RUTA LEE

May 30, 1935

Ruta Lee was born

Ruta Mary Kilmonis in Montreal, Quebec, the only child of Lithuanian immigrants.

In 1948, her family moved to the United States settling in Los Angeles, where she graduated in 1954 from Hollywood High School and attended both Los Angeles City College and the University of California at Los Angeles. She worked as a cashier, usherette, and candy girl at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

Her screen debut came on a 1952 episode of TV’s “The Roy Rogers Show”. Her big screen debut was in MGM’s Seven Bride for Seven Brothers in 1954 (above), a film that was mentioned on “I Love Lucy.”  Lee herself, however, never appeared on the series. 

Instead, she worked for / at Desilu on their many other shows. 

• “The Walter Winchell File” ~ 1958

• “December Bride" ~ 1958

• “U.S.
  Marshal" ~ 4 episodes 1959-60
• “Yancy
  Derringer” ~ 1959
• “Whirlybirds" ~ 1959

• “Fractured Flickers” ~ 1963

• “You
  Don’t Say” ~ 2 episodes 1964 & 1969
• “The Andy Griffith Show" ~ 1962 & 1965
• “Gomer
  Pyle, U.S.M.C.” ~ 1965
• “The
  Bill Dana Show” ~ 1965
• “Mannix" ~ 1967
• “Hogan’s Heroes" ~ 1967

In 1967, she finally acted opposite Lucille Ball on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy’s Substitute Secretary” (TLS S5;E14) airing on January 2, 1967. It was filmed on November 10, 1966. She played the title character, Miss Audrey Fields, executive secretary with eyes on Lucy’s job.  

“Lucille Ball was a heavy duty taskmaster. She respected hard work, she did so and expected her costars to be able to handle what was necessary as well.”

The following season she played herself in “Lucy Meets the Berles” (TLS S6;E1). 

Ruta was auditioning for a role as a wife stealer. Lucy overheard her audition on the intercom and believed that Ruta and Berle were having an affair behind his wife’s back. 

The episode ended with a bowl of salad poured over Berle’s head. 

“The four of us laughed so hard during that scene that I actually wet my pants.“ 

She also played herself in the 1980 special “Lucy Moves to NBC”.  She was playing backgammon with Lucy in the opening scene.  

Her most recent film was the March 2021 release Senior Moment, although it was filmed in 2017.  It was the final film of Lucille Ball’s friend and co-star Kaye Ballard.