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Lester Lee(1903-1956)

  • Music Department
  • Writer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Songwriter ("Pennsylvania Polka", "Blue Gardenia"), composer and author educated at Manual Trades High School. (Some sources list his birth year as 1905.) He wrote many musical-production tunes, and signed his contract with a Hollywood film studio in 1943. From 1945, he wrote special material for radio. Joining ASCAP in 1942, his chief musical collaborators were Ned Washington, Allan Roberts, Zeke Manners and Bob Russell. His numerous other popular-song compositions include "All For Love", "Ambition", "And It's Yours", "Anyone But You", "Anyone For Love?", "At the Mardi Gras", "Away Aye Ay Aye O", "Baby Sitter", "A Bachelor's Life", "The Barn Dance Polka", "Baseball Is Your Game", "Be Careful, It's June", "The Bells in Her Earrings", "Blow the Whistle", "Bread and Butter Woman", "Bride and Groom Polka", "Bugle Blues", "The Call of the Wild", "Camp Potta Wotta Motta", "Chico's Love Song", "Christmas Dreaming", "The Christmas Season", "Cole Porter Thomas", "Come to California", "Cometo Where My Love Lies Dreaming", "Commercial College Writer", "Consumer's Lament", "Dahhling", "Darlene", "De La Hickory Room", "Do I Care? No, No", "Dreamer's Cloth", "Dreamer With a Penny", "Endlessly", "Every Baby Needs a Da-Da-Daddy", "Fair-Weather Friends", "Farewell", "Fifi From the Follies", "Fightin' Love", "Fire Down Below", "Fortune Teller Song", " Georgi", "Gimme a Man Who Makes Music", "Ginny Buys an Automobile", "Guy in the Middle", "Ha Ha Hacienda", "He Never Looked Better in His Life", "Hear No Evil, See No Evil", "The Heat is On", "Hello, Africa", "Hello, Hello the Riviera", "Hello, Students", "Here We Are, Tokyo", "Hillbilly from Piccadilly", "Hip-Hip Hooray", "His Honor, the Musician", "Horses Are a Hobby", "How Did It Happen?", "How Do I Know It's Real?", "Humphrey Bogart Rhumba", "I'd Rather Be Me", "I Fear Nothing", "I Keep Telling Myself", "I'll Never Say I Love You", "I'm Available", "I'm Phoning From the Jungle", "I've Been Kissed Before", "I Want to Learn About Love", "I Wish I Knew the Name", "If I Were a Colonel", "If the World Were a Theatre", " I'm Gonna Picket Your Heart", "Inflation", "Isn't This Divine?", "It's A Sad, Sad Day", "It Was Great While It Lasted", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "June", "Just Because", "Lady Love", "Lament of a Laundry Girl", "The Last Frontier", "Let's Do It Again", "Little Old Cape Cod Cottage", "Lonesome Little Money Clip", "Love and Learn", "Love Can Be Crazy", "Love is This", "Love, Love, Love", "Mademoiselle", "Man From Laramie", "Margie is the Girl for Me", "A Marine, a Marine, a Marine", "Meet Captain Kidd", "Merry Christmas to Everybody", "Mexican Disc Jockey", "Miss In-Between Blues", "Missouri", "Music of Love", "Mustang", "My Baby's Bored", "My Big Boy", "My Christmas Wish", "My Name is Marilyn", "My Old American Home", "Naughty Angeline", "No Time for Nothin' But You", "North of Nowhere", "Now's the Time", "O'Connor the Lover", "Old Magnolia Tree", "The Old Piano Polka", "The Old Professor", "On Santa's List", "Ooh Ah Oh", "Peace on Earth", "Poor Lil", "Prize of Gold", "Run to Me, My Love", "Sadie Thompson's Song", "Samba Sam", "Shave and a Haircut Shampoo", "She'll Drink Her Milk", "Showmanship", "Speak to Me of the Tall Pines", "Sweetheart Polka", "Take It Big", "Take Me to Town", "Takin' a Slow Burn", "Taxes", "Teahouse", "That's All There Is", "There Was a Time", "They Never Serve Tea", "They're Out to Trap You", "Today's the Day", "Town and Country Polka", "Trinidad Lady", "Under the Campus Moon", "Vacation Time", "We'll Build a Home", "We Sail Tonight", "When a Man's In the Army", "When Birds Want Romance", "When I Was Just a Little Lad", "When Prices Were Fixed", "Where Can We Do the Mambo?", "Which One?", "Words", "You Are So Different", "You'll Be Sorry Bye and Bye", and "You're Too Much for Me".
BornNovember 7, 1903
DiedJune 19, 1956(52)
BornNovember 7, 1903
DiedJune 19, 1956(52)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 1 nomination total

Known for

Rita Hayworth in Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)
Miss Sadie Thompson
5.9
  • Music Department
  • 1953
Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
The Bridges of Madison County
7.6
  • Soundtrack
  • 1995
Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell in Groundhog Day (1993)
Groundhog Day
8.0
  • Soundtrack
  • 1993
Ana de Armas in Blonde (2022)
Blonde
5.4
  • Soundtrack
  • 2022

