Ruth Gilbert: “It’s Bigger Than Both of Us”

Ruth Gilbert (1912-1993) was mostly a Broadway stage actress for a period of about 20 years, although posterity tends to remember her for two particular screen performances: as the title role in an independent 1931 film of Alice in Wonderland (rapidly eclipsed by the Paramount version two years later), and as the lovestruck recurring character “Max” who made a pest of herself chasing Uncle Miltie on The Milton Berle Show(1952-56).

Gilbert graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and stepped into her starring role as Alice at age 19. It led immediately to a string of roles in important roles on Broadway including an English-language versions of the notorious Mädchen in Uniform (1932), and the original productions of O’Neill’sAh, Wilderness! (1933) and The Iceman Cometh (1946), John Howard Lawson’sProcessional (1937), Sidney Kingsley’s Detective Story (1949), and the long-running musical Wish You Were Here (1952). She acted with such groups as the Theatre Guild and The Group Theatre. All told, she was in a dozen Broadway productions.

Gilbert acted in Norman Corwin productions on radio, and briefly had her own short-form sit-com in the early days of television called Ruthie on the Telephone (1949) before the Berle gig. Her line “Let’s not fight this, Milton, it’s bigger than both of us!” was briefly a national catchphrase.

After the mid ’50s Gilbert left the limelight to focus on raising her daughter, and she must have done a good job — the kid grew up to be a doctor!

Gilbert kept a hand in the biz by appearing in summer stock, and shortly before she died she appeared in the film Me, Myself and I (1992) with George Segal, JoBeth Williams, Bill Macy, et al.

For more about show business historyconsult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, And please stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.