From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Harry Ruby (January 27, 1895 – February 23, 1974) was a Jewish American composer and screenwriter, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. He was married to actress Eileen Percy. Ruby was born in New York City. After failing at his early ambition to become a professional baseball player, he toured the vaudeville circuit as a pianist with the Bootblack Trio and the Messenger Boys Trio until meeting the man who would become his longtime partner, lyricist Bert Kalmar. Kalmar and Ruby were a successful songwriting team for nearly three decades until Kalmar's death in 1947, a partnership portrayed in the 1950 MGM musical Three Little Words, starring Fred Astaire as Kalmar and Red Skelton as Ruby.