RUDY VALLEE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Rudy Vallee was born on July 28th, 1901 in Island Pond, Vermont with the birth name Hubert Prior Vallee to parents, Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallee.  Rudy was raised in Westbrook, Maine.  He first became involved in the entertainment industry playing the saxophone and singing. 
 
After some years of experience he became a band leader and in 1928, was given a recording contract followed by having his own radio program, "The Fleisschmann's Yeast Hour".  As successful as the program was, he was hated by the staff on set due to his explosive attitude.
 
Vallee was responsible for helping a number of other singers such as Alice Faye and Frances Langford get their singing careers off the ground.  His fans loved him but no one liked to work with him.  He earned his college degree from the University of Maine.
 
Vallee was also responsible for making a number of songs successful such as, "Goodnight, Sweetheart", "The Maine Stein Song", "Would You Like to Take a Walk?" and "I'm Just a Vagabond Lover" amongst others.  His last hit song was in 1943 with, "As Time Goes By".  
 
When he became involved in the film industry, he would mostly portray the romantic lead character.  As time progressed he transferred into comedic  roles so as not to be type cast.  Some of his film roles were in, "The Vagabond Lover" (1929) co-starring Marie Dressler and Sally Blane, "The Palm Beach Story" (1942) also starring Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea and Mary Astor, "I Remember Mama" (1948) starring alongside Barbara Bel Geddes, Irene Dunne, Cedric Hardwicke, Ellen Corby, Edgar Bergen and Philip Dorn, "Unfaithfully Yours" (1948) starring with Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell and Barbara Lawrence, "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" starring Harold Lloyd, Edgar Kennedy, Franklin Pangborn, Margaret Hamilton, Arline Judge and Lionel Stander, "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" (1947) starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Shirley Temple and "Live a Little, Love a Little" (1968) starring Elvis Presley.   
 
He was also asked to host a number of other variety shows on the radio throughout the 1930's and 1940's such as, "The Royal Gelatin Hour" and later made numerous television appearances such as on, "Batman" (1967) starring Adam West and Burt Ward and featuring Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Frank Gorshin, Yvonne Craig, Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt, "Petticoat Junction" (1967) starring Edgar Buchanan, Bea Benaderet, Meredith MacRae and Smiley Burnette, Jimmy Hawkins and June Lockhart to name just a few and "Alias Smith and Jones" (1971-1972) starring Peter Duel and Ben Murphy and then Later Roger Davis after the sudden passing of Duel.
 
Along with his film career he also worked as a stage actor on Broadway and performed in such productions as, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" also starring Robert Morse and Michele Lee which later was made into a film in 1967. 
 
Throughout his lifetime he was married four times.  His first wife was Leonie Cauchois whom he wed on May 11th, 1928 but this marriage was annulled in August 1928.  He then married Fay Webb in 1931 and they were together until 1936.  His third wife was Jane Greer whom he married in 1943 and this was also short lived, ending in divorce in 1944.  His fourth and final time to marry was to Eleanor Norris whom he married on September 3rd, 1949 and they were together until he passed away from cancer on July 3rd, 1986.
 
He is interred at Saint Hyacinth's Cemetery in Westbrook, Maine.  Rudy Vallee was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to Radio.  He never had any children of his own.

 
Filmography

1984 Santa Barbara
1981 The Perfect Woman
1979 CHiPs
1976 Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
1976 Ellery Queen
1975 Sunburst 
1971-1972 Alias Smith and Jones
1971 Rod Serling's Night Gallery
1969 Petticoat Junction
1968 The Night They Raided Minsky's
1968 Live a Little, Love a Little
1968 Death Valley Days 
1967 Batman
1967 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying 
1964 On Broadway Tonight 
1958 Hansel and Gretel 
1958 Kraft Theatre 
1955 Star Tonight
1954 Ricochet Romance 
1950 The Admiral Was a Lady 
1949 Father Was a Fullback 
1949 The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend 
1949 Mother Is a Freshman 
1948 Unfaithfully Yours 
1948 My Dear Secretary 
1948 So This Is New York 
1948 I Remember Mama 
1947 The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer 
1947 The Sin of Harold Diddlebock 
1946 The Fabulous Suzanne 
1946 People Are Funny 
1945 Man Alive 
1945 It's in the Bag!
1943 Happy Go Lucky 
1942 The Palm Beach Story
1941 Time Out for Rhythm 
1941 Too Many Blondes
1939 Second Fiddle 
1938 Gold Diggers in Paris
1935 Sweet Music 
1934 George White's Scandals 
1932 The Musical Doctor
1932 Knowmore College
1931 Musical Justice
1930 Campus Sweethearts
1929 The Vagabond Lover