Lee and Lyn Wilde, sometimes billed as The Wilde Twins, were twin sisters, who appeared in films of the early to mid-1940s.
Lee and Lyn Wilde | |
|---|---|
 Lyn (left) and Lee Wilde in Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) |
Lee Wilde | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marion Lee Wilde October 10, 1922 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 7, 2015 (aged 92) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1940–1949 |
| Spouse | Thomas Matthew Cathcart (1947–2010) (his death) |
Lyn Wilde | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Lyn Wilde October 11, 1922 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 11, 2016 (aged 93) Michigan City, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1940–1953 |
| Spouse(s) | Jim Cathcart (1942–1970) (his death) 2 children Dwight Oberlink (1973–1996) (his death) |
| Children | Carter and Lee Ann |
Early years
Born in East St. Louis, Illinois, Lee is the older of the two, born shortly before midnight of October 10, 1922, with Lyn born in the early hours of the following morning.
They began singing with their siblings in church, and by their teens were singing hymns for their local radio station, as well as performing in Illinois and Kentucky. They graduated from East St. Louis Senior High School in 1939.
Singing
By 1940 they were band singers, and in 1942 they made their film debuts, as vocalists for the Charlie Barnet Band, performing one song in the Harriet Hilliard film Juke Box Jenny. They also performed with Bob Crosby for a short while.
Film
The twins' live performances led to another featured film appearance in the Judy Garland film Presenting Lily Mars in 1942. Joe Pasternak was very impressed by them and signed them to a seven-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. They played roles in Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944), followed by Twice Blessed, a film written specifically to introduce them to a wider audience.
The sisters appeared in nine films together up until 1949. Lyn briefly continued her film career after that, appearing in six more films until 1953.
Personal lives
The twins married brothers, Jim (who married Lyn in 1942) and Tom Cathcart (who married Lee February 22, 1947, in Michigan City, Indiana).[1] They focused their attentions on family life, rather than continuing in show business, but they retained a love of music.
In 1948, Lee was reported to be "seriously ill following a caesarian operation" at Good Samaritan Hospital in Hollywood.[2] She had given birth to a daughter September 28, 1948.[2]
After leaving show business, Lee pursued many activities, including flying. She earned her pilot's license in 1961. She also attended college in Palm Desert, earning an associate degree from College of the Desert, and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Foreign Languages from the University of California at Irvine.[3] In 1989, they recorded a reunion album titled Back to Together Once Again and continued to perform occasionally into the 1990s.
Lyn died on September 11, 2016, at the age of 93. Her twin sister Lee predeceased her in 2015.[4]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Snowtime Serenade | Universal Musical Short, with Gloria Jean and the Sportsmen | |
| 1942 | Juke Box Jenny | Themselves | Universal, singing "Fifty Million Nickels" with the Charlie Barnett Band |
| 1943 | Reveille with Beverly | Themselves | Columbia, singing "Big Noise From Winetka" with Bob Crosby & His Band |
| 1943 | Presenting Lily Mars | Themselves | MGM, singing "When You Think of Lovin', Baby, Think of Me" w/Bob Crosby and His Band |
| 1944 | Two Girls and a Sailor | Themselves | MGM, singing "Take It Easy" w/Lina Romay & Virginia O'Brien |
| 1944 | Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble | Lyn and Lee Walker | MGM |
| 1945 | Twice Blessed | Lyn: Stephanie Hale Lee: Terry Turner | MGM |
| 1946 | Till the Clouds Roll By | Themselves | MGM, singing "She Didn't Say Yes, She Didn't Say No" |
| 1947 | Campus Honeymoon | Lee: Patricia Hughes Lyn: Skipper Hughes | Republic |
| 1949 | Look for the Silver Lining | Lee: Claire Miller Lyn: Ruth Miller | Warner Bros. |
| 1949 | Tucson | Gertie Peck | Lyn only |
| 1949 | Sheriff of Wichita | Nancy Bishop | Lyn only |
| 1951 | Show Boat | chorus girl | MGM, Lyn only |
| 1952 | Singin' in the Rain | chorus girl | MGM, Lyn only |
| 1952 | Has Anybody Seen My Gal | Charleston Dancer | Lyn only |
| 1952 | The Belle of New York | one of Frenchie's Girls | Lyn only |
| 1953 | The Girl Next Door | Peggy | Lyn only |
See also
References
External links
- Lee Wilde at IMDb
- Lyn Wilde at IMDb
- Wilde Twins Biography, Lee Wilde Cathcart.