Doris Ruby (1927 – December 16, 1951) was a 24-year-old dancer from Sunnyside, Queens who died in the
1951 Miami Airlines C-46 crash
On December 16, 1951, a Miami Airlines Curtiss C-46 Commando airliner crashed in the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, shortly after taking off from nearby Newark Airport. All 56 people on board were killed. At the time, it was the second-deadlies ...
. She was a popular nightclub entertainer.''List of Dead in Crash of Plane in New Jersey'', '' The New York Times'', December 17, 1951, pg. 2.
Club performer
She opened at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem in late April 1951. Ruby appeared with
Fran Warren
Frances Wolff (March 4, 1926 – March 4, 2013), known professionally as Fran Warren, was an American singer.Danny Thomas at the
Latin Casino
The Latin Casino was a Philadelphia-area nightclub that first opened in 1944 at 1309 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many top entertainers performed at the Latin including Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Durante, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, ...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in early May. She teamed with
George Price and Betty Reilly at the Capri in
Atlantic Beach, New York
Atlantic Beach is a village located off the South Shore of Long Island in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the village population was 1,707.
The incorporated village of Atla ...
in mid-June. She was romantically linked to Paul Thomas, brother of Danny Thomas, at this time.
Untimely death
Ruby was booked to dance at the Vagabond Club, on
Biscayne Boulevard
U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) in Florida runs along the state's east coast from Key West to its crossing of the St. Marys River (Florida/Georgia), St. Marys River into Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia north of Boulogne, Florida, Boulogne and south of ...
, in Miami, Florida, the week after her death. She had most recently appeared at the Cafe Society
in New York City. She appeared briefly on WJZ prior to preparing for her fatal flight to Florida. WJZ had broadcast from Howie's Restaurant on the Avenue of the Americas between 52nd and 53rd Streets in Manhattan.''Dancer Killed in Crash, On Radio Here Yesterday'', ''The New York Times'', December 17, 1951, pg. 22. She had been in Hanson's Drug Store, 51st Street and 7th Avenue, only a few hours prior to boarding the
plane. This was a popular celebrity hangout.
Gregg Sherwood, showgirl and best friend of Ruby, tried to discourage her
from flying the night before her death. Sherwood told Ruby that if she had ten days before her Miami opening she could likely get a cancellation on a better airline. 56 people died on the nonscheduled airliner which crashed in
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...
.
The
American Guild of Variety Artists
The American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) is an American entertainment union representing performers in variety entertainment, including circuses, Las Vegas showrooms and cabarets, comedy showcases, dance revues, magic shows, theme park shows, ...
held a benefit for Ruby's family, who were destitute following her death. She was their main support. Walter Winchell reported that Ruby might have flown to Florida earlier if the last night club she appeared in had paid her on time.
AGVA
The American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) is an American entertainment union representing performers in variety entertainment, including circuses, Las Vegas showrooms and cabarets, comedy showcases, dance revues, magic shows, theme park shows ...
, the actors' union, paid her out of the owners' bond (to guarantee wages). This occurred belatedly, a week after she made flying plans.''Walter Winchell ... Of New York'', Washington Post, December 26, 1951, pg. B11.