Saturday, March 12, 2005

Profile: George Lee is a Galveston BOI (Born on Island 1951), now RTI (Returned To Island 2003). He was musically inclined as a child but grew up anyway and no one could stop him. In college at Sam Houston State University, he began writing songs to pass time while cutting class. Then he learned a fourth chord on guitar and wrote some more. He joined a rock and roll band called “Uncle Jack” and became lead singer. They were one of the few regional bands at the time that could actually get bookings playing original music. In the mid-seventies, Lee recorded three single records as a solo artist. In 1982, he released a record album entitled “Made To Be Played” which was a moderate hit at resale shops, though it did get airplay in Houston and the single “Elaine” did moderately well. Following this, he began writing plays and had 12 of them produced in Southwest Texas. For several years, he owned “The Electric Theatre” in Houston and began getting back into music again. In 2002, a film was produced from one of his screenplays, “Laughing Boy” and he moved back to the Island, but not because of this film. Last year, Lee began learning his material and started performing locally, playing original and classic songs on acoustic guitar, liberally lacing his act with comedy. He writes a humor column “One Day In A Row” for the Island's Parrot newspaper. He is also a Playwright, Screenwriter, Artist, Actor, Teacher and Graphic designer. George went to a party one night and wrote a story about it. The story became a play. It was too short for a feature and too long for a skit. The play became a screenplay which Joe Grisaffi made the screenplay into a movie and he became “Laughing Boy” which gave George a rest. “Laughing Boy” was the first play George wrote. Since then, he has written and produced many more plays but has not been invited to many parties. He holds the distinction of being the world’s most prominent has-been who never was and is unique like everybody else. George is a graduate of Sam Houston State University with a BFA degree (1974) in Commercial Art and Graphic Design with a minor in Communications. He began his own graphic design and advertising business in 1987 and continues to work as a writer, illustrator and indigent. He owned The Electric Theatre in Sugar Land where he inflicted his talents on hundreds of unsuspecting theatre-goers for two years.

Mr. Lee has written over 20 plays and screenplays in the last five years. “Frankenstein - The Monster Musical”, “Wolfbane”, Hotel Desolado”, “The Kid from Jupiter”, “The Wolf Who Cried Boy” and “There’s One In Every Show” have been produced on stage to enthusiastic responses and sell-out crowds. Screenplays by Lee include “Sugar Land”, “Empty Suits”, “Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em”, “Bishop’s Gamble” and “Five Miles to Fifth Street”. Lee is truly a renaissance man at war with the 21st century. As of this writing, “For The Good Of The Family”, his second first play is being considered for production by ETC (East End Theatre Company, Galveston). He would like a wider audience to see his crimes against culture and hopes to be invited to a party. He promises he will not write a play about it.

George is eternally indebted (read his credit report) to Joe Grisaffi for the fine work he did in breathing life into “Laughing Boy” and especially for the perseverance, optimism and follow-through he has displayed in not only making the film, but believing in it and getting it the widest possible exposure. It is a thoroughly professional effort in all respects and he deserves success. Most important, it makes people laugh, which is all that some people have. Comedy is serious business.

If there is a time period longer than eternity, George reserves that frame of lengthy honor in gratitude for his producer, mentor and closest friend Brenda Donaloio, who has made all of this possible, with much more to come!