Henning’s Longest-Running Work
Paul Henning remembers that he got his first entertainment job “of any national prominence” with the help of Ruth Barth, an actress he’d met while he was a singer at KMBC radio in Kansas City. Barth had gone to Chicago to find bigger acting roles, heard about the need for a writer on “The Fibber McGee and Molly Show” and told Henning about it.
He landed the spot, and after writing for “Fibber McGee” for about a year, he moved to Los Angeles seeking other work. “I’d always wanted to come to the West Coast,” he said. “I thought it was the most wonderful place I’d ever been.” Once here, he also realized Barth was the most wonderful woman he’d ever met. He proposed--by mail--and she accepted.
“She took the train from Chicago, and a couple friends of mine drove me from L.A. We met in Yuma and got married.
“It was touch and go for a while. Ruth and I went through some really bad times trying to make a living, but we stuck it out.”
Indeed. The Hennings celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary last month.
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