Lucy Lee Inherits—And Shares—Her Father’s Secrets

Lucy Lee—daughter of famed playwright Robert E. Lee of Lawrence & Lee—visited the Land on Friday, Oct. 13 to talk to drama and English teacher Bennet Berkowitz’s class.

Lee and his writing partner Jerome Lawrence collaborated on dozens of works for the stage and radio over a 50-year period, but were best known for their works “Auntie Mame” and “Inherit the Wind,” which is the Drama’s Program selection for this semester’s spectacular play.

“Inherit the Wind” will be performed in Cleveland’s very own multipurpose room on Dec. 1, 2, 8 and 9.

While visiting the Land, Lee gave away some trade secrets about her father and his writing partner of 52 years, Lawrence.

“They were very different people. They clashed, there was friction (and) sparks,” Lee said.

Lee spilled other secrets as well, such as the fact that Lee & Lawrence always met face-to-face, worked with respect and civility despite disagreements, and the two almost never wrote separately, preferring to write literally as a team.

Lee also said that her mother, Janet Waldo, was a “fierce advocate” for her husband. Waldo, a voice-over actress, is best known for being the voice of Judy Jetson in the ‘60s-era cartoon “The Jetsons.”

Both of Lee’s parents are now deceased, but she keeps their memory alive by talking to classes such as Berkowitz’s.

“Inherit the Wind” was written in response to the outrage of Lawrence & Lee against MCcarthyism. It also sent the message that ideas should be allowed to co-exist, and has been translated into thirty-two different languages.

One would think what a great writer someone would have to be for a piece to be translated in that many languages, but Lee didn’t think of himself as a writer, he thought of himself more as a teacher, his daughter said.

One of Lee’s saying hit home for Berkowitz’s students: “Good theatre should teach you something, and good teaching should be theatrical.”

Lucy Lee says that her father and Jerome Lawrence often “borrowed” from history to look at current situations, using them as a starting point for writing.

Lawrence & Lee had a love for focusing on politics and wanted to tackle social and political situations arising during the time while writing to make a statement.

Lee believes the best advice that she ever received from her father was to “write with passion, and care about what you’re writing.”

There is much reason to believe that the Drama program will bring the same passion and care to this semester’s drama production that Lawrence & Lee wrote it with, and Lee said she eagerly awaits the winter performance.