Russ Columbo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Ruggiero Eugenio di Rodolfo Colombo (1908-01-14)January 14, 1908 Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | September 2, 1934(1934-09-02) (aged 26) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz,popular music |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer, violinist |
| Instrument(s) | Violin,baritone voice |
| Years active | 1928–1934 |
Ruggiero Eugenio di Rodolfo Colombo (January 14, 1908 – September 2, 1934), known asRuss Columbo, was an Americanbaritone, songwriter, violinist, and actor. He is famous for romantic ballads such as his signature tune "You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love" and his own compositions "Prisoner of Love" and "Too Beautiful for Words".
Columbo was born inCamden, New Jersey, the twelfth child of Italian immigrant parents Nicola and Giulia "Julia" Colombo. He attended Everett Grammar School and started playing the violin at a very young age, debuting professionally at the age of 13. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was 16, and he attended Belmont High School there. He left high school at age 17 to study violin underCalmon Luboviski and travel with various bands around the country. He sang and played violin in numerousnightclubs.
By 1928, at the age of 20, Columbo began to participate in motion pictures, including aVitaphone short in which Columbo appeared as a member ofGus Arnheim and His Orchestra. Eventually, he obtained some feature work in front of the camera, but he slowed down his activities in cinema to pursue other interests. At the time of his death, Columbo had just completed work on the filmWake Up and Dream; he was on his way to stardom when his life was cut short.[1] Among Columbo's other films are:Woman to Woman (withBetty Compton),Wolf Song (withLupe Vélez),The Texan (withGary Cooper), andBroadway Thru a Keyhole.[2][3]
Columbo performed seven vocals while with Arnheim as a member of the string section, six forOkeh Records and only one for Victor ("A Peach of a Pair") on June 18, 1930, a few months beforeBing Crosby joined the band along withAl Rinker andHarry Barris as "The Rhythm Boys".
Columbo ran a nightclub for a while, the Club Pyramid, but gave it up when his manager told him he had star potential.[2] In 1931, he traveled to New York City with his manager, songwriterCon Conrad, who secured a late-night radio slot withNBC. This led to numerous engagements, a recording contract withRCA Victor records, and tremendous popularity with legions of mostly female fans. Not long after arriving in New York, Columbo met actressDorothy Dell at an audition for theZiegfeld Follies and began seeing her. Conrad did his best to break the relationship up with a series of publicity-created "ruse romances" involving Columbo and actresses such asGreta Garbo andPola Negri; it succeeded.[4] (Dorothy Dell died in an auto accident in June 1934—just months before Columbo's own fatal accident.)
The type of singing that was popularized by the likes of Columbo,Rudy Vallee, andBing Crosby is calledcrooning. Columbo disliked the label, but it caught on with the general public. It gained popular credence, despite its initial use as a term of derision for the singers employing their low, soothing voices inromantic songs. Similarly, to reinforce his romantic appeal, he was called "Radio'sValentino".[5]
Columbo composed the songs "Prisoner of Love" and "You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)" with Con Conrad, Gladys Du Bois, and Paul Gregory; "Too Beautiful For Words", recorded by the Teddy Joyce Orchestra in 1935; "When You're in Love", "My Love", and "Let's Pretend There's a Moon", recorded byFats Waller andTab Hunter; and "Hello Sister". "Prisoner of Love" is a standard that has been recorded byFrank Sinatra,Jo Stafford,Art Tatum,Perry Como, theInk Spots,Mildred Bailey,Tiny Tim,Teddy Wilson withLena Horne on vocals, Bing Crosby,Billy Eckstine, andJames Brown. Perry Como had a number-one hit onBillboard with his recording. James Brown had a top-20 pop hit and performed the song onThe Ed Sullivan Show and in the concert movieThe T.A.M.I. Show (1964).
On Sunday, September 2, 1934, Columbo was shot under peculiar circumstances by a longtime friend, photographerLansing Brown Jr., while Columbo was visiting him at home. Brown had a collection of firearms, and the two men were examining various pieces. Quoting Brown's description of the accident:[6]
I was absent-mindedly fooling around with one of the guns. It was of a dueling design and works with a cap and trigger. I was pulling back the trigger and clicking it time after time. I had a match in my hand and when I clicked, apparently the match caught in between the hammer and the firing pin. There was an explosion. Russ slid to the side of his chair.
The ball ricocheted off a nearby table and hit Columbo above the left eye. Surgeons atGood Samaritan Hospital made an unsuccessful attempt to remove the ball from Columbo's brain; he died less than six hours after the shooting.[1][7] Columbo's death was ruled an accident and Brown was exonerated from blame.[8][9] His funeral Mass was attended by numerous Hollywood actors, including Bing Crosby andCarole Lombard, who was to have had dinner with Columbo the evening of the accident and who was romantically involved with him.[1][4][10][11]
Columbo's mother was hospitalized in serious condition from a heart attack at the time of the accident; the news was withheld from her by his brothers and sisters for the remaining 10 years of her life.[1][12] Owing to her previous heart condition, it was feared that the news would prove fatal to her (she died in 1944). They used all manner of subterfuge to give the impression that Columbo was still alive, including faked letters from him and records used to simulate his radio program.[13]
Columbo is interred inForest Lawn Memorial Park inGlendale, California.
ActressVirginia Brissac was serving as Columbo's private secretary at the time of his death and was later called upon by theLos Angeles County Coroner's Office to testify and identify Columbo's remains at the subsequent inquest.[14]
