Lee Phillip Bell

Loreley "Lee" June Phillip Bell (born June 10, 1928) is a former talk show host and soap opera creator.

Early life

Bell was born Loreley June Phillip in Chicago, Illinois, to florists James and Helen Phillip. Her parents named her after a French flower. She has an older brother, J.R., and a younger brother, Russell.

Bell is one of the most notable graduates from what is now known as Riverside-Brookfield High School in Brookfield, Illinois. She then received a degree in microbiology from Northwestern University.

Career

After graduating from Northwestern, Bell returned to work in her family's floral shop with her brothers. On occasion, she accompanied her brother Russell to the local television station where he worked on a local talk show demonstrating flower arrangement. Eventually, she took over this job from him, before quitting the floral shop altogether and pursuing other positions at the station (WBBM-TV Chicago) before being given her own show The Lee Phillip Show. This show is notable in that it was the first to show an on air self breast examination. The Lee Phillip Show was also shown in other cities in the early 1960s, usually (but not always) by CBS network affiliates. She was a popular host and received 16 local Emmy Awards, her show ran from 1952 to 1986. Also during the 1950s she hosted as Saturday morning children's program on WBBM-TV titled Lee Phillip's Friendship Show and co-hosted a WBBM Radio weekday afternoon show with Paul Gibson titled The Lady & The Tiger.