Screenland Plus TV-Land (Nov 1952 - Oct 1953)

with a cardboard suitcase, a cloth coat, and eighteen dollars in her pocket. The last time she returned home after appearances in the East she had thirty-two pieces of luggage and was wearing a blue mink stole. To go back over the Lee history, the scene fades-in first on Jamestown, North Dakota, where a bouncy little blonde named Norma Egstrom was a school girl dreaming of being a singer. Such a future looked dim in the midst of her very poor surroundings. Without any advantages, she set out to teach herself to sing. She sang in public whenever she could — with the high school glee club, the church choir, and with college bands. With the bands, she occasionally got fifty cents — most of the time nothing. But the experience of singing with a band was invaluable. "Everybody told me I should go to Hollywood," Peggy said, "so I decided to give it a try. After I graduated from high school I pawned my graduation watch, got a train pass from my father who was the local ticket seller, and left for Hollywood. Hollywood couldn't have cared less that I arrived. "I got what jobs I could— and they were very scarce — and finally made my so-called 'debut' in a now extinct club known as the Jade Room. For this I got two dollars a night. "I stuck it out as long as I could and finally I was forced to return home. I couldn't live on what I was making. Sure it was hard to go back a failure, but this was no time for a lot of phony pride. I went to Fargo, North Dakota, and persuaded Ken Kennedy, manager of radio station WDAY, to let me sing nightly over the station — and it was he who persuaded me to change my name to Peggy Lee. "My next move was to convince the Powers Hotel that they needed live entertainment along with the food they were serving. They finally gave in after a lot of talk on my part." Peggy's next spot was the Raddison Hotel in Minneapolis. Here she gained her first attention — and the Lee name got a further push on the Standard Hour radio show. In fact, Will Osborne, bandleader, was so impressed with her he asked her to join his band. Everything was great for three months — and then he dissolved his band. "I still had California in mind, though," Peggy went on. "When I returned, the first engagement I got was at the Doll House in Palm Springs. It was here I stumbled accidentally on my style of singing — a style tabbed by others as 'softas-silk.' "Anyway, for some time I was rather upset by the din of chatter, clashing dishes, and other crowd noises. One night I decided I'd stop trying to sing above the noise. I lowered my voice and with each new number I lowered it more. Suddenly, to my delight, the diners began to quiet down and to listen to me." Among those who heard Peggy at the Doll House was Frank Bering, owner of Chicago's Ambassador Hotel. He promptly invited her to sing for his Buttery Room patrons. At the Buttery, Peggy really went in for the soft-as-silk routine — and the sultry, sexy effect she was creating was enhanced by special lighting effects. It was here that Benny Goodman heard her and asked her to sing with his band. "I couldn't have been more thrilled," Peggy said, "because he had always been my favorite. I can remember the many times I spent my lunch money on juke boxes to hear his music." Peggy was with Benny for two years — and when a young guitarist named Dave Barbour joined the group, love came to Peggy. Soon she and Dave were married — and daughter Nicki arrived in due time. This marriage later broke up. It took Peggy a long time to get over the divorce, but after a while she made up her mind to turn all of her attention to her career. The marriage, however, wasn't without its influence on her career. During the time she was waiting for motherhood she and Dave worked on songs. He wrote the music and she did the lyrics. Two of their numbers were "What More Can A Woman Do?" and "You Was Right, Baby." They were written mainly for fun, but Johnny Mercer heard them and liked the tunes so Peggy recorded them. The success of the numbers prompted the Barbours to write others, including "If I Had A Chance With You," "I Don't Know Enough About You," "Just An Old Love Of Mine," and then later, "Manana," which eventually sold two million copies. Before her hit on "Manana," Peggy had also, in 1947, recorded her first smash hit, "Golden Earrings." Her more recent socko on disc was "Lover," a number she had wanted to do in a jazzed-up version for two years but wasn't able to do until recently when she switched from Capitol to Decca. With all of Peggy's many interests, she still has time for some hobbies. When she wasn't busy on the set of "The Jazz Singer," she was writing lyrics for new songs and some poetry. In fact, a book of her poetry is about to be published. It's something in the vein of Ogden Nash or Dorothy Parker but with serious overtones too. She's also interested in painting and sketching. She particularly loves to sketch hands since they fascinate her. If you watch her when she sings you'll note the extraordinary use she makes of her hands. Other vocalists have tried to copy her but with no success. Peggy is essentially a serious person — almost an introvert. She is also quite religious. Before she leaves her dressing room on the set or at radio station she says a little prayer. There is, too, the sentimental side to Peggy. It has been a custom with her to plant a good luck kiss on the cheek of the men with whom she works closely before she does a show. She sounds real perfect, but she has her faults. "My worst fault is not being sufficiently aware of time," Peggy admitted with a slight grin. "I don't mean to be late. I just seem to get involved in things and forget the clock. I guess it's because I'm usually preoccupied. 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