Lee Wilde obit

Twin Performer Lee Wilde Has died 

She was not on the list.

Actress, Singer. She was a member of the popular 'Wilde Twins' with sister Lyn WIlde, mostly known for their MGM musicals and comedies during the 1940s, such as Andy Hardy's" Blonde Trouble" (1944) with Mickey Rooney, "Twice Blessed" (1945), "Campus Honeymoon" (1948) and "Look for the Silver Lining"(1949) with June Haver and Ray Bolger. Born Marion Lee WIlde, the first of identical twins born just before midnight October 9, 1922 with Mary Lyn Wilde to follow just after midnight. The identical twins were the daughters of James B Wild and Nelle Bonham Wild.

As youngsters, with their older brother Oscar B Wild being a minister, Lee and Lyn began as singing evangelists at church meetings and revivals in Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky. By 1938, Lee and Lyn began their show-business career singing hymns on local radio station WTMV. They graduated from East St. Louis High School in 1939 after which they landed their own radio show "The Sundown Club" on local radio station KXOK, followed by a singing engagement with the Ray Noble Orchestra. In 1942, they joined the Charlie Barnet Band and making their movie debut singing the tune 'Fifty Million Nickels' in the film "Juke Box Jenny" that same year. The girls then joined Bob Crosby and His Orchestra in April of 1942 landing a spot in the Judy Garland film "Presenting Lily Mars".

Producer Joe Pasternak, being impressed with Lyn and Lee, signed them to a seven-year contract with MGM. The film "Twice Blessed"(1945) was especially written for the twins marking their official MGM debut. In total, the twins appeared together in nine films up to 1949; and without Lee, Lyn appearing in another six films or so in mostly unaccredited roles until 1953.

Interestingly, Lee and Lyn Wilde both married real-life brothers, Thomas(in 1947) and James Cathcart(in 1942), respectively. Leaving show business in 1949 to start a family, Lee pursued many activities to include earning a pilots license in 1961, being an active member of the Palm Desert Players for seven years performing in all of their productions. Additionally, Lee earned an AA degree from College of the Desert in Palm Desert, and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Foreign Languages from the University of California at Irvine, excelling in French and Latin studies as a member of the Delta Nu Chapter of The National Collegiate Foreign Language Honor Society Alpha Mu Gamma .

Moving to Oregon in 1970, Lee and Thomas continued to be active in music, assisting in the formation of The Southern Oregon Traditional Jazz Society, performing at monthly meetings over a ten year period. At a couple of those meetings her sister, Lyn, traveled to Oregon to sing with Lee. In 1975, Lee played the lead in the Barnstormer's Little Theater production of "Forty Carats." Lee and Lyn in 1989 professionally reunited to record an album entitled "Back Together Once Again" in New York. As of 2012, Lee was residing in Grants Pass, Oregon. Only until recently sometime after the passing of Lyn in 2016, it was publicly revealed that Lee had preceded her in death in 2015, almost to the day one year earlier.

 

Actress

Ray Bolger and June Haver in Look for the Silver Lining (1949)

Look for the Silver Lining

6.3

Claire Miller

1949

 

Hal Hackett and Lee Wilde in Campus Honeymoon (1948)

Campus Honeymoon

6.4

Patricia Hughes

1948

 

Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)

Till the Clouds Roll By

6.3

Specialty (segment 'The Cat and the Fiddle') (uncredited)

1946

 

Preston Foster, Lee Wilde, and Lyn Wilde in Twice Blessed (1945)

Twice Blessed

6.0

Terry Turner

1945

 

Mickey Rooney, Bonita Granville, Lee Wilde, and Lyn Wilde in Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)

Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble

6.5

Lee Walker

1944

 

June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, Jimmy Durante, Van Johnson, Gracie Allen, Ben Blue, Xavier Cugat, Lena Horne, Amparo Iturbi, José Iturbi, Harry James, and Lee Wilde in Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)

Two Girls and a Sailor

6.6

Lee Wilde (as The Wilde Twins)

1944

 

Judy Garland and Van Heflin in Presenting Lily Mars (1943)

Presenting Lily Mars

6.8

Singer with Bob Crosby's Orchestra (uncredited)

1943

 

Ann Miller in Reveille with Beverly (1943)

Reveille with Beverly

6.6

Singer (uncredited)

1943

 

Iris Adrian, Donald Douglas, Harriet Nelson, and Ken Murray in Juke Box Jenny (1942)

Juke Box Jenny

5.7

Band Singer (uncredited)

1942

 

Snooky Lanson, Lee Wilde, Lyn Wilde, and Lou Sidwell in Dear Arabella (1941)

Dear Arabella

5.5

Short

Singer

1941

 

Jingle Belles

6.5

Short

Singer (as Lee Lynn and Lou)

1941

 

Soundtrack

Ray Bolger and June Haver in Look for the Silver Lining (1949)

Look for the Silver Lining

6.3

performer: "Shine On, Harvest Moon", "Back, Back, Back to Baltimore", "The Yama-Yama Man" (uncredited)

1949

 

Mickey Rooney, Bonita Granville, Lee Wilde, and Lyn Wilde in Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)

Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble

6.5

performer: "Easy to Love" (1936) (uncredited)

1944

 

June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, Jimmy Durante, Van Johnson, Gracie Allen, Ben Blue, Xavier Cugat, Lena Horne, Amparo Iturbi, José Iturbi, Harry James, and Lee Wilde in Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)

Two Girls and a Sailor

6.6

performer: "Take It Easy" (1943) (uncredited)

1944

 

Judy Garland and Van Heflin in Presenting Lily Mars (1943)

Presenting Lily Mars

6.8

performer: " (When You Think of Lovin', Baby) Think of Me" (uncredited)

1943

 

Ann Miller in Reveille with Beverly (1943)

Reveille with Beverly

6.6

performer: "Big Noise from Winnetka"

1943

 

Jingle Belles

6.5

Short

performer: "O Tannenbaum", "Winter Wonderland"

1941