Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales

Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales
Created by	Tracey Ullman Allan McKeown
Starring	Tracey Ullman Debbie Reynolds Paul Dooley Barbara Bain Glenn Shadix Lynne Marie Stewart Sam McMurray Jane Kaczmarek Cheech Marin George Schlatter Rose Marie
Country of origin	United States
Production
Running time	50 minutes
Release
Original network	HBO
Original release	August 3, 2003
Chronology
Related shows	Tracey Takes On... Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed

Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales is a 2003 HBO comedy special starring actress-comedian Tracey Ullman, a spin-off from Ullman's sketch series, Tracey Takes On....

The special, which was originally shot as a pilot for a possible series,^[1] spotlighted just one of Ullman's characters – Ruby Romaine, a Hollywood make-up artist in her seventies. Ruby recounts tales of old and present-day Hollywood in her make-up trailer as she makes up celebrities for film and television. She also reveals tales about her family and her home life which includes her son Buddy, and her pig, Oinky. The celebrity in Ruby's chair for this particular episode is actress, Debbie Reynolds.^[2]

Background

While the special's main focus is Ruby Romaine, Ullman also plays two additional characters. One, Ruby's Russian prostitute neighbor Svetlana. The second, Pepper Kane, an African-American former-actress-turned-manager to her rapper grandson, Slurr-P. Pepper is a woman who as a young girl Ruby did make-up on to make her look Caucasian.

The working title for the project was Ruby Romaine, Trailer Trash.^[3] This was Ullman's directorial debut (aside from directing second unit during the fourth season of her series Tracey Takes On...).

Plot

The main Ruby recount is the story about her retirement from the make-up industry^[4] and the events that followed, including her decision to return to the business.

Awards

The special was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, and won a Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award for "Best Makeup - Television Mini-Series/Movie of the Week".^[5]

References

External links

• Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales at the Internet Movie Database
• Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales at TV.com
• Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales promo