A Birthday Tribute to Lee Bowman

Actor Lee Bowman was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 28, 1914.

Bowman was a busy working actor from the time of his 1937 screen debut through '60s TV. He's sometimes dismissed as a "Ralph Bellamy" other man type, but I've always had a soft spot for Bowman since seeing him on a big screen at a young age in what became one of my all-time favorite films, TONIGHT AND EVERY NIGHT (1945).

Bowman starred opposite Rita Hayworth in a moving romance which takes place during the London Blitz.

Bowman was also the "other man" opposite Hayworth in COVER GIRL (1945), which like TONIGHT AND EVERY NIGHT I saw theatrically as a teenager in the late '70s. He's seen here in a publicity still along with Hayworth and Gene Kelly.

Opposite Jean Arthur in THE IMPATIENT YEARS (1944):

And starring with Rosalind Russell in SHE WOULDN'T SAY YES (1945):

I've seen a majority of Bowman's films, with a great many reviewed here -- see the links at the end of this post -- and whether he was the leading man or in a supporting role, I don't think there's a single film on the list I didn't enjoy. I feel that says something about his contributions to each movie.

Some of the films I love a great deal, including DANCING CO-ED (1939), where he played a dancer whose wife's pregnancy spurs a talent hunt for a new dancing partner:

He's seen here in DANCING CO-ED with Lana Turner.

I also love the "B-plus" mystery KID GLOVE KILLER (1942) opposite Van Heflin and Marsha Hunt, which I've seen many times. It was the first feature film directed by Fred Zinnemann.

Bowman was effective as a radio singer in MY DREAM IS YOURS (1949), a favorite Doris Day film:

Bowman's feature film career mostly ended as of 1950, but he had a busy career in TV throughout the '50s and early '60s, including a half-decade run starring in the title role in THE ADVENTURES OF ELLERY QUEEN (1950-55), a season-long run in MIAMI UNDERCOVER (1961), and multiple guest appearances on ROBERT MONTGOMERY PRESENTS (1950-56).

In one of his appearances on Montgomery's show he played Nick Carraway in a 1955 adaptation of THE GREAT GATSY, with Montgomery as Jay Gatsby and Phyllis Kirk as Daisy.

Like Montgomery, later in his professional life Bowman worked in communications consulting, serving as chairman of the Kingstree Group, which still exists today, and consulting for entities such as Bethlehem Steel and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Lee Bowman died on Christmas Day, 1979, three days before his 65th birthday.  According to the FindaGrave website, his ashes were scattered at sea.

Bowman was survived by his wife, Helene Rosson Bowman, who was the daughter of director Arthur Rosson and the niece of cinematographer Harold "Hal" Rosson and director Richard Rosson; she was also the stepdaughter of director Victor Fleming. The Bowmans had a son, also named Lee, and Bowman was stepfather to his wife's daughter from an earlier marriage.

Lee Bowman films reviewed at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: SWING HIGH, SWING LOW (1937) (bit), INTERNES CAN'T TAKE MONEY (1937) (also here), I MET HIM IN PARIS (1937), THE LAST TRAIN FROM MADRID (1937), EASY LIVING (1937) (also here), THIS WAY PLEASE (1937), THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS (1938) (also here), HAVING WONDERFUL TIME (1938) (also here), SOCIETY LAWYER (1939), STRONGER THAN DESIRE (1939), DANCING CO-ED (1939) (also here), FAST AND FURIOUS (1939), WASHINGTON MELODRAMA (1941), DESIGN FOR SCANDAL (1941) (also here), WE WERE DANCING (1942), KID GLOVE KILLER (1942) (also here), THREE HEARTS FOR JULIA (1943), THE IMPATIENT YEARS (1944), TONIGHT AND EVERY NIGHT (1945), SHE WOULDN'T SAY YES (1945), THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN (1946), MY DREAM IS YOURS (1949) (also here), HOUSE BY THE RIVER (1950).

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