Video's breakthrough in 1952 would have been a 15-minute television show based on the ''[[Dick Tracy]]'' comic strip starring Vallée's friend [[Ralph Byrd]], who played the character in four successful [[Dick Tracy (serial)|''Dick Tracy'' theatrical serials]] from 1937 to 1941. Vallée sold the show as a pilot to [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]]. Vallée and Byrd also worked on a proposed radio show based on the comic strip ''[[Hawkshaw the Detective]]''.<ref name=billboard>{{cite magazine |title=Vallee-NBC in Deal on 'Tracy' Telefilms |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|The Billboard]] |date=May 28, 1949 |volume=61 |issue=22 |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NfYDAAAAMBAJ&q=%22vallee+video%22&pg=PT11 |access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref> However, Byrd died in August 1952, bringing the ''Dick Tracy'' production to a halt, and spelling the end for Vallee-Video.<ref name=crooners/>