YR: Lee Phillip Bell Has Died

[mikelyons]

She was someone's mother, friend, confidant, grandmother... Loss is loss. Grow up.

[NothinButAttitude]

RIP, Lee. Now she can be reunited with her beloved Bill. 

 

Daytime has truly taken a hit with this death. 

[Faulkner]

The Hursleys (creators of GH) are gone. Ted and Betty Corday (creators of DAYS) are gone. Now Bill and Lee Philip Bell (creators of B&B and Y&R) are now both gone. The creators of the four surviving soaps, all married couples, have all now passed. Lee was the last link to that era.

Edited February 27, 2020 by Faulkner

[All My Shadows]

RIP to an unsung hero of daytime TV! Once upon a time, there was a website that had several episodes of her Chicago talk show, and it's no wonder she was so successful for so long. 

[kalbir]

RIP Lee Bell and thank you for your contributions to daytime television.

[titan1978]

She lived an incredible, pioneering life.  My heart goes out to her family, friends and colleagues.

[VanessaReardon]

She knew that Bill cheated and she accepted it. Not too much respect for her. Sorry. RIP. 

[Antoyne]

You must be reeeeally fun at parties.

[ReddFoxx]

Is that really anyone's business though? You sound evil as hell with your response.

[Paul Raven]

She was true television pioneer.

I believe she began her regular show  on TV in Chicago in  December 1952 with a 15 min program in the afternoon.

Local television in the afternoon gave Chicago homemakers Lee Phillip.  Lee would pinch hit for staff announcer Lucky North, one of the earliest feminine voices heard on WBKB in the late 40s and early 50s.  Red Quinlan, seeing how appealing Lee could be, began featuring her more and more.  However it wasn't until WBBM-TV came along in 1953 did Lee get a show of her own- Mornin' Miss Lee, featuring brand spanking new staff announcer Ray Rayner.  By the early 1960s, audiences  at 12 noon either watched Bozo's Circus on channel 9 or The Lee Phillip Show on channel 2.  Later, the show would be renamed Noonbreak.  Lee's program was a staple of channel 2's afternoon schedule well into the 1980s.  She and her husband, Bill Bell, are the creators of the afternoon soap The Young And The Restless.

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by Paul Raven

[John]

Exactly. Some just like to spread hate & vile to stir up attention for themselves

[DaytimeFan]

A little piece of trivia: Lee’s brother was a renowned florist and it is because of her that Y&R and B&B always have fresh cut flowers on set. 

 

She lived an accomplished, graceful life and was surrounded by many who loved her. 

 

I hope she was greeted by Jeanne and Darlene and has been reunited with her beloved Bill.

Edited February 27, 2020 by DaytimeFan

[Aback]

awww! Thanks for sharing. 

[Fevuh]

Sorry to hear this, she lived a long good life.  I never knew she was a talk show host.  I remember a few years ago when she appeared as an extra on Y&R at a restaurant or somewhere in a scene.  She looked really good for her age.  

[Cat]

 

Did not know that! Some would consider this a small detail, but IMO it elevated the show visually and made it look like one of the Primetime soaps.

 

Lee was a pioneer career woman at a time when this was very rare. When Bill Bell married her, she had already carved out a career for herself and was advancing on her own terms. Didn't both WJB and LPB both write the Y&R and B&B story bibles? With B&B, I remember reading an interview with Bil Bell saying they essentially locked themselves in a hotel room for a certain amount of days, working on the characters and stories and bouncing ideas off each other.