Benny Lee (11 August 1916 – 9 December 1995)
was a
Scottish comedy actor and singer. He started his career in stage roles, and developed a television and film career.
Early life
Lee was born on 11 August 1916 to a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in
The Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportu ...
,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
He began his singing career as
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
in the school choir. Leaving school at 14, he became a
tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
's
apprentice
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
, but soon left to join an all-purpose act, which sang, danced and performed
acrobatics
Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...
all around one of the main variety circuits of
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
.
Lee's acrobatic days lasted for only one evening on account of a nose injury. He was back in Glasgow, tailoring shirts and in his spare time playing drums for his own semi-professional dance-band. He also worked as a song-plugger for Essex Music Publishers. Wishing to return to the stage full-time he joined the Princess's Theatre (now the
Citizens Theatre
The Citizens Theatre, in what was the Royal Princess's Theatre, is the creation of James Bridie and is based in Glasgow, Scotland as a principal producing theatre. The theatre includes a 500-seat Main Auditorium, and has also included various s ...
) in the Gorbals), where he gained experience in straight acting. This led to his first
BBC radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
audition in 1938.
Music
In 1941, Lee was heard singing by
Johnny Claes
Octave John Claes (11 August 1916 – 3 February 1956) was an English-born racing driver who competed for Belgium. Before his fame as a racing driver, Claes was also a jazz trumpeter and successful bandleader in Britain.
Early life and jazz ...
, a trumpeter who had recently formed a swinging dance-band called the "Claepigeons". He liked the sound of Lee's voice and signed him on as a vocalist. Soon Lee was singing and recording with many bands of the day, including that of
Sid Phillips. He was frequently heard on the
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
, and not only as a band singer. He played the part of
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences, ...
in a radio version of the film ''
Show Business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produc ...
'' (1944). His other radio series included ''Top Ten'' (1944) and ''Music from the Movies'' (1946).
Lee became sufficiently popular for him to be featured as a solo singer, rather than only fronting a band. As a crooner, he performed in over 2,000 broadcasts.
In 1948, he was supported by the close-harmony group the Keynotes on "Rambling Rose". A 1948 review in ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' for "
You're in Kentucky" said, "Poor recording balance, bad song submerges the work of a fine English singer named Benny Lee."
Next year he duetted with
Joy Nichols
Joy Eileen Nichols (17 February 1925 – 23 June 1992) was an Australian-British comedian, actress and singer who also worked in the United States. She was best known as one of the stars of ''Take It From Here'' on BBC Radio.
Biography
Nichols, ...
, the star of ''
Take It From Here
''Take It from Here'' (often referred to as ''TIFH'', pronounced – and sometimes humorously spelt – "TIFE") is a British radio comedy programme broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, a ...
'', singing "On the 5.45". The Decca company came in with a contract and from 1950 he recorded such hits of the time as "
Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", and "Down at the Ferry Boat Inn" with the Stargazers. Every type of pop song seemed to suit Lee, and he covered
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell (born Albert George Cernik; February 22, 1927 – July 1, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor, successful in his homeland, the UK, and Australia. He sold 44 million records, including six million-selling singles.
In the fa ...
's no 1, "Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susan", and the
Hank Williams
Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...
hillbilly hit, "
Your Cheatin' Heart
"Your Cheatin' Heart" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952. It is regarded as one of country's most important standards. Williams was inspired to write the song while driving with his fiancé ...
". He enjoyed comedy numbers and sang "Close the Door" with a chorus of young children on a special series made for Christmas 1955 entitled Benny Lee's Children's Party.
Radio and television
Starting in January 1950, Lee appeared on
Bernard Braden's radio shows, including ''Breakfast with Braden'' and ''Bedtime with Braden''.
Lee worked as both singer and comedian in these series.
Lee's television career began when he was cast as the host of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's first ever series for teenagers. Cautiously subtitled "a fortnightly magazine for under 21s", ''Teleclub'' on its first outing introduced the pop star
. This was in 1953, the same year that Lee played Mr Pegg the myopic tailor to
described as a highspot.
The following year Lee was cast as Arthur Honeybee in ''Friends and Neighbours'', an early sitcom, with
in the other lead playing George Bird. They recorded the programme's theme tune with their screen wives,
. It became a chart hit, not for the actors, but for
and his band. Lee was later regular support for
, the madcap inventor.
'' (1981).
'' (1974), portraying Tarbottom, Arnold, Nat Drutman and Uncle Arnold respectively.