Wini Shaw (c. 1907 – May 2, 1982), sometimes credited as Winifred Shaw, was a 20th century American actress, dancer and singer.

Early life

She was born as Winifred Lei Momi in about 1907, in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the youngest of thirteen children of Hawaiian descent. Some sources suggest she was born in 1910, while the

Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was a database of death records created from the Social Security Administration, United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File until 2014. Since 2014, public access to the updated Death Mas ...

under her married name Wini O'Malley suggests she was born in 1907.

Career

Shaw began her entertainment career as a child in her parents'

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

act and later appeared in a number of

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

s in the 1930s. She is best remembered for introducing the song " Lullaby of Broadway" in the musical film '' Gold Diggers of 1935'' (1935). Shaw's only recording, (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

408) with Dick Jurgens and his Orchestra, was "Lullaby of Broadway" and "

I'm Goin' Shoppin' with You I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" (p ...

". Both songs were from the film, and the recording was made on February 28, 1935. She also sang " The Lady in Red" in the musical film '' In Caliente'' (1935) starring

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

; the song was later made famous when cartoon character

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...

(voiced by

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...

) parodied it in drag. In 1937 she filmed a complicated duet live on the sound stage with a reciting and speaking

Ross Alexander Ross Alexander (born Alexander Ross Smith; July 27, 1907 – January 2, 1937) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Alexander was born Alexander Ross Smith in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Maud Adelle ( Cohen) and Alexander Ross ...

as she sang "

Too Marvelous for Words "Too Marvelous for Words" is a popular song written in 1937. Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics for music composed by Richard Whiting. It was introduced by Wini Shaw and Ross Alexander in the 1937 Warner Brothers film '' Ready, Willing and Able'', ...

" for the finale of '' Ready, Willing, and Able''. Shaw appeared in a brief revival of the musical-theatre production of '' Simple Simon'' (1931) on Broadway in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

she toured service camps and

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

clubs for the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

, sometimes as part of the

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

Larry Adler Lawrence Cecil Adler (February 10, 1914 – August 6, 2001) was an American harmonica player. Known for playing major works, he played compositions by George Gershwin, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Darius Milhaud and Arthur Benjamin. ...

troupes.

Filmography

*''

Cross Country Cruise ''Cross Country Cruise'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code romance film directed by Edward Buzzell and written by Elmer Blaney Harris. The film stars Lew Ayres, June Knight, Alice White, Alan Dinehart, Minna Gombell, and Eugene Pallette. The film w ...

'' (1934), uncredited *'' Gift of Gab'' (1934) *''

What, No Men! ''What, No Men?'' is a 1934 American short comedy film directed by Ralph Staub and starring El Brendel, Wini Shaw, and Phil Regan. It was filmed in Technicolor. In 1934, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Comedy) at ...

'' (1934) short film *'' I Believed in You'' (1934), uncredited *''

Million Dollar Ransom ''Million Dollar Ransom'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Murray Roth and written by William R. Lipman and Ben Ryan. The film stars Phillips Holmes, Edward Arnold, Mary Carlisle, Wini Shaw, Andy Devine and Robert Gleckler. The film was ...

'' (1934) *'' Sweet Adeline'' (1934) *'' Three on a Honeymoon'' (1934) *'' Wake Up and Dream'' (1934) *'' Wild Gold'' (1934) *''

Broadway Hostess ''Broadway Hostess'' is a 1935 American romantic comedy musical film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Wini Shaw, Genevieve Tobin and Lyle Talbot. The film was nominated at the 1935 Academy Awards for the short lived Best Dance Directi ...

'' (1935) *''

The Case of the Curious Bride ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1935) *''

Front Page Woman ''Front Page Woman'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz. The screenplay by Laird Doyle, Lillie Hayward and Roy Chanslor based on the novel ''Women Are Bum Newspapermen'' by Richard Macauley. Plot Ellen Garfield refuses t ...

'' (1935) *'' Gold Diggers of 1935'' (1935) *'' Gypsy Sweetheart'' (1935) *'' In Caliente'' (1935) *'' Page Miss Glory'' (1935), uncredited *''

The Case of the Velvet Claws ''The Case of the Velvet Claws'' is a 1936 mystery film, based on the first Perry Mason novel (1933) by Erle Stanley Gardner and featuring the fourth and final appearance of Warren William as defense attorney Mason. Plot summary Mason finally ...

'' (1936) *'' Fugitive in the Sky'' (1936) *''

King of the Islands King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

'' (1936) *''

Romance in the Air Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

'' (1936) *'' Satan Met a Lady'' (1936) *''

The Singing Kid ''The Singing Kid'' is a 1936 American musical film directed by William Keighley and written by Warren Duff and Pat C. Flick. Starring Al Jolson, Sybil Jason, Beverly Roberts, Edward Everett Horton, Lyle Talbot and Allen Jenkins, it was released ...

'' (1936) *'' Sons o' Guns'' (1936) *''

Melody for Two ''Melody for Two'' is a 1937 American musical film directed by Louis King and starring James Melton, Patricia Ellis and Marie Wilson. The film is notable for introducing the song "September in the Rain", which subsequently became a pop standard ...

'' (1937) *'' Ready, Willing, and Able'' (1937) *''

September in the Rain "September in the Rain" is a popular music, popular song about nostalgia by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, published in 1937. The song was introduced by James Melton in the film ''Melody for Two''. It has become a standard, having been recorded by ma ...

'' (1937), voice *''

Smart Blonde ''Smart Blonde'' is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Frank McDonald. Starring Glenda Farrell as Torchy Blane, a fast-talking wisecracking female reporter, teaming up with her boyfriend detective Steve McBride, to solve the killing of an ...

'' (1937) *'' Little Me'' (1938) *''

Rhumba Land Rhumba, also known as ballroom rumba, is a genre of ballroom music and dance that appeared in the East Coast of the United States during the 1930s. It combined American big band music with Afro-Cuban rhythms, primarily the son cubano, but also c ...

'' (1939)

Death

She died at the age of 75 in

and is buried at

Calvary Cemetery, Queens Calvary Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery in Maspeth and Woodside, Queens, in New York City, New York, United States. With about three million burials, it has the largest number of interments of any cemetery in the United States. Established ...

, a cemetery designated for people who were of the Catholic faith.

Database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases sp ...

(undated).
"Wini Shaw" at Find a Grave.
Accessed January 26, 2010.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Wini 20th-century births 1982 deaths American female dancers American film actresses American Roman Catholics Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens) Actresses from San Francisco Singers from San Francisco Vaudeville performers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers American people of Native Hawaiian descent Native Hawaiian actresses 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American dancers