Credits

IMDbPro

Music Department



  • Rita Hayworth in Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)
    Miss Sadie Thompson
    5.9
    • songs by
    • 1953
  • Ray Milland, Aldo Ray, and Jane Wyman in Let's Do It Again (1953)
    Let's Do It Again
    5.8
    • songs by
    • 1953
  • Charles Laughton, Bud Abbott, Hillary Brooke, Lou Costello, and Fran Warren in Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
    Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
    5.7
    • songs by
    • 1952
  • Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin in The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950)
    The Colgate Comedy Hour
    7.7
    TV Series
    • composer: title theme
    • 1950–1955
  • Joan Davis, Andy Devine, and Adele Jergens in The Traveling Saleswoman (1950)
    The Traveling Saleswoman
    5.7
    • songs by
    • 1950
  • Ladies of the Chorus (1948)
    Ladies of the Chorus
    6.2
    • songwriter
    • 1948
  • Betty Hutton, Mimi Chandler, Dorothy Lamour, Diana Lynn, and Fred MacMurray in And the Angels Sing (1944)
    And the Angels Sing
    6.3
    • blackout sketches
    • 1944
  • Alice Day and Johnnie Walker in Ladies in Love (1930)
    Ladies in Love
    4.8
    • music and lyrics by
    • 1930

Writer



  • Hugh Herbert, Janis Carter, Marguerite Chapman, Chester Morris, and Willard Parker in One Way to Love (1946)
    One Way to Love
    6.8
    • story
    • 1946
  • Love in Gloom (1941)
    Love in Gloom
    Short
    • Writer
    • 1941
  • Don Ameche, Sonja Henie, Jean Hersholt, Arline Judge, Adolphe Menjou, Al Ritz, Harry Ritz, Jimmy Ritz, Ned Sparks, and The Ritz Brothers in One in a Million (1936)
    One in a Million
    6.0
    • contributing writer (uncredited)
    • 1936
  • Campus Sweethearts
    Short
    • Writer
    • 1930
  • Love at First Sight
    • dialogue
    • story
    • 1929
  • Syncopated Trial
    Short
    • writer
    • 1929

Soundtrack



  • The Napa Boys (2025)
    The Napa Boys
    5.3
    • writer: "Pennsylvania Polka"
    • 2025
  • Ana de Armas in Blonde (2022)
    Blonde
    5.4
    • writer: "Ev'ry Baby Needs a Da-Da-Daddy"
    • 2022
  • Jason Schwartzman, Jack Black, and Jenny Slate in The Polka King (2017)
    The Polka King
    6.0
    • writer: "Pennsylvania Polka"
    • 2017
  • Secret Voices of Hollywood (2013)
    Secret Voices of Hollywood
    7.4
    TV Movie
    • writer: "I've Been Kissed Before"
    • 2013
  • Uncle Frank (2002)
    Uncle Frank
    8.6
    • writer: "Pennsylvania Polka"
    • 2002
  • Boyfriends (1996)
    Boyfriends
    5.8
    • writer: "I Wish I Knew the Name (of the Boy in My Dreams)"
    • 1996
  • Frank Oz, Brian Henson, Bill Barretta, Kevin Clash, Dave Goelz, and Steve Whitmire in Muppets Tonight (1996)
    Muppets Tonight
    7.7
    TV Series
    • writer: "Pensylvania Polka" (uncredited)
    • 1996
  • Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    The Bridges of Madison County
    7.6
    • writer: "Blue Gardenia"
    • 1995
  • Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell in Groundhog Day (1993)
    Groundhog Day
    8.0
    • writer: "Pennsylvania Polka"
    • 1993
  • Jeff Daniels in Love Hurts (1990)
    Love Hurts
    5.4
    • writer: "Pennsylvania Polka"
    • 1990
  • Keanu Reeves, Bonnie Bedelia, Amy Madigan, and Fred Ward in The Prince of Pennsylvania (1988)
    The Prince of Pennsylvania
    5.7
    • writer: "Pennsylvania Polka"
    • 1988
  • Emu's Wide World (1987)
    Emu's Wide World
    5.6
    TV Series
    • writer: "I Fear Nothing" (uncredited)
    • 1987
  • Maria's Lovers (1984)
    Maria's Lovers
    6.5
    • writer: "Pennsylvania Polka"
    • 1984
  • Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Richard Hunt, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, and Steve Whitmire in The Muppet Show (1976)
    The Muppet Show
    8.4
    TV Series
    • music: "Fire Down Below" (uncredited)
    • 1980
  • David Janson and Tony Selby in Get Some In! (1975)
    Get Some In!
    6.9
    TV Series
    • writer: "The Man from Laramie"
    • 1976

Personal details

  • Born
    • November 7, 1903
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • June 19, 1956
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • E.A. EllingtonAugust 22, 1933 - June 19, 1956 (his death, 2 children)
  • Children
      Jay Ellington Lee
  • Parents
      Jacob Kaplan
  • Other works
    Active on Broadway in the following productions:

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