Ruby (1992 film)
| Ruby | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | John Mackenzie |
| Produced by | Steve Golin |
| Written by | Stephen Davis |
| Starring | |
| Music by | John Scott |
| Cinematography | Phil Méheux |
| Edited by | Richard Trevor |
| Distributed by | Triumph Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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110 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States Japan |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $919,286 |
Ruby is a feature film, released in the United States on March 27, 1992, about Jack Ruby, the Dallas, Texas nightclub owner who shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement garage of a Dallas city police station in 1963. The film was directed by John Mackenzie and stars Danny Aiello (as Ruby), Sherilyn Fenn (as Sheryl Ann DuJean a.k.a. Candy Cane), and Arliss Howard. It is based on a play written by British screenwriter Stephen Davis. Ruby was released three months after Oliver Stone's movie JFK.
The film begins with Jack Ruby saying, "Lookin' back at it now, what can you say? It feels like it was a dream. Yeah, that's it, a dream. Maybe none of it never happened. Because when I look back on it today, this is the best sense I can make of it." Then the scene shows a murder; a corpse, dressed in a suit, is being drained of blood, having been hung on a meat hook. It is readily apparent that the corpse has been tortured, and it is implied that the presentation of the body is intended to be a brutal message.
The next scene switches location to the Carousel Club of Dallas, Texas in 1962, a burlesque club owned by Jack Ruby. It is a slow night at the club, with only a sparse audience for the featured performer, and few bar patrons. The featured dancer, named Telephone Trixie, is unprepared for the show, unenthusiastic, and well beyond her glory days. Ruby regretfully watches her lackluster performance and ruefully observes the disappointing state of his business. Near closing, Ruby leaves the Carousel through a rear/side exit in order to make a rendezvous with two corrupt officers from the Dallas Police Department in order to supply them with narcotics. The next scene shows an attractive young blond woman sitting in front of a mirror applying make-up to a facial bruise; the scene strongly suggests that her sleeping husband or significant other has been abusing her.
The next set of scenes follows Ruby as he closes the Carousel Club and makes a stop at an all-night diner which is adjacent to a bus station. Inside the diner, Ruby observes the young blond from the previous scene and stops to speak with her and offer a meal and a place to stay. In the course of discussion between the young woman and Ruby, it is made clear that Jack is not making a sexual advance, and is instead offering lodging in a gesture of platonic friendship. Destitute, desperate, and homeless, the young Sheryl Ann DuJean then accompanies Ruby back to Carousel Club where Ruby gives her lodging in an apartment in the area above the club.
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