Dixie Lee (Crosby), was born Wilma Winifred Wyatt in Harriman, Tennessee, on October 4th, 1911. She won a singing contest in Chicago which included a part in a Broadway play. Dixie was soon on her way to Hollywood, and at the age of eighteen was signed to a contract with Fox. She soon met Bing Crosby and after a short courtship, they were married on September 29, 1930. Dixie's film career was short, with just 15 films, and this was partly due to the four children she bore, beginning in 1933 with Gary Crosby, twins in 1934 and another in 1938. Bing's career was also taking off, and she was often left home minding the children while he toured the world. Unfortunately, this led to a drinking problem that contributed to her ill health and death in 1952 at the age of 40. The film Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman (1947) starring Susan Hayward, is said to be loosely based on her life and marriage. Because Dixie was really a singer first, she did make occasional appearances on Bing's radio show.