Sammy Lee
Sammy Lee
Biography
Sammy Lee will best be remembered for his great contributions as Dance Director of many important musicals during Hollywood's golden age. He first achieved fame in New York as dance director of the highly successful Ziegfeld Follies of 1927. After contributing dance routines for Ziegfeld's famous productions "Showboat", "Rio Rita", and the last of the "Midnight Frolics", he signed with MGM studios early in 1929. His imaginative dance routines included overhead shots a year before Buzby Berkeley's work in "Whoopee". He brought the prestige of the Ziegfeld image to MGM's early musical talkies. Sammy Lee was nominated twice for an academy award for best dance direction, in 1935 for "King Of Burlesque", and 1937 for "Ali Baba Goes To Town", both at 20th Century Fox. He would return to MGM after a stint at RKO (1937) and directed shorts and choreographed war time musicals. Smaller studios benefited from his talents in 1944 and 1945. During this time he choreographed Columbia's "Carolina Blues" and Republic's "Earl Carroll's Vanities" before he retired with Paramount's 1945 release, "Out Of This World". Sammy Lee's productive career spanned an impressive sixteen years in Hollywood, and gave us many of cinema's most entertaining moments!
Personal Info
Known For
Directing
Known Credits
33
Gender
Male
Birthday
1890-05-26 (135 years old)
Place of Birth
New York, USA
Crew

1947

Beyond Our Own Director

1946

Abilene Town Choreographer

1945

Stairway to Light Director

1943

Portrait of a Genius Director

1943

Who's Superstitious? Director

1943

Forgotten Treasure Director

1941

Out of Darkness Director

1941

Strange Testament Director

1940

Soak the Old Director

1940

Rodeo Dough Director

1940

The Hidden Master Director

1939

Honolulu Choreographer

1939

Somewhat Secret Director

1939

The Greener Hills Director

1938

Men of Steel Director

1936

New Shoes Director

1934

Caravane Choreographer

1934

Caravan Choreographer

1933

Hot Pepper Choreographer

1933

Life in the Raw Choreographer

1933

Cavalcade Stage Director

1933

It's Great to Be Alive Choreographer

1930

Children of Pleasure Choreographer

1930

Doughboys Choreographer

1930

Free and Easy Choreographer

1930

They Learned About Women Choreographer

1929

The Doll Shop Director

1929

Manhattan Serenade Director

NaN

Some Time Soon Director