TV Radio Mirror (Jan - Jun 1955)

Countless WABD viewers have found help, happiness and inspiration as the result of watching or writing By ELLEN TAUSSIG Because of the personal nature of each guest's problem, Lee has them face her, not the camera, on her program. Most of her off-camera hours are spent working, but Lee saves evenings to be with husband Lawrence and friends. Each of us, at some time in our lives, has been faced with a problem we could not solve alone. And. whether the problem is great or small, the important thing is that there is someone to advise or help us. For thousands of Station WABD viewers, that "someone" is Lee Graham. Each day on her program. Letter To Lee Graham, seen at 2:30 P.M., she interviews and advises a guest who has written to her for help. The problems dealt with are varied and always universal ... a woman who wants to put the spark back in her marriage ... a man "over 35" who can't find work ... a young girl whose parents disapprove of her boy friend. And one thing is always certain: Lee will do everything she can to help solve the problem, even if it means being "brutally" frank. "I put frankness above trying to get people to like me," says Lee. This, however, has endeared her all the more to her viewers who consider her "a friend who comes in every day.' The purpose of her show, says Lee, "is not to be sensational, but to teach." In addition to benefiting from her programs, an average of 1000 people a week receive from Lee either a personal reply to their questions or one of her 15 selfhelp charts, ranging from "Ten Ways to Make Your Marriage Happier" to "How to Stay on a Diet." ("I don't let anything go unanswered," says Lee.) Then, too, Lee is an instructor in human relations and family problems at the College of the City of New York and author of two books and numerous articles on the subject. A born and bred New Yorker, Lee was 17 and a sophomore at Hunter College when she left to marry Lawrence Graham, a successful New York businessman. She resumed her studies at Columbia University, majoring in psychology. To round out her background, she studied fashion and journalism at the Traphagen School, followed by courses in advertising, promotion and interior decorating. During World War II Lee was a member of the Red Cross, serving at the Blood Bank Center and as a case worker in the Home Service Department. Following the war she began to write professionally, lecture, give vocational guidance, and appear as guest on radio and TV shows. Happily married for twenty years, Lee has combined marriage and a career with a perfection that characterizes all her actions. She and Lawrence live in a hotel-apartment in Manhattan, opposite Central Park. Their home is attractively adorned with mementos from their wide travels. They buy something in every country they visit, but never take any pictures — "mostly because we're not good at it," Lee explains. Lee also collects statues of angels and has them beautifully arranged in her living room, along with several handsome paintings. Because their kitchen is closet-size, Lee only cooks in about twice a week, but the Grahams entertain often — after dinner. As proud as any husband could be, Lawrence has a TV set in his office and watches Lee's program every day. There is a great deal more that could be said of Lee Graham — her personal charm and sincerity; her tireless efforts in serving as "a guide to happier living." But all that could be said would only be adding a P.S. to the already perfectly "written" Letter To Lee Graham.