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This article is incomplete and may require expansion or cleanup. Please help to improve the article, or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
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.
Plot synopsis
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This section is incomplete and may require expansion or cleanup. Please help to improve the article, or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
The film begins at the scene of 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 was meant to meant to be a brutal message. The next scene switches location to the Carousel Club of Dallas, Texas, 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 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 officers from the Dallas Police Department in order to supply them with narcotics. The next scene shows an attractive young blond sitting in front of a mirror applying makeup 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 he 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. The next day, Ruby has a conversation on the state of Carousel with his bartender who is established to be a young Cuban exile named Diego. Ruby's troubles are further amplified by the appearance cancellation of the next featured dancer who was scheduled to appear on stage. Having heard Ruby's conversation about the cancellation, Sheryl Ann offers to perform for Ruby during his police appreciation show that night. Ruby, reluctant to believe that the innocent and demure Sheryl Ann is stripper material, is desperate and left with no other choice than to allow her to dance. Sheryl Ann adopts the stage name Candy Cane and then takes the stage only to wow the law enforcement crowd with her skilled and enthusiastic performance. Even the jaded Jack Ruby is shocked at the skill and performance of her performance, making him realize she is experienced as stripper. The crowd reacts enthusiastically, and things begin to look up for Jack Ruby as he has a showstopper as a featured dancer, and a chance at revitalizing his business. Ruby and Candy Cane come to understanding that they be truthful, and a friendship develops between the two.
Shortly after the upswing in business, Jack is contacted by one of his former mob associates about performing a black bag job in Cuba. Ruby confers with Candy Cane and ends up inviting her to go along with him to communist Cuba.
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