Rubye De Remer (January 9, 1898 – March 18, 1984) was an American actress and showgirl known for her appearance in the "Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic" and over twenty films.

Rubye De Remer
Ruby De Remer, c. 1919
Born
Rubye Katherine Burkhardt

(1892-01-09)January 9, 1892
DiedMarch 18, 1984(1984-03-18) (aged 92)
Occupations
  • Showgirl
  • Actress
Years active1916–1936
Spouses
  • Alan T. De Remer, 6/5/1912-10/29/1919 (Divorce)
  • Benjamin H. Throop, 4/7/1924-5/10/1935 (his death)

Early life

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De Remer was born Rubye K. Burkhardt in Denver, Colorado, on January 9, 1892. Her parents were Charles and Nettie Burkhardt. Her father was the owner of a Denver meatpacking company.[1]

Career

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A report dated March 17, 1916, states that the "socially prominent" De Remer had left her husband and family to join the theatrical troupe of Gus Edwards in Dayton, Ohio.[2]

Two weeks later, De Remer and a fellow "member of the Denver social set" are reportedly in New York City playing a hurdy-gurdy on Fifth Avenue. They were said to have arrived ten days ago to go on the stage but had no luck.[3]

In May, De Remer was announced as a winner of a "prettiest girl contest" held by the World Film Interest at Grand Central Palace.[4]

In October of the same year, De Remer was cast in the Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic.[5]

In July 1917, De Remer was signed to a motion picture contract and announced as the star of the Laurence Trimble film The Auction Block, in the following month. [6]

De Remer worked steadily and made over a dozen movies until she dropped out of the film business in 1923. She returned with a small role in the 1936 film The Gorgeous Hussy, after which she retired permanently.

Personal beauty

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French artist Paul Helleu chose De Remer as his "ideal of American beauty" in 1920.[7]

Press accounts quoted Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. referring to De Remer as "The most beautiful blonde since Venus."[8]

For her part, De Remer claimed that "beauty is often a handicap." She said that an attractive woman in the theater is often typecast in minor "pretty" roles and does not get the best parts. "I want people to say of my work, 'she is more willing to cover her features with make-up and play strong character parts than she is to be 'dolled-up' in silks and satins and walk on and off a scene like a mannequin in a fashion parade," she said. "People pay for seats in a theater to see acting, not to witness a display of gowns or pulchritude [beauty].”[9]

Personal life

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De Remer married Alan T. De Remer in Denver on June 5, 1912.[10] The couple divorced on October 29, 1919.[11]

She had a well-publicized romance with "American Millionaire" Benjamin Throop. In 1923, it was reported that "she had lost the companionship of the man to which she had practically given her life in recent years." The man's wife allegedly refused a divorce, and his father "hired aid to part his son" from De Remer.[12]

De Remer and Throop married on April 7, 1924, in Paris. [13]

Death

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De Remer died in Beverly Hills, California, on March 18, 1984.[14]

Filmography

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Year Title Role
1917 Enlighten Thy Daughter Ruth Stevens
Tillie Wakes Up Mrs. Luella Pipkins
Two Men and a Woman
The Auction Block Lorelei Knight
1918 We Should Worry Miss Ashton
Ashes of Love Ethel Woodridge
Pals First Jean Logan
Life's Greatest Problem Alice Webster
For Freedom Mary Fenton
1919 The Great Romance Althea Hanway
Fires of Faith Agnes Traverse, His Fiancée
Dust of Desire Beth Vinton
1920 His Temporary Wife Annabelle Rose
A Fool and His Money Aline
The Way Women Love Judith Reytnard
1921 The Passionate Pilgrim Miriam Calverly
Luxury Blanche Young
Pilgrims of the Night Christine
1922 Unconquered Woman Helen Chapelle
1923 The Glimpses of the Moon Mrs. Ellie Vanderlyn
Don't Marry for Money Marion Whitney
1925 A Fool and His Money
1936 The Gorgeous Hussy Mrs. Bellamy

References

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  1. ^ "Charles Burkhardt Pioneer is Dead in California". Fort Collins Coloradian. Fort Collins, CO. March 18, 1923. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "Colorado State News". The Idaho Springs Siftings-News. Idaho Springs, ID. March 17, 1916. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Bide Dudley (April 3, 1916). "About Plays and Players". The Evening World. New York, NY. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  4. ^ "Gossip of the Movies". Winfield Daily Courier. Winfield, KS. May 13, 1916. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "Second Thoughts About First Nights". The New York Times. New York, NY. October 1, 1916. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Ruby De Remer". Motion Picture Classic. New York, NY. July 1917. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  7. ^ "Rubye De Remer is Chosen as Premier American Beauty: French Artist's Decision Reached After Careful Search - Star Working in Arrow Picture". Exhibitors Herald. 11 (25). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 44. December 18, 1920.
  8. ^ "Cover Up, She Says". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. Washington, DC. March 15, 1920. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "Beauty Often A Handicap". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. August 3, 1919. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  10. ^ ""Colorado Statewide Marriage Index, 1853-2006"". Familysearch.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  11. ^ "Colorado Divorces, 1861-1941" (PDF). Denver Public Library. p. 432. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "Fate Made Her Wondrous Beauty ; Now Makes Rubye's Life a Tragedy". The Orange County Plain Dealer. Anaheim, CA. October 19, 1923. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  13. ^ "Ruby DeRemer, Film Star, and Millionaire are Wed". The Chicago Tribune. Chicago, IL. April 8, 1924. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  14. ^ "Rubye Deremer Throop". California Death Index. March 18, 1984. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
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