Dorothy Lee
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Lee was an American actress and comedian during the 1930s, usually appearing alongside the popular Wheeler & Woolsey
comedy team.
Born Marjorie Elizabeth Millsap in Los Angeles
, she started seeking film roles in 1929, after graduating from high school, but ended up in New York
working on the stage. At 18, she signed with RKO Pictures
and began working with Wheeler & Woolsey; she became so identified with the comedians that she seldom appeared apart from them.
She withdrew from the series after producer David O. Selznick
tampered with her performance in Girl Crazy
; she returned when Selznick's successor Mark Sandrich
cast her in two well-received features in 1934. RKO replaced her with Mary Carlisle
and then Betty Grable
, but she returned in 1935 for two final appearances.
In the early 1940s, after Robert Woolsey had died, Bert Wheeler was struggling to re-establish himself as a solo performer, and asked Dorothy Lee to tour with him in vaudeville. She immediately interrupted her private life to help her old friend.
Lee was married six times, including briefly to Hollywood gossip columnist Jimmy Fidler
. She had four children by her fifth husband, John Bersbach. She died in 1999, at the age of 88.
Wheeler & Woolsey
Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey were a famous American film comedy team of the 1930s....
comedy team.
Born Marjorie Elizabeth Millsap in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, she started seeking film roles in 1929, after graduating from high school, but ended up in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
working on the stage. At 18, she signed with RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
and began working with Wheeler & Woolsey; she became so identified with the comedians that she seldom appeared apart from them.
She withdrew from the series after producer David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
tampered with her performance in Girl Crazy
Girl Crazy
Girl Crazy is a 1930 musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in this musical production....
; she returned when Selznick's successor Mark Sandrich
Mark Sandrich
Mark Sandrich was a Jewish American film director, writer and producer.Sandrich was an engineering student at Columbia University when he began in the film business by accident. While visiting a friend on a film set, he saw that the director had a problem in setting up a shot; Sandrich offered...
cast her in two well-received features in 1934. RKO replaced her with Mary Carlisle
Mary Carlisle
Mary Carlisle was an American actress and singer. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was a star of Hollywood films in the 1930s, having been one of thirteen girls selected as "WAMPAS Baby Stars" in 1932. The archetypal blonde, Mary Carlisle was brought to Hollywood at the age of four by her...
and then Betty Grable
Betty Grable
Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
, but she returned in 1935 for two final appearances.
In the early 1940s, after Robert Woolsey had died, Bert Wheeler was struggling to re-establish himself as a solo performer, and asked Dorothy Lee to tour with him in vaudeville. She immediately interrupted her private life to help her old friend.
Lee was married six times, including briefly to Hollywood gossip columnist Jimmy Fidler
Jimmy Fidler
Jimmie Fidler was an American columnist, journalist and radio and television personality. He wrote a Hollywood gossip column and was sometimes billed as Jimmy Fidler.Born in St...
. She had four children by her fifth husband, John Bersbach. She died in 1999, at the age of 88.
Partial filmography
- SyncopationSyncopation (1929 film)Syncopation is the second film produced by RKO Pictures but the first distribution. It is a musical, starring Barbara Bennett, Bobby Watson, and Ian Hunter, and is based on the novel Stepping High by Gene Markey.-Cast:*Barbara Bennett as Fleurette...
(1929) - Rio RitaRio Rita (1929 film)Rio Rita is a 1929 RKO Pictures musical comedy starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles along with the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey. The film is based on the 1927 stage musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, which originally united Wheeler and Woolsey as a team and made them famous...
(1929) - The CuckoosThe CuckoosThe Cuckoos is a musical comedy film, released by RKO Radio Pictures and partially filmed in two-strip Technicolor. It features the comedy team Wheeler & Woolsey.-Plot:...
(1930) - Dixiana (1930)
- Half Shot at SunriseHalf Shot at SunriseHalf Shot at Sunrise is a 1930 slapstick comedy film starring the comedy duo Wheeler & Woolsey and Dorothy Lee. The film is about US army soldiers in Paris during World War I and their efforts to escape just about everything to do with the military....
(1930) - Hook, Line and SinkerHook, Line and Sinker (1930 film)Hook, Line and Sinker is a 1930 slapstick comedy film starring Wheeler & Woolsey with Dorothy Lee. It was directed by Edward F. Cline.-Plot summary:...
(1930) - Cracked NutsCracked NutsCracked Nuts is a 1931 comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline, starring Wheeler & Woolsey and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Bert Wheeler - Wendell Graham* Robert Woolsey - Zander Ulysses Parkhurst* Dorothy Lee - Betty Harrington...
(1931) - Caught PlasteredCaught PlasteredCaught Plastered is a musical comedy film, released by RKO Radio Pictures starring the comedy team Wheeler & Woolsey.-Plot:Tommy Tanner and Egbert G. Higginbotham are two vaudevillians who were kicked out of the last town they performed in. After fleeing to the town of Lockville, the duo befriend...
(1931) - Laugh and Get Rich (1931)
- The Stolen JoolsThe Stolen JoolsThe Stolen Jools is a short comedy film produced by the Masquers Club of Hollywood, featuring many cameo appearances by the film stars of the day...
(1931, cameo appearance in short subject) - Girl CrazyGirl Crazy (1932 film)Girl Crazy is a 1932 musical film adaptation of the stage play of the same name. The film was very unlike the stage play except for its score. It was tailored for the comic talents of Wheeler & Woolsey, a popular comedy team...
(1932) - A Preferred ListA Preferred ListA Preferred List is a 1933 short comedy film produced by Lou Brock. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1933 for Best Short Subject ....
(1933, lead in short subject) - Hips, Hips, Hooray!Hips, Hips, Hooray!Hips, Hips, Hooray! is a 1934 slapstick comedy film starring Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Ruth Etting, Thelma Todd, and Dorothy Lee. During its initial theatrical run, it was preceded by the two-color Technicolor short Not Tonight, Josephine directed by Edward F. Cline.-Plot:Todd stars as Amelia...
(1934) - School for Girls (1934)
- Cockeyed Cavaliers (1934)
- The Rainmakers (1935)
- Silly Billies (1936)