Steve McQueen! Ben Johnson! Michael Douglas! Warren Oates! Lee Purcell’s Hollywood Journey! AWOW!

Two-time Emmy nominee Lee Purcell got an early career break when she auditioned for Steve McQueen’s production company, Solar. Selected from hundreds of young actresses by McQueen, Lee landed the lead role opposite Michael Douglas in ADAM AT 6AM and was mentored by McQueen.

A co-starring role with Richard Thomas in a BONAZA episode was her first western.

Lee’s starring roles in two memorable western features include an amazing turn as a young prostitute in Hollywood legend Jack L. Warner’s last feature film, DIRTY LITTLE BILLY, the innovative story of Billy the Kid with Michael J. Pollard as the kid. Lee was surrounded by western icons in KID BLUE, a turn of the century western about a train robber, Dennis Hopper, trying to go straight. Portraying the wife of Warren Oates, her co-stars included Ben Johnson, Ralph Waite, Janice Rule, Peter Boyle, Clifton James, M. Emmett Walsh, and Howard Hesseman.

As the female lead in the first of THE GAMBLER series, Lee recalls teaching star Kenny Rogers how to read a script. He was a very fast learner. It was also Lee's first film with long time friend, Bruce Boxleitner.

More recently, Lee co-starred with Jon Voight in the JL Ranch and portrayed “Miss Kitty Russell” in a GUNSMOKE radio show adaptation for her production company, Two Fat Dogs Entertainment, series of virtual shows, “Radio You Can See.”

Thanks for watching our show. Lee's conversation was recorded at the Autry, Dec 12, 2023. Don’t forget to Subscribe and Share our channel, A WORD ON WESTERNS. If you’re one of our Patreon Members, you are helping deliver quality programs and, as a member, can watch them with no commercials. We appreciate your support.

Episodes are available for research and study to schools, historians, students, fans of America's Western genre, and for the pure love of movies. (EDSA)

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