Names In The News : Comic Pinky Lee Has Heart Attack

PEORIA, Ill. —  Pinky Lee, the baggy-pants vaudeville comic who starred in a children’s TV show in the 1950s, was listed in serious condition today after suffering a heart attack backstage during a musical.

Lee was resting comfortably and is expected to remain hospitalized for up to 14 days, a St. Francis Medical Center spokeswoman said. Lee was stricken during a performance of “Sugar Babies” at the Peoria Civic Center Theater. The former burlesque comic, born Pincus Leff, starred in “The Pinky Lee Show” on NBC in 1950 and 1954-56.

Wearing a rolled-brim hat and a loud checkered coat, he danced, told stories and introduced himself by singing, “Hello, it’s me. My name is Pinky Lee.” Comeback attempts in the late 1950s and mid-’60s were unsuccessful.