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Mary Lee (actor)
Encyclopedia
Mary Lee, born Mary Lee Wooters in Centralia, Illinois
(October 24, 1924 - June 6, 1996), was a B-movie
actress and singer from the late 1930s well into the 1940s, starring mostly in westerns.
Cute, with a youthful look well into her thirties, Lee was singing with the Ted Weems Orchestra
in the late 1930s, coming to the attention of Republic Pictures
. Her first screen appearance was with Warner Bros.
, in Nancy Drew, Reporter (1939); she portrayed Mary Nickerson, the younger sister of Nancy Drew
's (Bonita Granville
) boyfriend, Ted Nickerson (Frank Thomas Jr.
). The film utilized Lee's vocal talents in "Nursery Rhyme Melody."
Lee accepted a job at Republic Pictures
, where she starred alongside Gene Autry
in South of the Border. Republic signed her to a five-year contract in 1940. She would star in another six films with Autry. In some of the Autry films actress June Storey
would play the heroine, with Lee as the younger sister.
When Gene Autry left acting for a time to serve during World War II
, Lee made a few appearances in the films of Roy Rogers
. Republic soon billed her as "America's Little Sister," and starred her in B musicals like Shantytown and Nobody's Darling. She retired from pictures in 1945. Around that same time she married Harry J. Banan, Master Sergeant, United States Army returning from World War II, to whom she would remain married until his death in 1990.
Mary Lee worked for Bank of America for 15 years as an Account Teller. Education level was 12th grade. Mary Lee died in Sacramento, California
on June 6, 1996. She is interred alongside her husband at East Lawn Sierra Hills Cemetery in Sacramento, California.
Centralia, Illinois
Centralia is a town located in Marion, Washington, Clinton, and Jefferson Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 13,032 at the 2010 census. The town was founded because it was the point where the two original branches of the Illinois Central Railroad, built in 1853, converged....
(October 24, 1924 - June 6, 1996), was a B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
actress and singer from the late 1930s well into the 1940s, starring mostly in westerns.
Cute, with a youthful look well into her thirties, Lee was singing with the Ted Weems Orchestra
Ted Weems
Wilfred Theodore Weems was an American bandleader and musician. Weems' work in music was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.- Biography :...
in the late 1930s, coming to the attention of Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
. Her first screen appearance was with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, in Nancy Drew, Reporter (1939); she portrayed Mary Nickerson, the younger sister of Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a fictional young amateur detective in various mystery series for all ages. She was created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate book packaging firm. The character first appeared in 1930. The books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published...
's (Bonita Granville
Bonita Granville
Bonita Granville was an American film actress and television producer.-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Granville was the daughter of stage actors, and made her film debut at the age of nine in Westward Passage...
) boyfriend, Ted Nickerson (Frank Thomas Jr.
Frankie Thomas
Frank Marion Thomas, Jr. was an American actor, author and bridge-strategy expert who played both lead and supporting roles on Broadway, in films, in post-World War II radio, and in early television. He was best known for his starring role in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.-Early years:Thomas was born...
). The film utilized Lee's vocal talents in "Nursery Rhyme Melody."
Lee accepted a job at Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
, where she starred alongside Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
in South of the Border. Republic signed her to a five-year contract in 1940. She would star in another six films with Autry. In some of the Autry films actress June Storey
June Storey
June Storey June Storey June Storey (born Mary June Storey, (April 20, 1918 – December 18, 1991) was a Canadian-born American film actress during the mid-late 1930s and into the 1940s, who most often appeared in B-movies as the heroine of westerns....
would play the heroine, with Lee as the younger sister.
When Gene Autry left acting for a time to serve during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Lee made a few appearances in the films of Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
. Republic soon billed her as "America's Little Sister," and starred her in B musicals like Shantytown and Nobody's Darling. She retired from pictures in 1945. Around that same time she married Harry J. Banan, Master Sergeant, United States Army returning from World War II, to whom she would remain married until his death in 1990.
Mary Lee worked for Bank of America for 15 years as an Account Teller. Education level was 12th grade. Mary Lee died in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
on June 6, 1996. She is interred alongside her husband at East Lawn Sierra Hills Cemetery in Sacramento, California.