Del Ruth was the second highest paid director in Hollywood during the period 1932 to 1941 according to "Box Office and Exhibitor" magazine. Del Ruth was one of seven directors on the successful "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946), which featured an all-star cast of Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Lena Horne, Red Skelton and William Powell. From there, he helmed the cheerfully ambitious Christmas-themed comedy "It Happened on Fifth Avenue" (1947), an appealing entertainment that was compared to "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). The comedy stars Don DeFore and Ann Harding.