Lee White (actor)

Lee White

Screen capture of White
Born Lee Roy White
(1888-08-28)August 28, 1888
Wills Point, Texas, United States
Died December 16, 1949(1949-12-16) (aged 61)
Hollywood, California, United States
Occupation Actor
Years active 19??–49

Lee White, better known as Lee "Lasses" White, was an American actor of the stage, screen and radio. He became famous doing minstrel shows during the early part of the 1900s, during which time he earned his nickname of "Lasses", which was short for Molasses. After spending some time on radio, White entered the film industry in the late 1930s. During his eleven year career, he appeared in over 70 films.

Life and career

Lee Roy White was born on August 28, 1888 in Wills Point, Texas. During the early part of the 1900s he made a name for himself working in minstrel shows such as the A.G. Fields Minstrels, and vaudeville.[1][2]In 1913, he wrote one of the first blues songs ever published, "Nigger Blues".[3] Its lyrics were became the standard blues form used in the 1920s and 30s.[4] He worked in radio for a number of years, including four years for the Grand Ole Opry.[1] In the mid 1920s he formed part of a duo with "Honey" Childs, who White gave his nickname to, as a complimentary name to his own Lasses.[5] In 1932 White hosted his own Friday night radio program on WSM.[6] In 1934, White & Wilds were given a contract to work at the Grand Ole Opry, where they remained until 1939,[5] being one of the most popular programs at the Opry.[7] Their routine included both songs and dialogues, which parodied and satirized the growing commercialism in the United States, particularly in the South.[8]

In 1939, White, along with Wilds and their friend, Chill Wills went to Hollywood to enter the film industry.[5] His first role was as a shopkeeper in the Gene Autry western, Rovin' Tumbleweeds.[9] While both he and Wills remained in Hollywood, Wilds returned to Nashville.[5] In the early 1940s, White became one of two sidekicks in a series of westerns starring Tim Holt at RKO. He replaced Ray Whitley, who had been one of Holt's dual sidekicks in the first four films Holt did at RKO. White, in the role of Whopper Hatch, worked on the next 8 Holt oaters at Radio during 1941—42.[10] At the same time, White was also a regular in the Scattergood Baines films, playing Ed Potts, the husband of the town gossip.[1] He also appeared in other films during this period, including such notable ones as 1941's biopic, Sergeant York, starring Gary Cooper.[11]

White died on December 16, 1949 in Hollywood, California, of leukemia.[12] He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.[13]

Filmography

(Per AFI database)[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wollstein, Hans J. "Lee "Lasses" White, biography". AllMovie. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  2. ↑ Kyriakoudes, Louis M. The Grand Ole Opry and the Urban South. p. 77.
  3. ↑ Gracyk, Tim (2000). Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895-1925. New York: Routledge. p. 43.
  4. ↑ Carlin, Richard (2002). Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: Routledge. p. 224.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ankeny, Jason. "Honey Wilds, Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  6. ↑ Kyriakoudes, Louis M. The Grand Ole Opry and the Urban South. p. 78.
  7. ↑ Kyriakoudes, Louis M. The Grand Ole Opry and the Urban South. p. 75.
  8. ↑ Kyriakoudes, Louis M. The Grand Ole Opry and the Urban South. p. 78.
  9. ↑ "Rovin' Tumbleweeds: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Tim Holt". The Old Corral. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  11. ↑ Eagan, Daniel (2012). America's Film Legacy. New York: A&C Black. p. 334. ISBN 0826429777.
  12. ↑ "Famed Minstrel Dies". Medford Mail Tribune. 16 Dec 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 20 December 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Lee Roy "Lasses" White". Find a Grave. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Lee "Lasses" White". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 20, 2015.

External links

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