The City of Westbrook, Maine rededicated Rudy Vallee Square just days ago, honoring the man who, although not born in Maine(he was born in Island Pond, Vermont)-was raised in Westbrook and then went on to international fame. When the square along Main Street was first dedicated-with Vallee in attendance, there were thousands of people on hand. Recently, about 75 showed up.
It’s hard to imagine the magnitude of Rudy Vallee’s star power. Without the instantaneous mass media and the internet, Rudy was every bit as “big” as the later stars who he is compared to. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that Elvis Presley was the Rudy Vallee of his day-rather than the other way around.
Rudy Vallee was the first. He was the original superstar, whose singing style-later dubbed “crooning” was attributed to later stars like Bing Crosby. He was a huge sensation, especially with the ladies. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, The Beatles and yes, even Michael Jackson were icons in their time—but Vallee was the first.
He was a singing star-on the radio, of course, but also became a movie star and moved to television as well. The ability to project one’s voice was essential to be popular-as this was the age before amplified microphones. Vallee used a megaphone and his distinctive style was the soundtrack of an era where change was the order of the day. From the roaring 20’s through the years of the Great Depression and beyond, Vallee was a bona fide superstar.
Tomorrow marks the famous crooner’s birthday. Vallee lived until 1986 and is buried in St. Hyacinth’s Cemetery in Westbrook. A YouTube search will yield a lot of audio samples of his hit songs-including the Maine Stein Song. Below is a video of Rudy doing his thing in a movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb36JID2jRA
If you’d like my blog in your box daily, just let me know! Tim.moore@citcomm.com
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