Leah Ray Hubbard (February 16, 1915 – May 27, 1999) was an American singer and actress born in Norfolk, Virginia. She sang with major dance bands and acted in more than a dozen motion pictures.

Big-band vocalist

Soon after Ray moved to California, her uncle introduced her to

Phil Harris Wonga Philip Harris (June 24, 1904 – August 11, 1995) was an American actor, comedian, musician and songwriter. He was an orchestra leader and a pioneer in radio situation comedy, first with ''The Jack Benny Program'', then in '' The Phil Harr ...

and arranged for a tryout. As a result, she was singing for the Harris orchestra at age 16. She also sang with

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

's orchestra.

Films

Leah Ray's screen debut came in 1934, co-starring with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

in his own screen debut, the musical-comedy short subject ''

Going Spanish ''Going Spanish'' (1934) is an American short comedy film featuring the film debut of Bob Hope and directed by Al Christie. The short comedy co-stars Leah Ray and Jules Epailly. Released by Educational Pictures, the film premiered on March 2, ...

'' (1934). The film was produced in New York by

Educational Pictures Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational pr ...

and distributed by

Twentieth Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. Fox signed Ray for feature films, including '' One in a Million'' (1936)., '' The Holy Terror'' (1937), ''

Wake Up and Live Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition *Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron sa ...

'' (1937), and (co-starring with Tony Martin) '' Sing and Be Happy'' (1937). In a situation described in a newspaper article as "extraordinary," Ray's mother (also named Leah Ray Hubbard) was her daughter's stand-in, "working with her in all her pictures."

Personal life

While singing with the Phil Harris orchestra, Leah Ray met Music Corporation of America executive

Sonny Werblin David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin (March 17, 1910 – November 21, 1991) was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets and chairman of Madison Square Garden, and who built and managed the ...

. They married on March 27, 1938, and had three sons: Robert, Thomas, and Hubbard. The Werblin's were married for more than 50 years until his death in 1991. She and her husband established the David and Leah Ray Werblin Foundation that provided financial support for Rutgers University, charitable causes, and cultural activities

Thoroughbred racing

Sonny Werblin was a shareholder and director of

Monmouth Park Racetrack Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

and builder of the

Meadowlands Sports Complex The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). The complex currently con ...

, which included a horse racing venue. Leah Ray Werblin and her husband raced

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

horses under the '' nom de course'', Elberon Farm. Among their racing successes, their colt, Silent Screen, was voted the 1969

American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the '' Daily Racing F ...

. Leah Ray Werblin died on May 27, 1999, at her home in

Rumson, New Jersey Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 7,343, reflecting a 3.1% increase from the 7,122 enumera ...

at the age of 82.Staff
"Leah Ray Werblin, Singer, 82"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', June 4, 1999. Accessed February 14, 2011. "Leah Ray Werblin, a vocalist in the Big Band era and later, with her husband, the owner of the Elberon Farm in thoroughbred racing, died in her sleep May 27 at her home in

References

Sources

*
June 4, 1999 ''New York Times'' obituary for Leah Ray Werblin
1915 births 1999 deaths Big band singers American film actresses American racehorse owners and breeders Actresses from Virginia Musicians from Norfolk, Virginia People from Rumson, New Jersey 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers Actors from Norfolk, Virginia 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American philanthropists {{US-film-actor-1910s-stub