John Dotson Lee Jr. (July 4, 1898 – December 12, 1965) was an American singer, dancer and actor known for
voicing the role of
Br'er Rabbit in
Disney's ''
Song of the South
''Song of the South'' is a 1946 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated musical film, musical drama film directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson; produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. ...
'' (1946) and as the clownish, cringing, tremulous-voiced shyster pseudo-lawyer Algonquin J. Calhoun in the
CBS ''
Amos 'n' Andy'' TV and radio comedy series in the early 1950s. His comedic portrayal of Calhoun was a highlight of a brilliant ensemble cast whose storylines remain eternally funny. Much of his career was spent in
vaudeville, but he also performed in motion pictures, on recordings and in television. He released a record (as "Johnnie Lee") in July 1949 called "You Can't Lose A Broken Heart" (
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
# 30172), with backup vocals by The Ebonaires. Lee also starred in an all-black musical comedy called "Sugar Hill" in 1949 at Las Palmas Theatre in California.
He died of a
heart attack on December 12, 1965 age 67.
Discography
*''Song of the South: Soundtrack'' (1946)
*''You Can't Lose a Broken Heart'' (released July 1949)
*''Mickey Mouse's Birthday Party''
"A Spin Special: Stan Freberg Records"
Retrieved 2017-09-21. (1954)
Selected filmography
References
External links
*
*
1898 births
1965 deaths
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male singers
African-American male actors
20th-century African-American male singers
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Male actors from Los Angeles
Vaudeville performers
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