Lora Lee Michel
Lora Lee Michel is a former American child actress. She appeared in several A-list feature films in the late 1940s. In 1950 she was the focus of a custody dispute in Beverly Hills, California, in which she alleged that her foster mother had beaten her and starved her. She came to public attention again in 1963 when she and her second husband were sentenced in Federal court for stealing a car and driving it across state lines.
Early life and family
Lora Lee was born in Schulenburg, Texas, on September 13, 1940. She has one sister, Barbara Michel Wright. Her birth mother, Lena Brunson, gave her into foster care when she was five years old and she was raised by A.J. and Lorraine Michel in Los Angeles.Career
Lora Lee was a successful child actress in the late 1940s. By the age of 9, she was earning $100 a day. By her own count, she appeared in 19 films.Custody trial
In 1950, Lora Lee told one of her friends that Lorraine Michel was "starving her to keep her small and slim so that she could continue to get screen roles", leading to Lorraine's arrest. Lora Lee's birth mother, Lena Brunson, alerted by the resulting publicity, filed a countersuit in a Beverly Hills court to reclaim custody of her daughter.At the trial, a clergyman testified that Lora Lee had appeared "terribly bruised" to him, which the girl claimed was from a physical punishment administered by Lorraine. He said he had seen Lora Lee at the home of her drama coach and that she had "black and blue marks on her arms, shoulders, buttocks and legs". However, Lora Lee contradicted his testimony, saying she had not been physically punished but had only been sent to bed. The girl's drama coach backed the claim that Lora Lee was being starved by her foster parents, testifying that Lorraine had said, "I am determined to conquer her gluttonous appetite". But the judge, who questioned Lora Lee's veracity, awarded custody to the Michels and told them to take her back to Texas so she could live a "normal life".
Later life
Back in Texas, Lora Lee was enrolled at Saint Agnes Academy in Houston and performed in some local theatrical productions. During one of these performances in 1952, she was bitten by a dog. Her foster father sued the American Automobile Insurance Company, claiming her career would be affected by facial disfigurement. The court awarded $1,000 in damages.Lora Lee went on to marry a man who worked in a drug store. After their divorce, she married Frank Scott, a deserter from the United States Army. She and Scott were arrested in El Paso, Texas, in December 1962 and charged in Federal court with driving a stolen car over state lines. According to newspaper reports, she and Scott had stolen a 1957 Mercury demonstration model in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and drove it to Houston. They then embarked on a six-month trip around the southern and eastern United States using Lora Lee's ex-husband's car, and used three credit cards they found in the glove compartment to tote up $3700 in bills. Scott was sentenced to 27 months in Federal prison while Lora Lee was sentenced to 13 months at the Federal Women's Institution in Alderson, West Virginia.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
| 1948 | Good Sam | Lulu |
| 1948 | The Snake Pit | Virginia, age 6 |
| 1948 | Lady at Midnight | Tina Wiggins |
| 1948 | Kiss the Blood Off My Hands | Little Girl |
| 1949 | Tokyo Joe | Anya |
| 1949 | Jessica | |
| 1949 | Mr. Soft Touch | Sonya |
| 1949 | Mighty Joe Young | Jill, age 7 |
| 1950 | Paid in Full | Joanne |
| 1950 | Between Midnight and Dawn | Kathy |
| 1950 | It's a Small World | Janie, age 8 |
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