Robert Lees (July 10, 1912 â€" June 13, 2004) was an American
television and film screenwriter. Lees was best known for writing
comedy, including several Abbott and Costello films.Born in San
Francisco, California, Lees graduated from Lowell High School in 1929.
He started in show business as a dancer before becoming a writer for
MGM Studios, where he was paired with writer Frederic Rinaldo. Their
first screenplay was for the 1936 short film, The Perfect Set-Up. The
short film was the first in the "Crime Does Not Pay" series. The
series, which was produced by MGM in the 1930s and 1940s, were based
on real life crime cases. Lees and Rinaldo continued to work on comedy
shorts including, A Night At The Movies, starring Robert Benchley, and
Penny Wisdom. The duo also worked on the 1937 films, Decathlon
Champions and Candid Cameramaniacs from the Pete Smith Specialty
series. In 1939, Lees and Rinaldo were nominated for an Academy Award
for the 1939 biographical short film, Prophet Without Honor.After
completing the comedy short An Hour For Lunch, in 1939, Lees and
Rinaldo moved on to feature-length films with the 1940 drama, Street
Of Memories. The pair worked on the sci-fi/horror films, The Invisible
Woman and The Black Cat. In 1941, they wrote their first comedy for
Abbott and Costello entitled, Hold That Ghost. In the following years,
Lees and Rinaldo would go on to write six more movies for the comedy
duo, namely, Hit the Ice, Buck Privates Come Home, The Wistful Widow
Of Wagon Gap, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Abbott and
Costello Meet the Invisible Man, and Comin' Round the Mountain (1951).
In 1952, an unused treatment they wrote for a service comedy at
Paramount around 1943 was later adapted as Jumping Jacks for another
comic duo, Martin and Lewis.In the early 1950s, Lees' career was
virtually destroyed when he was put on the Hollywood blacklist by
movie studio bosses during the McCarthy Era for alleged Communist
activities. As a result of his blacklisting, he had associates submit
manuscripts to the studios under the pseudonym "J. E. Selby." Lees
also wrote pseudonymously for the British television series, The
Adventures of Robin Hood during the blacklist. At age 91 he declared
that the speech he delivered in 1951 to the House Committee on
UnAmerican Activities was the best thing he ever wrote.
television and film screenwriter. Lees was best known for writing
comedy, including several Abbott and Costello films.Born in San
Francisco, California, Lees graduated from Lowell High School in 1929.
He started in show business as a dancer before becoming a writer for
MGM Studios, where he was paired with writer Frederic Rinaldo. Their
first screenplay was for the 1936 short film, The Perfect Set-Up. The
short film was the first in the "Crime Does Not Pay" series. The
series, which was produced by MGM in the 1930s and 1940s, were based
on real life crime cases. Lees and Rinaldo continued to work on comedy
shorts including, A Night At The Movies, starring Robert Benchley, and
Penny Wisdom. The duo also worked on the 1937 films, Decathlon
Champions and Candid Cameramaniacs from the Pete Smith Specialty
series. In 1939, Lees and Rinaldo were nominated for an Academy Award
for the 1939 biographical short film, Prophet Without Honor.After
completing the comedy short An Hour For Lunch, in 1939, Lees and
Rinaldo moved on to feature-length films with the 1940 drama, Street
Of Memories. The pair worked on the sci-fi/horror films, The Invisible
Woman and The Black Cat. In 1941, they wrote their first comedy for
Abbott and Costello entitled, Hold That Ghost. In the following years,
Lees and Rinaldo would go on to write six more movies for the comedy
duo, namely, Hit the Ice, Buck Privates Come Home, The Wistful Widow
Of Wagon Gap, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Abbott and
Costello Meet the Invisible Man, and Comin' Round the Mountain (1951).
In 1952, an unused treatment they wrote for a service comedy at
Paramount around 1943 was later adapted as Jumping Jacks for another
comic duo, Martin and Lewis.In the early 1950s, Lees' career was
virtually destroyed when he was put on the Hollywood blacklist by
movie studio bosses during the McCarthy Era for alleged Communist
activities. As a result of his blacklisting, he had associates submit
manuscripts to the studios under the pseudonym "J. E. Selby." Lees
also wrote pseudonymously for the British television series, The
Adventures of Robin Hood during the blacklist. At age 91 he declared
that the speech he delivered in 1951 to the House Committee on
UnAmerican Activities was the best thing he ever wrote.
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