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when he began behaving erratically; talking to himself and yelling at passing cars. One security guard identified Graff from a picture that was shown on a televised news conference about the double murders, and phoned police. When questioned about the crimes, Graff claimed that a man on the streets
353:
On June 13, 2004, sometime around 11 a.m., Keven Lee Graff, a 27-year-old homeless man, broke into Lees' home. Graff attacked the 91-year-old Lees and decapitated him. Graff then left the home, carrying Lees's severed head, and broke into a neighboring house. The occupant of the home was a
365:
During a search through
Engleson's house, police discovered Lees' severed head lying on a bed. Lees' longtime girlfriend, Helen Colton, discovered Lees' headless body, covered by blankets, in his bedroom some five hours later when she arrived to pick Lees up for an event at the
171:. The short film was the first in the "Crime Does Not Pay" series. The series, which was produced by MGM in the 1930s and 1940s, were based on real life crime cases. Lees and Rinaldo continued to work on comedy
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After retiring from screenwriting in 1983 and becoming associated with sexologist Helen Colton, who would become his girlfriend to the end of his life, he became active in
329:
during the blacklist. At age 91 he declared that the speech he delivered in 1951 to the House
Committee on UnAmerican Activities was the best thing he ever wrote.
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69-year-old retired doctor, Morley
Engleson. Graff then attacked and killed Engleson, who was on the telephone making a plane reservation. The
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288:(1951). In 1952, an unused treatment they wrote for a service comedy at Paramount around 1943 was later adapted as
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Studios, where he was paired with writer
Frederic Rinaldo. Their first screenplay was for the 1936 short film,
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ticketing agent heard the attack and phoned police. Before police could arrive, Graff stole
Engleson's 2001
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activities. As a result of his blacklisting, he had associates submit manuscripts to the studios under the
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Furmanek, Bob, and Ron
Palumbo. "Abbott and Costello in Hollywood." Perigee, 1991.
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the night before the murders claiming he had no memory of committing the murders.
214:, in 1939, Lees and Rinaldo moved on to feature-length films with the 1940 drama,
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The following day, Graff caught the attention of security guards at the gates of
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In the early 1950s, Lees' career was virtually destroyed when he was put on the
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in 1929. He started in show business as a dancer before becoming a writer for
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135:(July 10, 1912 – June 13, 2004) was an American television and film
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Travis D. Bone, "Former San Diego go-go boy arrested for murder",
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Specialty series. In 1939, Lees and
Rinaldo were nominated for an
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Usher, Nikki; Labossiere, Regine; Blanks, Andrew (2004-06-15).
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219:
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319:"J. E. Selby." Lees also wrote pseudonymously for the
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963:""Hollywood Headhunter" Terrorizes Los Angeles"
1068:"Ex-Marine Pleads Guilty In Beheading, Murder"
465:Decathlon Champion: The Story of Glenn Morris
238:. In 1941, they wrote their first comedy for
676:Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
279:Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
965:. ufoinfo.com. 2004-06-23. Archived from
187:. The duo also worked on the 1937 films,
989:"Transient Is Arrested in Slayings of 2"
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19:For other people named Robert Lees, see
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345:circles, sometimes speaking at events.
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1070:. cbs2.com. 2008-02-26. Archived from
203:for the 1939 biographical short film,
938:"In Memorium to My Cousin Bobby Lees"
652:Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
273:Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
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523:Carey Wilson's Prophet Without Honor
1135:20th-century American screenwriters
1047:"Arrest over writer's decapitation"
1013:"Blacklisted Screenwriter Murdered"
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814:The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show
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1130:20th-century American male writers
210:After completing the comedy short
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139:. Lees was best known for writing
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1125:20th-century American male actors
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906:Matthews, Tom Dewe (2006-10-07).
389:In February 2008, Graff, under a
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370:headquarters in Beverly Hills.
