Trivia

Died while watching the Statue of Liberty Centennial celebrations on television, his reported last words being, "I wish I could be there. You know how I've always loved a party.".

As a singing bandleader in the 1920s and 1930s, he introduced many songs that would ultimately become pop standards, among them "Goodnight, Sweetheart", "The Maine Stein Song", "As Time Goes By", "Would You Like to Take a Walk?", "Betty Co-Ed" and his two theme songs, "Heigh-Ho, Everybody" and "I'm Just a Vagabond Lover". He never did introduce the 1967 hit that parodied his style, "Winchester Cathedral", although he sang it frequently afterwards.

Sang "Empty Saddles" at the funeral of film actor Tom Mix.

Caricatured in the Porky Pig cartoon Wholly Smoke (1938). A cigarette box called "Crooner Crooner" (a parody of Corona-Corona) spouts likenesses of Vallee and Bing Crosby, both warning Porky about smoking.

The headstones for both him and his brother were stolen; only the family plot marker remains at Saint Hyacinth's.

His remains were interred at Saint Hyacinth's Cemetery in Westbrook, Maine. Second row in from Stroud Water Street.

Posthumously inducted into the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2011.

In late 1939 Rudy Vallee was signed by Republic Pictures as a producer, to supervise two movies. The movies were ultimately never made.

Graduated from the University of Maine and popularized its fight song "The Maine Stein Song" in the 1920s.

Co-wrote his long-time theme song, "Vagabond Lover", which was also the title of his first movie (The Vagabond Lover (1929)).

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 1632 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.

He was posthumously awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars on January 13, 1995.

His older sister Kathleen spent her life as a music teacher in their native state of Maine.

Profiled in "Old Time Radio Memories" by Mel Simons (BearManor Media).

Parents are Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallee.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 846-849. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.