The “spinster” Gladys Ormphby, who wore plain brown clothing and had her hair tied in a noticeable hairnet in the middle of her forehead, was Ruth Buzzi’s most well-known character.
When she played Agnes Gooch in a school production of Auntie Mame, she first wore this look. Buzzi frequently used her pocketbook as a weapon in her violent attacks on those who incensed her. Tyrone F. Horneigh, the “dirty old man” portrayed by Arte Johnson, repeatedly made unwanted passes toward her.
Buzzi and Johnson’s characters were collectively referred to as The Nitwits by NBC when the segments were animated in the middle of the 1970s as a part of the series Baggy Pants and the Nitwits. Buzzi and Johnson both contributed their voices to the animated program.
Buzzi also played Gladys in a number of Dean Martin Roasts that were hosted at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. She would vehemently challenge the honoree in these roasts, using her pocketbook as a weapon, and even strike Dean Martin if he said anything bad about her looks or future love life.
Ruth Buzzi Siblings: Meet Harold Buzzi
Buzzi was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, at Westerly Hospital. Her parents were Rena Pauline and Angelo Peter Buzzi. Her father was a well-known stone artisan who had immigrated from Arzo, Switzerland in 1923.
Buzzi grew up in the Wequetequock neighborhood of Stonington, Connecticut. They lived in a rock house with a view of the water at Wequetequock Cove. Her father established Buzzi Memorials, which her older brother Harold ran until his retirement in 2013.