Ruggles of Red Gap

Ruggles of Red Gap
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Leo McCarey
Screenplay by	Walter DeLeon Harlan Thompson
Story by	Humphrey Pearson
Based on	Ruggles of Red Gap 1915 novel by Harry Leon Wilson[1][2]
Produced by	Arthur Hornblow Jr.
Starring	Charles Laughton Mary Boland Charlie Ruggles ZaSu Pitts
Cinematography	Alfred Gilks
Edited by	Edward Dmytryk[3]
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	February 19, 1935 (1935-02-19TUS)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Ruggles of Red Gap is a 1935 comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Charles Laughton, Mary Boland, Charlie Ruggles, and ZaSu Pitts and featuring Roland Young and Leila Hyams. It was based on the best-selling 1915 novel by Harry Leon Wilson, adapted by Humphrey Pearson, with a screenplay by Walter DeLeon and Harlan Thompson. It is the story of a newly rich American couple from the West who win a British gentleman's gentleman in a poker game.

Plot[]

In 1908, Marmaduke Ruggles (Charles Laughton) is a talented and disciplined English manservant, serving as valet and butler to the Earl of Burnstead (Roland Young), a British nobleman and womanizer. During a stay in Paris, the Earl dispassionately informs Ruggles that he has gambled him away in a drunken game of poker; he is to report to his new masters, nouveau riche American millionaires Egbert and Effie Floud (Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland) immediately. Effie wishes to use Ruggles as a status symbol in an attempt to garner respect from other wealthy families, while Egbert, who has no interest in the trappings of high society (prizing his unfashionable checked suits, ten-gallon hats, and long moustache), is hesitant to accept the help of a "gentleman's gentleman." For his part, Ruggles bemoans with deliberate irony the idea of being relegated to "the land of slavery," but he takes his new occupation in stride, helping to get Egbert a new wardrobe and haircut.

Under the guise of visiting the Louvre, Egbert slips away from Effie and takes Ruggles to a café. He explains to the valet that, in his country, everyone is equal, and Ruggles should behave like a friend to the Flouds rather than a deferential servant. Ruggles initially dismisses the idea, but after a night of drinking with Egbert and his wild friend Jeff Tuttle, his "stiff upper lip" falls away, and he starts shouting like a cowboy (following the example of Egbert and Tuttle), revealing his suppressed desire for independence. The three embark on an alcohol-fueled trip across Paris, through a carnival, and into the Floud's hotel room, breaking up a society party hosted by Effie. The next day, though his wish for freedom remains, Ruggles embarrassedly apologizes to Effie for his behavior, which she, after some hesitation, accepts.

The Flouds return to America and bring Ruggles with them to their home town of Red Gap, Washington, a remote Western boomtown. There, Ruggles meets the extended family of the Flouds, including "Ma" Pettingill (Maude Eburne), Effie's rustic and down-to-earth mother, and Charles Belknap-Jackson (Lucien Littlefield), a snooty relative of Effie's who treats Ruggles with classist disdain. A party held to receive the Flouds inadvertently turns into a warm welcome for Ruggles after a local reporter and a series of town gossips mistake him for a wealthy retired Englishman. Ruggles also meets Mrs. Judson (ZaSu Pitts), a widowed housewife and cook, and a mutual if somewhat prickly affection forms between the two. When Belknap-Jackson chastises Ruggles for dancing at the party with Mrs. Judson, Ruggles responds by kicking him in the behind. He is almost fired, but his job is saved by the revelation that he has become a local celebrity thanks to a newspaper article describing Ruggles as an "honored houseguest" of the Flouds.

Ruggles becomes a fixture at local society gatherings, as Effie and Belknap-Jackson use his status to advance socially. He develops a relationship with Mrs. Judson and begins reading about the history of the United States, including books regarding the life of Abraham Lincoln. One day, just after Egbert, Effie, and Ma set out on a short trip from Red Gap, Belknap-Jackson fires Ruggles, contemptuously asking that he leaves on the next train from town. Ruggles sadly accepts his request, and, while waiting for the train, wanders into the local saloon, where he finds Mrs. Judson, Egbert, and Ma (who stopped to have a drink before leaving town). Egbert laughs off Belknap-Jackson's actions, but Ruggles explains that, in a way, he accepts the firing as an almost providential sign: he wants to live as a free and independent person and, because of that, he won't return to work for the Flouds. Egbert is pleased by this development and compares it to "what Lincoln said at Gettysburg," but neither he nor any of the other rough Western characters in the saloon can remember the words of the text. As they each try to remind themselves of what it says, Ruggles stands up and recites the entire Gettysburg Address from memory, holding everyone in the saloon spellbound and symbolically forging an identity for Ruggles as an American.

