Pioneering Guyanese broadcaster, entertainer and ad man Vivian Lee died in Canada yesterday.
He was 93.
Among his many accomplishments, Lee was known for producing ‘If wishes were Horses,’ said to be the second fully local film production.
Former broadcaster and owner of Guyenterprise Vic Insanally, who was shocked at Lee’s passing, recalled him as a “prolific” individual who “lived life to the fullest.”
“He was… a very prolific person who started from humble beginnings,” Insanally said. “He was also involved in film production, broadcasting and politics…he ran as an independent in 1953,” he added.
Insanally recalled that Lee was a man of substance who had something to offer in every field of society and was someone of influential status.
He recalled Lee as the “founding father” of entertainment in Guyana.
He noted that the last time Lee visited Guyana was about two years ago. “When he was here the last time he compiled a set of jingles and was in and out of studios producing his work for the public,” Insanally said.
Lee was born on August 27, 1919 to William and Adela Lee, who owned and operated a Laundromat at the corner of Robb and King Streets, in Lacytown, Georgetown.
Although Lee initially left Guyana to learn more about the dry cleaning business, he eventually enrolled for a programme in Radio Broadcasting at Columbia University, in New York, which would serve him when he returned.
Commentator Allan Fenty, in an article, “The Vivian Lee Story: A Snapshot of a Guyanese Pioneer – and Optimist,” published in Stabroek News, wrote about Lee’s early life.
He said that while heading back to Guyana in the late 1940s after completing his stint in the US, Lee made a stop in Trinidad and Tobago, where he met Guyana-born manager of a radio station who motivated him into producing and presenting a half-hour semi-classical documentary. Lee later returned to Trinidad and Tobago and joined their army where he fought in the Second World War.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Fenty said Lee was forced to abandon his laundromat ambitions and went into the field of advertising, which was relatively new to the then British Guiana.
He later created Ace Advertisers in the early fifties and Fenty said that as it flourished, Lee started a radio show called “The Ovaltinees.” He also produced “Time is money” and the “Snodgrass Family” comedy shows and managed and arranged shows for Johnny Braff, King Fighter, Lord Canary, Eddie Hooper, Pamela Maynard, Monica (Lady Guymine) Copper-field, and Delma Lynch, among others.
In 1975, Fenty said Lee produced the hit comedy “If Wishes Were Horses,” featuring comedian Habeeb Khan and a cast that included Lee himself, to rave reviews.
Lee later migrated to Canada.
