MOVIES - Nov. 17, 1988

Songstress Peggy Lee is suing Walt Disney Productions for $25 million for the videocassette production and marketing, allegedly without her consent, of the 1955 Disney film “Lady and the Tramp.” She is also asking for a “reasonable value” for her contributions to the marketing success of the film. Lee, who co-authored the film’s songs with Sonny Burke then sang and supplied the voices of four characters on the film, filed suit Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court for what she claims is a breach of a clause in a 1952 contract with Disney. “I’m sorry it had to come to this,” said Lee. “But it has and I hope for my sake as an artist and for the sake of artists in general that they (Disney) will see the point.” Erwin Okun, senior vice president of corporate communications for Walt Disney Productions, said Wednesday that the company had not been served with the suit and could not comment.