Lester Lee

Lester Lee (born November 7, 1903 in New York City , † June 19, 1956 in Los Angeles ) was an American composer and songwriter.

Life

After attending Manual Trades High School, Lester Lee decided to become a composer. He gained his first experience on Broadway , where he had his first success with his music for the musical Keep it Clean in 1929. From 1929 he was also active in Hollywood as a songwriter for various film studios, where he temporarily returned to Broadway during the 1940s. At Columbia Pictures he worked from 1947 frequently with the songwriters Allan Roberts , Bob Russell and Ned Washington . With Russell he wrote the songs Trinidad Lady and I've Been Kissed Before for the crime film Affair in Trinidad ( Affair in Trinidad , 1952), with which Rita Hayworth attempted a comeback after a film break of several years. With Washington, he received an Oscar nomination in 1954 for Best Song for Blue Pacific Blues from the Maugham film Purgatory ( Miss Sadie Thompson , 1953) with Hayworth and José Ferrer in the lead roles. With Washington he also composed the theme music for the western Der Mann aus Laramie ( The Man from Laramie , 1955).

Lester Lee died of a heart attack in Los Angeles in 1956 at the age of 52 . He was in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery buried.

Works (selection)

Filmography

• 1936: One in a Million

• Horror Boys of Hollywood

• 1948: I dance in your heart ( Ladies of the Chorus )

• Every Baby Needs a Da Da Daddy
• Anyone Can Tell I Love You
• I'm so crazy for you
• The Ladies of the Chorus

• 1949: Easy French ( Slightly French )

• Fifi from the Follies Bergere
• Love Masquerade

• 1952: Affair in Trinidad ( Affair in Trinidad )

• Trinidad lady
• I've Been Kissed Before

• 1952: My son discovers love ( The Happy Time )

• Night tango

• 1952: Abbott and Costello as unwilling pirates ( Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd )

• Away Ay Aye Ay
• Meet Captain Kidd
• A Bachelor's Life
• Tonight We Sail
• Speak to Me of the Tall Pine
• North of Nowhere

• 1953: Gardenia - A woman wants to forget ( The Blue Gardenia )

• Blue gardenia

• 1953: Purgatory ( Miss Sadie Thompson )

• A marine, a marine, a marine
• Hear No Evil
• The Heat Is On
• Blue Pacific Blues

• 1955: The Man from Laramie ( The Man from Laramie )

• The Man from Laramie

• 1957: Playing with Fire ( Fire Down Below )

• Fire down below

More songs

• Pennsylvania polka
• Nothing Can Replace a Man
• Love and Learn
• Rosebud, I love you
• When a Girl's Beautiful
• As Long As I'm in Love
• Bread and Butter Woman
• The Call of the Wild
• Let's do it again
• It Was Great While It Lasted
• These Are the Things I Remember

Awards

• 1954: Nomination for an Oscar in the category Best Song with Ned Washington for Blue Pacific Blues from Purgatory

Web links

• Lester Lee in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Lester Lee in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
• Lester Lee in the database of Find a Grave (English)