Lee and Lyn Wilde

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.
DiedSeptember 7, 2015 (aged 92)
OccupationActress
Years active1940–1949
Spouse(s)Thomas Matthew Cathcart (1947-2010) (his death)
Lyn Wilde
Born
Mary Lyn Wilde

October 11, 1922
East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S.
DiedSeptember 11, 2016 (aged 93)
Michigan City, Indiana, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1940–1953
Spouse(s)Jim Cathcart (1942-1970) (his death) 2 children
Dwight Oberlink (1973-1996) (his death)
ChildrenCarter & 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
Lee and Lyn Wilde from 1945 issue of Yank Magazine.

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
Feature films
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
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References
  1. "Lee Wilde Bride". The Post-Standard. February 23, 1947. p. 32. Retrieved October 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Wilde Twin Seriously Ill". The Oregon Statesman. September 29, 1948. p. 9. Retrieved October 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. http://www.zianet.com/jjohnson/wt2.htm
  4. Lyn Cathcart Oberlink Oct. 10, 1922 - Sept. 11, 2016
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