Ruth Tester, Allan Gould and The Story Behind “Makers of Melody”

I only learned about this couple of performers a few days ago from the intrepid explorer Eve Golden. But as it happens, August 17 was the birthday of one of them, Ruth Tester (1903-1993).

Tester appeared, along with Allan Gould, Inez Courtney, Rodgers and Hart, and others in the 1929 Paramount short Makers of Melody. Tester and Gould were new to me (and I don’t want to imply they were a team, apart from this one performance.) Tester is easier to learn about, as she appeared in several Broadway shows, beginning with Lollipop (1924), where she had a part in the chorus. She appears to have progressed rapidly to specialty numbers and speaking parts. Some of the other stuff she appeared in included the Kalmar and Ruby show The Ramblers (1926) starring Clark and McCullough, Jack Whiting, and Richie Craig, Jr, as well as the 1930 edition of The Garrick Gaieties. Her last was The Gang’s All Here (1931) with Ted Healy, Hal Le Roy, Shaw and Lee, et al. After which she retired to marry a businessman named Caruthers. As for Gould, he was strictly a creature of vaudeville while he remained in show business, which wasn’t long. Golden got all the dope on him; it’s in her wonderful article here.

For more on show business history,please see my book No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous; and keep an eye out for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.