Ruby Claire

Ruby Claire

Background

Ruby Claire, originally Creskie, owns Ruby's Drive-In in Dade County, Florida. Her daughter is Leslie Claire and she was in a relationship with Nicky, before he was murdered. Ruby used to be a cabaret singer and was a WAMPAS Baby Star.

During the events of Ruby (1977) played by Piper Laurie

In Florida in 1935, Ruby and Nicky park their car near the swamp and get out. Shortly after another car with Vince Kemper, Jess, Louie, Barney, Avery and Jake pulls up. Nicky is then shot dead by them. Ruby runs to Nicky and goes into labor. Sixteen years later, Ruby sits in her house staring out the window at her drive-in theater. The patrons start honking their horns and Ruby drives to the theater. She opens the door to the projection booth and finds Jess dead hanging from the ceiling by film strips. Vince walks in and Ruby tells him to cut Jess down and start the movie again.

Vince goes to Ruby's house and thinks they should call the cops, but she tells him to just dump Jess' body. Ruby tells Jake that Jess is dead. She starts reminiscing about the past when she used to be a cabaret singer. Ruby then imagines she is talking to Nicky and Leslie walks into the room. Ruby yells at her to leave and Vince enters the room. Ruby tells him that Nicky is back and later has a nightmare of the night Nicky was killed. The next day, Leslie finds Louie's body in the woods. Ruby and Vince drive to the swamp and during the drive, Ruby tells Vince that she plans on putting Leslie in a mental institution. They then dump Jess and Louie's bodies in the swamp. Dr. Keller stops by the theater and Vince introduces Dr. Keller to Ruby and Leslie comes into the room and rubs Dr. Keller's hand against her face and then bites his hand. Dr. Keller senses something in the room that is angry.

Ruby does a performance for Dr. Keller and as she is staring at Leslie, Leslie's face changes to Nicky's. Dr. Keller starts asking questions and Ruby gets upset and goes to her room. She drives to the theater and starts saying that it was Jake that was responsible for Nicky's death. Nicky's voice starts coming out of the theater speakers calling her name. She hears a scream and sees Avery impaled on the movie screen. The next day, Ruby hears Nicky's voice coming from the attic and follows the voice. Leslie is inside the attic and starts speaking in Nicky's voice. He accuses Ruby of double crossing him and as Leslie starts to choke her. Ruby hits Leslie in the head and Dr, Keller thinks Leslie is fighting back, because she knows Ruby wanted to send her away. He tells Ruby and Vince that he wants to try and hypnotize Leslie. He hypnotizes her and Leslie starts to speak. He asks her to think about things in her past and Ruby's face suddenly has bullet holes in it and then they disappear.

Ruby tells Dr. Keller how Jake had her seduce men who would later be killed by Jake and the other members of the gang. The body of Jake rolls into the room with a knife stuck in his chest. Dr. Keller senses a spirit is among them and he and Ruby run up to Leslie's room. Ruby dresses up for Nicky and picks up a jar covered with a piece of cloth. She takes the jar downstairs and calls to Nicky and removes the cloth, revealing it to have Jake's eyes inside of it. She is walking near the swamp when she sees Nicky and walks with him towards the swamp. Vince tries to stop her, but Dr. Keller tells him it is what Ruby wants. Ruby is then pulled into the water by Nicky who drowns her.