On November 26, 1919, Lee Ray was born in the small Texas town of Glendale, estimated population 500. But Glendale did have occasional “big city” visitors, including a handsome young man from Santa Monica. Monte Ray was a General Motors employee sent there to “expand GM's base.”
Soon the two met and fell in love. Lee was 18, gorgeous and, small town or no, she was elegant. This Tuesday, Lee turns 100 and, having visited her only days ago, I can attest she's still both. She's also upbeat, witty, intelligent and a voracious reader.
I know Lee because 8 years ago, out of the blue, she sent me an email responding positively to one of my columns. Thus began a long term Internet correspondence which invariably brightened my day.
A quick sidebar about my email. Given my “occasional” politically oriented columns, my in-box can be a cluttered mess of 100 to 150 daily. They can come from a Nigerian Prince willing to share his vast fortune when he returns to the throne if I will only send him $50. Or, I can receive a notification I've won a huge foreign lottery but they desperately need my bank's routing number to wire my untold millions. I delete almost all but I save Lee's for when I need some sunshine.
Lee's very first email to me had a subject line, “From a devoted reader.” I knew she wasn't young because she lived at Brookdale Ocean House on Ocean Avenue across from the beach, a luxurious senior living facility. But I had no idea she was 92.
In addition to singing my praises, she spoke highly about Brookdale's longtime exercise instructor whom she described as“Always glamorously fashionable and always gets us moving.” I soon realized she was describing a friend of mine, Cordula Ohman. I immediately checked with Cordula who was delighted by the coincidence and who admires and adores Lee.
In subsequent emails, Lee would often check to see what subject I was working on for my upcoming column or discuss current events of the day. From time to time, she also shared about her background.
After marrying Monte and dropping out of high school (the latter she still regrets), in the 1930's she moved to Santa Monica, for which she's forever grateful. Get this, at one time, she was a singer with Benny Goodman! One could say that Goodman and the likes of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey (who owned the swanky Casino Gardens club in Ocean Park) were the Beatles and Rolling Stones of the Big Band era.
When Lee's singing career subsided she explained, “I had a daughter to raise and needed work.” Ever resourceful, she got a secretary's job with with Art Linkletter, host of House Party, on CBS radio and TV for 25 years and People are Funny on NBC radio and TV for 19 years.
Over the years, through hard work and intelligence, Lee advanced to Art's assistant. Later she was promoted to “show-runner,” which was a huge job and quite rare for a woman in those days. (Perhaps even more so for a single mom from Glendale, Texas.)
Generally speaking, a show-runner is someone who handles the daily operations of a TV show and ensures the episodes are delivered on time and in accordance with budget restrictions. Suffice it to say, in the TV world, it's a big deal and Lee is justifiably proud. All total, she worked for Linkletter for over 40 years!
Lee's daughter, Jean, a folk singer/songwriter and recording artist, was as stunning and talented as her mom. She rose to national prominence in the duet Jim and Jean. (Jean's “Honey, Can I Put on Your Clothes?” was recorded by Barbra Streisand!)
Jim and Jean were featured in the critically-acclaimed 2013 Cohen Brothers movie, Inside Llewyn Davis, about the folk scene in New York's Greenwich Village in 1962. (For interesting context, the plot ends just as the Bob Dylan character arrives.) Oscar-nominated Carey Mulligan played Jean and Justin Timberlake played her husband, Jim.
Over time, as typing became difficult for Lee, her emails finally ended. It was a sad development for both of us but we can still visit. Also, over time, Lee has has lost many friends and family, the worst being Jean's tragic death in 2007. As small consolation, Lee has access to numerous YouTube videos of Jean's beautiful songs.
As in her whole life, Lee remains busy. She never misses her exercise classes which she says leave her “invigorated.” She enjoys meals with friends in Brookdale's beautiful dining room and reads constantly.
Making me blush, Lee says Friday, the day of my column, is still a special day for her. I dare say this Tuesday is a special day for Santa Monica. Happy #100 Lee, my centenarian, Texas beauty!
If asap, you can still mail a birthday card to Lee Ray, c/o Brookdale Ocean House, 2107 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Jack is at: jackdailypress@aol.com