Photos: Ruta Lee Sells Out Cabaret at the Rat Pack's Famous Purple Room

From classic to contemporary films and television, Ruta Lee "IS" Hollywood, and she brings every bit of it to the stage! Ms. Lee brough her best selling memoirs "Consider Your Ass Kissed" (reaching #2 on Amazon) to the stage in an hour .... "Or as long at the audience continues to applaud," says Ruta. Just as with the book, the Ruta offered a treasure trove of wonderful stories, anecdotes with rare first hand and authentic memories of the entertainment industry.

See photos below!

Among the topics Ruta discussed in her one woman show include her starring roles in films such as "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" to 'Funny Face," and "Witness for the Prosecution," working with remarkable leading men including Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, the iconic ladies that she called friends, such as, Lucille Ball, Marlene Dietrich and Debbie Reynolds. Under the musical direction of Steven Smith, she sang songs from some of her leading stage roles in Annie Get Your Gun, Molly Brown, Peter Pan, Mame, Irene, South Pacific, Irma la Douce, Gypsy, The Woman of the Year, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Hello Dolly! Having starred and guest starred in over 2,000 TV series, there was no shortage of anecdote about Andy Griffith, 77 Sunset Strip and Perry Mason to name a few.

Certainly one of Hollywood's most glamorous ladies, Lee's career in show business began at the famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre ... as an usherette, then candy girl. She was quickly promoted to box office cashier and just as quickly fired. Her dancing was better than her math. She vowed to return to that famous courtyard (years later, talent and serendipity placed her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, directly in front of that box office from which she was fired). Soon after, she was signed by MGM as the youngest of the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and subsequently in Funny Face with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn, as Tyrone Power's secret love in Witness for the Prosecution, and Frank Sinatra's leading lady in Sergeant's Three, to name but a few of the many films in her credits.

Lee is highly acclaimed for her leadership role in The Thalians, a charitable organization which is committed to good mental health from pediatric to geriatric. She has been either chairman or president for over 45 years ... roles exchanged between herself and Debbie Reynolds. She has served as Commissioner on the Los Angeles Board of Environmental Quality and as a member of the Economic Development Board, acted as a national spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, was honored Woman of the Year by B'nai B'rith, received the Humanitarian Award from the Beverly Hills Business Women's Association as well as top honors from the City of Hope. Ruta is very proud to be the recipient of the prestigious Yellow Rose of Texas from President George W. Bush. Recently, she received Lithuania's highest honors from President Valdas Adamkus at a magnificent ceremony in the Vilnius Presidential Palace. Ruta is also the proud recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which added to her stars on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars and the Celebrity Walk at the Thalians Mental Health Center, Cedars-Sinai.

For more information, please visit Ms Lee's website at http://www.rutalee.com.

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