Ruta Lee Dishes on Her Favorite TV Roles: ‘The Twilight Zone,’
Ruta Lee collage
Everett Collection
The still spunky and delightful actress Ruta Lee chatted with ReMIND magazine ahead of her monumental 90th birthday about some of her favorite TV memories from shows such as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Twilight Zone, Mork & Mindy, and Three’s Company.. Ruta Lee will celebrate her birthday on May 30th with a sold-out, one-night-only show, “Consider Your Ass Kissed,” at The El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles.
Did you start your career in film?
THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW, from left: Gracie Allen, George Burns, 1950-1958
Everett Collection
Ruta: Well, basically, I started on TV. I did a couple of television shows before I got my first film job. One of my very first shows was The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. George Burns (pictured above with Gracie) had a sense of comedy and timing like nobody in this world. Even though I was only like 16 years old, I would get invited to their big, beautiful garden and cocktail parties at their home. Wow, what a treat and what a thrill to be part of it. Of course, trying to figure out what to wear as a youngster among all those stars was a paramount worry. But somehow, they are moments that I will never forget.
What was your favorite bad girl role since you did so many of them?
Twilight Zone Screen grab
They were fun! Bad girls with hearts of gold and teeth to match are much more fun to play than good girls. But I think one of my favorites was the one that I did on The Twilight Zone. [Season 5, episode 11 “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain“]. She was a real little bitch, married an older man, because he had money and she just put him down and teased him for being older. Then he gets a serum from his brother, who is a scientist and gets younger and younger, and she has to put up with it.
I just love that, and it was such fun because we were shooting The Twilight Zone at MGM [Metro Goldwyn Mayer] and the guys that handle the lights up in the catwalks above the sets leaned over and applauded after one of the takes. I thought, oh what a lovely moment that is. The guy said, ‘Keep doing honey, keep doing honey — we love you’ — and boy oh boy, I love that.
Out of all your guest appearances on TV, what was your favorite?
THE HOLLYWOOD SQUARES, from left: Charlie Weaver, Rose Marie, John Davidson, George Gobel, Ruta Lee, Kent McCord, Sandy Duncan, Peter Marshall, Vincent Price, Paul Lynde celebrating 2000th show (1974), 1965-82.
Everett Collection
Ruta: That’s an impossible question to answer, because basically, whatever show I’m doing at the time is my favorite. But when I think about it and really look back over it, of course, being on Hollywood Squares and or any of the game shows was the most fun. I also really loved doing Bonanza.
You did a lot of the ’70s sitcoms, such as Three’s Company, Mork & Mindy, Benson, Love American Style, The Flying Nun and Hogan’s Heroes. What was fun about doing them?
When I did Mork & Mindy, who the hell knew that Robin Williams was going to be one of the biggest voices in comedy? He was phonetic. I’ve never worked with anybody that was as wild and crazy as he was, but he was also awesome and very sweet. Very, very nice.
When I did Three’s Company, the laugh that I got on one of my lines was so long they had to break the camera and cut it down a little bit. It was a great line that had been given to me, and I guess I delivered it very well. The audience just simply would not stop laughing. It became one of the things that everybody on that show, whenever they would see me, would say, “People, please.” [Lee’s infamous line as Mrs. Dawson in episode ‘An Anniversary Surprise,’ season 3 episode 21].
Everything that you get to do and make a name for yourself or be noticed for, I thank the writers. If they don’t put it on paper, you don’t get to do it, and if you bring a little something to it, then they have you to thank. But without the writers, we wouldn’t have anything.
