Figure 1.--The attached photo shows Billy with Betty Grable and husband and former child star Jackie Coogan. Also shown in the photo, pretending to scold Billy, is the vocal group, The Yacht Club Boys. This is not from a movie, but I believeva Paramount publicity shot.

Studio Contracts

Billy Lee worked under contract with Paramount. The studios at the time would put their stars under contract rather than sign individual contracts for specific films. Paramount had one the largest and most impressive group of film stars under contract. Paramount stars included Rudolph Valentino, Mae West, W.C. Fields, Mary Pickford, Clra Bow, Gary ooper, William Powell, Cludette Colbert, Alan Ladd, Marlene Dietrich, and many more. Each of the studios had a number of children under contract to play the many child parts required by films. If one of the studio stars wanted to work on a film for another stydio, they would have to get permission from the studio that had their contract. Billy was, for example, loaned out to MGM for a film. This system was dominate in the 1930s, but began to decline after World War II (1941-45).

Wagon Wheels (1934)

Not long afterward, as Billy continued under Ethel Meglan's instruction in singing, dancing and acting, Billy began work on his first full length feature for Paramount Pictures, and was cast in a lead role, being listed third in the credits. This was the Zane Gray western story come to the big screen, "Wagon Wheels" starring "Randolph Scott. This was Billy's first acting role, which also marked his singing debut in a feature film. Part way through the movie, as the caravan of wagons head west, the cast takes turns singing lead vocal on the song, "Wagon Wheels". Billy is seated on a stage coach next to his screen mom, Gail Patrick, as he's singing his lines, when up rides Clint Belmet (Randolph Scott), who after jumping from his horse and onto the moving stage coach to take a seat next to his new pal, Sonny Wellington (Billy Lee), whose mother has yet to take a liking to the story's hero, he joins Sonny in song at his request, and Clint and Sonny sing a part together. The following close-up of Billy Lee as he enthusiastically sings the rest of his part, gives one the impression that Ethel Meglin is just outside of camera shot cheering Billy on, and of course, silently reminding him, to "SMILE!" It's a very charming scene that would have given audiences plenty of reason to remember this new talented kid on the block, and to want to see more of him.

Vaudeville and Studio School

Billy was already becoming well known through his frequent stage appearnaces both on and off the Vaudeville circuit, which was an aspect of Billy's work where his father had acted as his agent during the previous 2 years, before Billy landed the part in "Wagon Wheels" at age 4, when he was also signed to a 6-year contract with Paramount Pictures, having been introduced to the fine folks at Paramount by none other than his devoted instructor, Ethel Meglan. At that time, Billy also began attending The Paramount Studio School. The school's principal, Miss Rachel Smith, is also said to have contributed heavily to Billy's great progress. (A remastered version of "Wagon Wheels" is available on home video.)

Figure 2.-- Billy Lee, Cordell Hickman and "Promise", here are on location in Albany, Georgia, during October 1939, while making the film, "The Biscuit Eater" (1940)

Other Films

Only a few of Billy's 40+ film appearances have made it to video, despite that Billy worked in these films with some of Hollywood's top stars. To cite a few examples, Billy is given an impressive dance solo spot in a big dance finalé featuring Robert Comings in "Three Cheers For Love" (1936); he was back with Randolph Scott in the drama, "And Sudden Death" (1936); he appears in two films with Francis Farmer, two films with Fred MacMurray, two films with Roy Rogers, and he even rode the dustry trail with Gene Autry, riding side by side in the film which introduced the popular western song, "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" with Billy Lee joining Autry in the song, in the Autry movie, "In Old Monterey", which is the only picture Billy Lee starred in where he is killed by the bad guys.

Lon Chaney Jr. saves Billy in "Eyes of The Underworld" (1942); Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer's invention saves Billy from the bad guys in "Reg'lar Fellers" (1941); Charlie Ruggles saves Billy from falling to his death from a tall building in "Night Work" (1939). Billy's characters in "Thunder Trail" (1937) and "Jeepers Creepers" (1939) also narrowly escape death at the hands of the bad guys, although, in each of these films, his screen dad had been murdered. Another western film, "Nevada City" (1939) also shows Billy defying death as he, Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes, riding a horse driven wagon, wildly race the despised steam locomotive to the crossing... and win by a hair. Billy worked with many of the greats.

In 1936, at age 7, Billy was cast as "Pee Wee" in "Make A Wish" (released in 1937), playing the best friend of the film's star, then 9 year old, soprano singing sensation, Bobby Breen. As well as being highly featured in the film, Billy sings in four songs: the opening camp song, "Birchlake Forever"; Billy does a duet with Breen for the song, "Polly Wolly Doodle"; "Birchlake Forever (Reprise)", and then Billy and a chorus of campers sing backgrounds as Breen sings lead vocal on "My Campfire Dreams". This marked the first occasion that Billy Lee was loaned out to do a feature film for another production company, which in this case was Principal Productions Inc. (Billy had also been allowed to do a short that same year for MGM, called "Cinema Circus" (1937)

Joseph

Created: July 15, 2001
Last updated: 8:22 PM 7/12/2012