Modus Operandi:
A Foil, Serio-Comic, Always pragmatic, Amusingly Insolent, Occasionally Wistful—and, oh, yeah, naturally a bit "Ruthful."
Criminal Activity:
Scene-Stealing in the First Degree from the 1930s to the 1950s (with a few drive by appearances on tv in the '60s). Most recently spotted in the vicinity of Moira Finnie's dvd player in Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950), Private Detective 62 (1933) and Autumn Leaves (1956).
Known Associates:
Some of the justly celebrated members of this "gang" are Eve Arden and Thelma Ritter, though Connie Gilchrist, Mary Wickes, Lee Patrick, and Hattie McDaniel also performed "yeo-woman" duty as well when filling the niche occupied by Donnelly and her criminally talented companions.
You know the type: shooting her mouth off, raising an eyebrow, mumbling to herself, and, even occasionally, offering moviegoers an alternative, less well-traveled path to an identity that classic movies could only hint at in their time. Older movies are rife with incisive female characters whose existence in the story is an often funny, acerbic or wistful comment on what is—at the end of the day—the often narcissistic foolhardiness of the leading characters. While most noticeably, these comic relief characters came into their own in the wise-cracking thirties along with sound, they also seemed to signal a recognition by the movies of a newly independent female figure in Western society.
The salient characteristics of this gang are a sharp tongue, clear vision, and, more often than not, at least a few trips around the proverbial block. Some equally noteworthy actresses who occasionally supped at the table of the sidekicks, but who managed to break out of the label of perennial sidekick and had a crack at more nuanced, and even leading characters on occasion—were Fay Bainter, Edna May Oliver, Mildred Natwick, Mildred Dunnock, Mary Boland, and Glenda Farrell.
My awareness of the felonious activities of this "type"—who is rooted in the wise Shakespearean fool in apparent yet insolent subservience to the heroine has become more noticeable—and entertaining--to me of late. Their appealing nature sometimes almost makes me wish to bend the rules of plot construction in classic movies, and re-focus the films of these women on their characters, rather than the central figures. After all, wouldn't it be fun to see Eve Arden's character taking over Mildred Pierce's bankrupt restaurants and hiring Veda (Ann Blyth) as a chicken plucker on work release from the pokey? Or how about if Mary Wickes finally told Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) to give that Jerry guy (Paul Henried) the heave-ho? And wouldn't it be refreshing to see Mildred Natwick inviting Sean Thornton (John Wayne) over to her grand house for a spot of tea and sympathy?
Warning:
If you see this woman, approach with caution and be prepared to relish her salty comments. She is armed with a sharp tongue and jaundiced eye. Considered a dangerously subversive character, she will likely leave you wondering how nimbly she could take over and appropriate just about any scene she appears in before the cameras. If spotted, do not hesitate to approach and bask in the fast-talking brashness, cynical comments and droll assessment of the world as she saw it. Few, if any co-stars have been able to subdue her, though some highly skilled "criminally" talented types, from James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck, William Powell, Dana Andrews to Joan Crawford have certainly tried to wrest control of the screen from this desperado on occasion.
Origins:
The NYC tri-state area, (New Jersey, actually), Broadway chorus lines, and several plays in the late teens and early twenties, where she became a protégé of none other than George M. Cohan. Known associate Cohan helped craft four productions on the stage using her criminally adept theatrical skills to full advantage, even writing a few plays just for her.
West Coast Activities:
As with many stage actors of her generation, Donnelly eventually left for Hollywood in the early '30s when the opportunities in the talkies emerged just around the same time that theatrical work began to dry up as the Depression deepened. As a Warner Brothers' contract player in that decade, she lent her energy and humor to numerous films turned out by the gritty studio.
The Ruth Donnelly Rap Sheet seen on TCM:
Ladies They Talk About (1933)
In this pre-c
ode doozie, Ruth plays an oxymoron: a kindly prison guard who tries to talk sense to tough cookie Barbara Stanwyck as the star goes a bit stir crazy in a prison populated by an remarkably diverse bunch of dames.
Ruth's jail, in case you were wondering, keeps a cockatoo as a pet, which Donnelly drapes on her shoulders while distributing mail, advice or rough justice to the inmates.
Autumn Leaves (1956):
A good late career Joan Crawford vehicle, well directed by Robert Aldrich, features a truth-telling, scene-stealing Ruth Donnelly commenting throughout on the travails of the long-suffering Joan, as Crawford copes with her younger husband's quirks (Cliff Robertson, who's quite effective as an appealing whack-job), her nosy landlady's unwelcome advice, and fifties' fashions such as peter pan collars and sweater sets. Interestingly, Donnelly's insightful character sees the flaws in her tenant's life without seriously examining her own, apparently gin-marinated foibles. Her defeated character is a survivor, but a viewer might ask about the cost to Donnelly's humanity.
Lilly Turner (1933)
Another pre-coder, this one is directed by the redoubtable William Wellman, and stars Ruth Chatterton with her favorite boy toy of that stage of her career, George Brent . The carny setting and salty dialogue of this film doomed this film for reissue later in the thirties after the imposition of the Production Code. Surely, if there is any justice, Ruth Donnelly's fingerprints will be all over this seldom-seen flick?
Hard To Handle (1933):
Ruth Donnelly meets her match for scene-stealing in the form of James Cagney, at his brash best, in a movie that would be utterly forgettable if it were not for his energy, charm and the sparks that he strikes opposite Donnelly. This being Hollywood, even though Miss Donnelly was only 3 years older than Cagney, she plays the mother of Cagney's intended, Mary Brian. The likable Miss Brian, who was labeled " "The Sweetest Girl in Pictures" by some publicity agent, pretty much retired from the field of battle between Donnelly and Cagney in this movie. Smart girl. Cagney delighted in playing scenes opposite Donnelly, and several of his biographers mentioned that Ruth reminded him of his own mother. Their evidently mutual playfulness and the joy in their breezy scenes makes this fast-paced movie a delight, despite—or because of--the topical plot centering on Cagney's endless attempts to make good by promoting products, ideas and himself via lots of ballyhoo.
Ruth Donnelly is the apex in the triangle between Mary Brian (left) and James Cagney (right) in the rambunctious Hard to Handle.
While this brief list hardly encompasses all of the cinematic crimes committed by Ruth Donnelly in the upcoming months on TCM, please be be on the lookout for those known associates in this gang of scene stealers.
Like her sisters, Ruth is a functionary, practical and often blunt, cutting through the froth and glamour of the glossy movie unreality. There are occasional hints that she's known despair as well as love not circumscribed by the Production Code.
Her philosophical attitude often has an edge to it, as expressed by an occasional look and a sigh. In many movies she was often treated with disdain but seen as necessary, especially since she gave the heroine a sounding board. This figure gave the star a foil who didn't offer any competition to the leading lady, either because of her age, economic status or even race. A gal such as Carole Lombard or Constance Bennett or Bette Davis or Joan Crawford could let her hair down with one of these minions, while blithely expressing her often self-centered hopes, dreams and fears about her future with the leading man. by her companion, but the audience certainly notes it and appreciates it.
More significantly, Donnelly and her sisters grounded the glamorous heroines, giving them a depth that the often formulaic writing of the period couldn't have provided. More importantly, they showed that a woman could respond to life's bumps with intelligence, wit and a stubborn independence worthy of respect and good entertainment value.
(Originally published by me at MovieMorlocks.com, Nov. 21, 2007. Reprinted here with the kind permission of Turner Classic Movies.)
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