Pinky Lee
Pincus Leff (aka "Pinky Lee") | |
|---|---|
 Pinky Lee in "Lady of Burlesque" (1943) | |
| Born | May 2, 1907 |
| Died | April 3, 1993 (aged 85) |
Pincus Leff (May 2, 1907 – April 3, 1993), better known as Pinky Lee, was an American burlesque comic and host of a children's television program, The Pinky Lee Show, in the early 1950s.
Biography
Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Lee worked as comic of the "baggy pants" variety on stage, becoming an expert at the slapstick, comic dancing and rapid-fire jokes of the burlesque style. During the 1940s, he was heard on Drene Time and other radio programs.
Easily recognized by his trademark lisp and his high-energy antics, his signature costume was a loud plaid suit with baggy checkered pants and an undersized hat. During his routines, whenever anybody irritated him (which happened frequently) he would unleash his catchphrase: "Oooooh! You make me so mad!"
Television
In 1950, he had his own 30-minute primetime variety television series on NBC, The Pinky Lee Show, featuring vaudevillians and burlesque comics. In 1951-52 he starred with Vivian Blaine in a 15-minute sitcom, Those Two.
He returned in 1954 with The Pinky Lee Show, an Emmy-nominated afternoon children's program that spawned later imitators such as Pee-Wee's Playhouse. It was followed each day by the popular Howdy Doody Show. He opened each show with his trademark theme song, "Yoo Hoo, It's Me!":
- Yoo hoo, it's me,
- My name is Pinky Lee.
- I skip and run with lots of fun
- For every he and she.
- It's plain to see
- That you can tell it's me
- With my checkered hat
- And my checkered coat,
- The funny giggle in my throat
- And my silly dance
- Like a billy goat.
- Put 'em all together,
- Put 'em all together,
- And it's whooooo?
(Audience): Pinky!
Others in the cast: Betty Jane Howarth, Jimmy Brown, Molly Bee, Jack McCoy, Mel Koontz, Cindy Sue, Susabelle, Ken Mayer, Isabel Dwan, Sidney Fields, Margie Lizst, Milton Newberger and Jymme Shore. Adding greatly to the show's bounce and style was master organist Gaylord Carter, who underscored every moment with rock-solid, copasetic accompaniment.
In 1955, Lee collapsed on camera due to an infection. His normal antics were so energetic that apparently the cameraman and the show's director assumed the fall an ad lib part of his performance. The on-stage audience, or "Peanut Gallery", usually composed almost entirely of pre-adolescent children who were coached by a staff member, continued their enthusiastic cheering and applause from the bleachers located on the stage itself. After as much as ten seconds of subsequent writhing by the stricken Lee the camera abruptly panned to the still cheering audience. The following afternoons Pinky Lee was not present. This effectively ended his leading role on the show, which continued without him until 1956. Rumors that he had died of a heart attack, prompted by the incident, persisted for decades. Occasionally, newspapers carried items mentioning the "late" Lee—even though he was performing at a dinner theater in the same city as the reporting newspaper. The incident also spawned rumors that Lee had been institutionalized after going insane on live television.
In 1957, Lee hosted The Gumby Show, the original appearance of that claymation character. In 1964, Lee attempted a return to kids' TV by hosting a local children's comedy program on KABC-TV in Los Angeles. This series was in national syndication for the 1964-65 TV seasons, but the program fell prey to creative interference from the show's producers and station management. Lee tried to fight off the interference, but his efforts were for naught. The Pinky Lee Kids TV Show went off the air after one season. One episode of the show was released on DVD/VHS by Shokus Video, and a DVD with two episodes was released by Alpha Video.
Movies
Lee can be seen in films, including Lady of Burlesque, Earl Carroll's Vanities and Blonde Ransom, and he appeared on other television shows, including Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town.
Later years and death
In later years, Lee worked as a teacher and appeared in regional musical theater productions. He died in 1993 in Mission Viejo, California.
Watch
Legacy
- In Grease, Rizzo remarks, "To you from me, Pinky Lee!", after she throws Kenickie's milkshake in his face.
- Gene Kelly plays dancing comic Pinky Benson in What a Way to Go! (1964)
- Paul Reubens loosely based his Pee-wee Herman character on Pinky Lee, wearing a similar outfit and employing similar mannerisms.
- In a third season episode of The Golden Girls, Sophia Petrillo describes how her friend Lillian thinks "she is Pinky Lee."
- In a first season episode of Night Court, Dan Fielding remarks that Judge Stone's age is one of the things he never wonders about, "like is Pinky Lee still alive?", broadcast in 1984 the answer at the time, was yes.
External links