1170:People murdered in Los Angeles
1165:Male actors from San Francisco
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930:
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880:"In Remembrance - Robert Lees"
716:The Adventures of Sir Lancelot
640:The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap
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267:The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap
1:
1175:Screenwriters from California
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332:
1049:. news.bbc.co.uk. 2004-06-15
950:Demons in the City of Angels
911:(free registration required)
780:Please Don't Eat the Daisies
708:The Adventures of Robin Hood
326:The Adventures of Robin Hood
21:Robert Lees (disambiguation)
7:
1150:American male screenwriters
397:without the possibility of
10:
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829:The Sin of Madelon Claudet
493:The Story of Doctor Carver
126:Jean Abel (m.?–1982)
18:
1145:American male film actors
732:Alfred Hitchcock Presents
684:Comin' Round the Mountain
409:
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285:Comin' Round the Mountain
218:. The pair worked on the
157:San Francisco, California
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847:Rasputin and the Empress
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797:The Second Hundred Years
775:(Unknown episodes, 1966)
759:(Unknown episodes, 1964)
743:(14 episodes, 1957–1961)
727:(Unknown episodes, 1959)
719:(Unknown episodes, 1955)
711:(Unknown episodes, 1955)
703:(Unknown episodes, 1955)
671:(Unknown episodes, 1950)
751:(3 episodes, 1961–1962)
628:Buck Privates Come Home
292:for another comic duo,
261:Buck Privates Come Home
1155:Deaths by decapitation
620:Hell-Bent for Election
378:of Hollywood gave him
159:, Lees graduated from
1034:Gay and Lesbian Times
851:Rasputin the Mad Monk
518:Prophet Without Honor
459:A Night at the Movies
439:How to Be a Detective
205:Prophet Without Honor
177:A Night At The Movies
1074:on December 11, 2008
475:Candid Cameramaniacs
453:How to Start the Day
362:and left the scene.
193:Candid Cameramaniacs
143:, including several
1160:Hollywood blacklist
544:The Invisible Woman
323:television series,
301:Hollywood blacklist
240:Abbott and Costello
229:The Invisible Woman
189:Decathlon Champions
145:Abbott and Costello
85:Cause of death
884:filmbuffonline.com
861:(Uncredited, 1933)
853:(Uncredited, 1932)
843:(Uncredited, 1932)
835:(Uncredited, 1931)
806:Land of the Giants
801:(2 episodes, 1967)
536:Street of Memories
469:Decathlon Champion
432:How to Train a Dog
417:The Perfect Set-up
375:Paramount Pictures
356:Southwest Airlines
307:bosses during the
216:Street Of Memories
169:The Perfect Set-Up
161:Lowell High School
1140:American atheists
817:(1 episode, 1983)
809:(1 episode, 1968)
791:(1 episode, 1967)
783:(1 episode, 1966)
767:(1 episode, 1966)
764:Gilligan's Island
735:(1 episode, 1959)
660:Holiday in Havana
645:The Wistful Widow
633:Rookies Come Home
529:Let's Talk Turkey
505:An Hour for Lunch
499:It's in the Stars
481:Music Made Simple
212:An Hour For Lunch
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1076:. Retrieved
1072:the original
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1051:. Retrieved
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996:. Retrieved
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971:. Retrieved
967:the original
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936:Karin Badt,
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921:. Retrieved
916:The Guardian
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309:McCarthy Era
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137:screenwriter
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109:Screenwriter
89:Decapitation
67:(2004-06-13)
1120:2004 deaths
1115:1912 births
1096:Robert Lees
840:Grand Hotel
833:The Lullaby
612:Crazy House
599:Hit the Ice
405:Filmography
255:Hit the Ice
179:, starring
175:including,
133:Robert Lees
73:Los Angeles
30:Robert Lees
1109:Categories
1078:2008-11-03
1053:2008-11-03
998:2008-11-03
973:2007-08-21
923:2006-10-11
866:References
575:Oh Charlie
395:life terms
333:Retirement
252:, namely,
250:comedy duo
242:entitled,
197:Pete Smith
105:Occupation
98:J.E. Selby
77:California
54:California
42:1912-07-10
605:Oh Doctor
317:pseudonym
313:Communist
195:from the
100:Jay Selby
1017:CBS News
919:. London
700:Gunsmoke
343:humanist
155:Born in
849:a.k.a.
831:a.k.a.
772:Daktari
756:Flipper
748:Rawhide
643:a.k.a.
631:a.k.a.
603:a.k.a.
573:a.k.a.
521:a.k.a.
467:a.k.a.
384:Ecstasy
368:Academy
339:atheist
321:British
226:films,
147:films.
740:Lassie
695:(1952)
687:(1951)
679:(1951)
663:(1949)
655:(1948)
647:(1947)
635:(1947)
623:(1943)
615:(1943)
607:(1943)
593:(1943)
585:(1942)
577:(1941)
565:(1941)
557:(1941)
547:(1940)
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531:(1939)
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471:(1937)
461:(1937)
455:(1937)
449:(1937)
441:(1936)
435:(1936)
427:(1936)
419:(1936)
410:Writer
399:parole
349:Murder
282:, and
224:horror
220:sci-fi
183:, and
173:shorts
141:comedy
123:Spouse
823:Actor
1100:IMDb
382:and
341:and
232:and
191:and
62:Died
36:Born
1098:at
303:by
165:MGM
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