Johnny Lee (actor)

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Johnny Lee
Publicity Photo of Johnny Lee.jpg
Publicity Photo of Johnny Lee
Born
John Dotson Lee Jr.

(1898-07-04)July 4, 1898
DiedDecember 12, 1965(1965-12-12) (aged 67)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active1932–1965
SpouseJenrive Lee

John Dotson Lee Jr. (July 4, 1898 - December 12, 1965) was an American singer, dancer and actor known for voicing the role of Br'er Rabbit in Disney's Song of the South (1946) [1] and as Algonquin J. Calhoun in the CBS TV and radio comedy series Amos 'n' Andy [2] in the early 1950s. Much of his career was spent in vaudeville, but he also performed in motion pictures, on recordings and in television. He released a record (as "Johnnie Lee") in July 1949 called "You Can't Lose A Broken Heart" (Columbia Records # 30172), with backup vocals by The Ebonaires. Lee also starred in an all-black musical comedy called "Sugar Hill" in 1949 at Las Palmas Theatre in California. [3]

Contents

He died of a heart attack on December 12, 1965, aged 67. [4]

Discography

Selected filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1932 The Black King Count of ZanzibarAlternative title: Harlem Hot Shot
1936 The Green Pastures AngelUncredited
1942 Tales of Manhattan Shantytown Carpenter (Robeson sequence)Uncredited
1943 Stormy Weather LylesUncredited
1946 Song of the South Br'er RabbitVoice
Mantan Runs for Mayor
1948 Boarding House Blues Stanley
The Return of Mandy's Husband
She's Too Mean for Me
Come On, Cowboy!
1951 My Forbidden Past Toy VendorUncredited
1952 The Narrow Margin WaiterUncredited
1953 Ramar of the Jungle Chief WarrenEpisode: "Savage Fury"
1951-1953 The Amos 'n Andy Show (TV)Algonquin J. Calhoun68 episodes
1955 Screen Directors Playhouse SimonEpisode: "Lincoln's Doctor's Dog"
1956 The First Traveling Saleslady AmosUncredited
Soldiers of Fortune KameleEpisode: "The Greater Magic"
The Adventures of Jim Bowie IsraelEpisode: "The Return of the Alciblade"
1957 The Spirit of St. Louis Jess - Cook at Louie's ShackUncredited
1958 Hot Spell Colored ManUncredited
1960 The Rat Race JanitorUncredited
High Time Servant at Judge Carter's BallUncredited
North to Alaska CoachmanUncredited
1962-1963 Dennis the Menace Johnny the Locksmith
Mr. Tibbitt
2 episodes (final television appearance)

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References

  1. Thomas S. Hischak & Mark A. Robinson, The Disney Song Encyclopedia, 2009, p. 50. "... Ray Gilbert (lyric) for the innovative musical film Song of the South (1946), which successfully mixed animation and live action. During one of the animated Uncle Remus tales, Brer Rabbit (voice of Johnny Lee), captured by Brer Fox and Brer Bear and about to be cooked, happily sings about his secret laughing place. The ploy works; Rabbit's captors let him free..."
  2. "Johnny Lee at Old Time Radio Database". 2017-09-26. Archived from the original on 2017-09-27.
  3. Propes, Steve; Gart, Galen (2001). L. A. R&B Vocal Groups 1945-1965. Milford, New Hampshire: Big Nickel Publications. ISBN   0-936433-18-3.
  4. Johnny Lee, biography, retrieved March 2011
  5. "A Spin Special: Stan Freberg Records". 2017-09-21. Archived from the original on 2021-09-28.