Always maintained that his lisp was not an affectation, but was inherited, as there were several lispers on both sides of his family.
Children: Patty and Morgan. His daughter, Patty, has one child, a daughter.
Comic.
Later years were spent on the "The Ed Sullivan Show" (1948) (aka "Ed Sullivan Show"), Bob Hope specials, game shows, and the burlesque and dinner theatre circuit.
Often the punchline of other comedian's jokes, one Broadway critic called him "the comedian that comedians hate" because of his brash, over-the-top persona.
One of the hardest-working men in TV, Pinky collapsed live on the air in 1955 in what appeared to be a heart attack, but was later discovered as a severe sinus attack. When he regained his health and attempted to return, the TV networks were not receptive and his career went downhill fast. They were afraid he might once again collapse in front of thousands of children on THEIR station.
Pee Wee Herman (aka Paul Reubens) and his show, "Pee-wee's Playhouse" (1986) was lifted almost 100% from Pinky Lee -- right down to the little slanted window on the set, the ill-fitting checked suit, the laugh, the hat, the behavior, even the eyebrows. The resemblance was eerie.
Plagued by parental complaints that his frenetic kiddie show caused their children to misbehave, NBC tone down Pinky's show by limiting the destruction of property, bad grammar, squirting seltzer water, throwing things, name-calling and other antisocial behavior.
Wild burlesque comic whose silly, childish routines worked perfectly as the manic host of a children's show. His program, "The Pinky Lee Show" (1950) proved a solid lead-in to the long-running "Howdy Doody" (1954) in the 50s.