Ruggles decides that he will open up a restaurant, "The Anglo-American Grill," in Red Gap. He begins to prepare the restaurant space with Mrs. Judson when Effie arrives with troubling news: the Earl of Burnstead is visiting Red Gap to purchase Ruggles back, and Ruggles needs to return to the Flouds at once. Ruggles reluctantly agrees, but Mrs. Judson is disgusted by his deference to his former employers. On the night of a party in the Earl's honor, Ruggles goes missing, and Egbert convinces the Earl to slip out in favor of another, more raucous party hosted by the beautiful young Nell Kenner (Leila Hyams), to whom the Earl instantly takes an interest. They eventually return to the Floud house, where, just as the guests begin to worry about Ruggles, he returns and informs the Earl of his decision to "be someone" and live independently, on his own terms.

Ruggles opens the restaurant (with Mrs. Judson as head cook), which proves to be a great success. All the friends he has made on his journey from England to America attend its gala opening, even the Earl (who has since married Nell and made her a countess). Belknap-Jackson also attends and makes it a point to insult Ruggles and his cooking to his face; Ruggles eventually throws him out after he insults his status as a "commoner." Ruggles retreats to the kitchen, sure that he has ruined his social standing in Red Gap. Outside, the diners begin to sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," which Ruggles assumes is in honor of the Earl. Egbert pulls him out of the kitchen and reassures him: "You idiot, they're singing it for you!" Ruggles grows teary-eyed as he realizes that the song is meant as a collective acceptance of his place in the community and his status as an equal. As the song crescendos, Egbert pushes Ruggles back into the kitchen so that he can celebrate privately with Mrs. Judson, smiling as he watches them embrace.

Cast[]

• Charles Laughton as Marmaduke Ruggles
• Mary Boland as Effie Floud
• Charlie Ruggles as Egbert Floud
• ZaSu Pitts as Mrs. Judson
• Roland Young as Earl of Burnstead
• Leila Hyams as Nell Kenner
• Maude Eburne as "Ma" Pettingill
• Lucien Littlefield as Charles Belknap-Jackson
• Leota Lorraine as Mrs. Belknap-Jackson
• James Burke as Jeff Tuttle
• Dell Henderson as Sam
• Clarence Wilson as Jake Henshaw
• Heinie Conklin as Waiter (uncredited)
• Willie Fung as Willie (uncredited)

Location[]

The film was shot on locations in Humboldt County, California.^[4]

Awards and nominations[]

Charles Laughton won the New York Film Critics' Circle Awards for Ruggles of Red Gap (along with Mutiny on the Bounty) in 1935. The National Board of Review named the film the ninth best of 1935. [That year, Laughton's other two films, Les Misérables and Mutiny on the Bounty were sixth and eighth on the list, respectively]. The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture and competed against two other Laughton films that were also nominated: Mutiny on the Bounty (which won the award) and Les Misérables.

In 2014, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.^[5]

Other adaptations[]

Harry Leon Wilson's novel Ruggles of Red Gap was adapted for the Broadway stage as a musical in 1915, the same year that it was published.^[6] It was first made into a silent film in 1918 and again in 1923 (the latter with Edward Everett Horton as Ruggles).

A musical adaptation called Fancy Pants starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball was released in 1950.^[7]

Ruggles of Red Gap was adapted as a radio play several times. First on the July 10, 1939 episode of Lux Radio Theater; second on the December 17, 1945 episode of The Screen Guild Theater; and third on the June 8, 1946 episode of Academy Award Theater. All of these adaptations found Charles Laughton and Charlie Ruggles reprising their film parts.

A television musical version was produced on Producer's Showcase in 1957, starring Michael Redgrave, Peter Lawford, David Wayne and Jane Powell. The songs were created by Jule Styne and Leo Robin.

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ruggles of Red Gap (1935 film).

• Ruggles of Red Gap at the American Film Institute Catalog – 1935 film
• Ruggles of Red Gap at IMDb
• Ruggles of Red Gap at the TCM Movie Database
• Ruggles of Red Gap at AllMovie
• Ruggles of Red Gap at Rotten Tomatoes
• DVD availability(from Universal Vault Series)

Streaming audio

• Ruggles of Red Gap on Lux Radio Theater: July 10, 1939
• Ruggles of Red Gap on Screen Guild Theater: December 17, 1945
• Ruggles of Red Gap on Academy Award Theater: June 8, 1946