Winnie Lightner

Winnie Lightner (born Winifred Josephine Reeves;[2] September 17, 1899 – March 5, 1971) was an American stage and motion picture actress.Also known as Winifred Hansen (using the last name of her foster family),[2][4][5] she started off in vaudeville at age fifteen and adopting Winnie Lightner as her stage name, she was an immediate success and played the fabled Palace theater in New York City only three months after beginning her career.[citation needed] With vaudeville in decline in the early 1920s, she switched to Broadway revues, where she starred in George White's Scandals of 1922, 1923, and 1924, in Gay Paree in 1925 and 1926, and in Harry Delmar's Revels in 1927.By the end of 1930, audiences had grown tired of musicals, while Lightner was in the process of shooting three of them: Sit Tight (1931), Gold Dust Gertie (1931), and Manhattan Parade (1932).In response to the changes in public tastes, Warner Bros. decided to try another dramatic role for Lightner; the result was a picture called Side Show (1931) which proved to be unsuccessful.
As a young vaudevillian, Lightner (left) partnered with the longtime vaudeville team of Theodora Lightner (from whom she took her stage surname) and Newton Alexander
Sherman Oaks, CaliforniaRoy Del RuthThomas Del Ruthmotion pictureGold Diggers of BroadwaytypecastSingin' in the BathtubThe Show of Showsfoster familyvaudevilleBroadwayGeorge White's ScandalsVitaphoneAlexander WalkerShe Couldn't Say NoHold EverythingTechnicolorThe Life of the PartySit TightGold Dust GertieManhattan ParadeSide ShowLoretta YoungPlay GirlShe Had to Say YesSan Fernando Mission CemeteryShe Coundn't Say NoThe Stolen JoolsDancing LadyI'll Fix ItSpokane Daily ChronicleInternet Broadway DatabaseThe New York TimesFind a Grave