Where Are They Now?

From today's News-Sentinel letters to the editor:   

Does anyone in Fort Wayne remember Dave Lee? It’s sort of a trick question, because unless you’re 60 or so years old, you wouldn’t have the slightest idea who Lee was.

 

For those of us old enough to remember him, Dave Lee was a radio and TV personality at WKJG back in the early to mid-1950s. He had a delightful children’s program called “Uncle Dave and Pete,” which, if memory serves, was broadcast weekdays at 4:45 p.m. Uncle Dave’s humor was wacky and gentle at the same time (“Don’t keep me in suspenders” was one of his classic lines), and he made a perfect straight man for Pete the Penguin, for whom Dave supplied the voice. (Just for the record, Pete had the hots for Betty Grable, which was about as racy as kids’ shows got in those days.) In the early years of WKJG, Channel 33, there was a Saturday-morning “Uncle Dave and Pete” show, but it was a disappointment. A hand-puppet Pete couldn’t measure up to the image of Pete we kids had created in our imaginations.

 

So to Fort Wayne residents of a certain age, a question: Does anybody know what became of Dave Lee? I hope he is still living and that somebody can supply an address for him, because I have thought for years it would be fun to write and tell him how much I enjoyed his creativity and wit.

 

Kevin Beuret

Comments

[Steven Bahneman]

I too was looking for information about the Dave and Pete show when I found your inquiry. Dave Lee brought Pete to the Twin Cities in Minnesota and put on his show until the early 70's. He had a studio audience of children and would give 'grab bags' to everyone. One lucky kid would be picked to show everyone what type of candies were in the grab bag. He also had a gag where he would pull girls' ponytails which would cause the television picture to bounce or go upside down. Pretty advanced special effects back in those days. Great kids' television for a great generation! I don't know what became of him but few people stay in Minnesota as they get older because of the cold weather. Hope he doing well though...