Winnie Lightner
Winnie Lightner (born Winifred Josephine Reeves; September 17, 1899 – March 5, 1971) was an American stage and motion picture actress. Perhaps best known as the man-hungry Mabel in Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929), Lightner was often typecast as a wise-cracking gold-digger and was known for her talents as a comedian and singer. She is also noted for introducing the song "Singin' in the Bathtub" in the 1929 motion picture The Show of Shows. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Greenport (village in Suffolk County, New York, United States), Died March 5, 1971 (Sherman Oaks (neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1931
Roles Represented in DAHR: speaker, contralto
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-Test-651 | 10-in. | 6/18/1929 | Mean to me | Winnie Lightner | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| Brunswick | YE36231 | 16-in. | 3/5/1931 | Ollendorf Watch Company program 31-D | Winnie Lightner ; Unidentified performer(s) (Brunswick Records) | Radio transcription disc | vocalist, contralto, speaker | |
| Brunswick | YE36810 | 16-in. | 6/19/1931 | Ollendorf Watch Company program 31-O | Unidentified performer(s) (Brunswick Records) | Radio transcription disc : Jazz/dance band | speaker | |
| Brunswick | LAT937 | 12-in. | 2/3/1931 | Face it with a smile | Winnie Lightner | Female vocal solo | vocalist, contralto | |
| Brunswick | LAT938 | 10-in. | 2/3/1931 | Horse number | Winnie Lightner | Female vocal solo | vocalist, contralto | |
| Brunswick | LAT1141 | 12-in. | 5/27/1931 | Vacuum Oil program H, part 1 | Winnie Lightner | Radio transcription disc : Recitation | speaker | |
| Brunswick | LAT1142 | 12-in. | 5/27/1931 | Vacuum Oil program H, part 2 | Winnie Lightner | Radio transcription disc : Recitation | speaker | |
| Brunswick | LAT1143 | 12-in. | 5/27/1931 | Vacuum Oil [program and part unknown] | Winnie Lightner | Radio transcription disc : Recitation | speaker | |
| Brunswick | LAT1185 | 12-in. | 6/9/1931 | Vacuum Oil program H, part 2 | Winnie Lightner | Radio transcription disc : Recitation | speaker |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Lightner, Winnie," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108832.
Lightner, Winnie. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108832.
"Lightner, Winnie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Lightner, Winnie, 1899-1971 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no89010821
Wikidata: Winnie Lightner - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3569356
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/24155142
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/255078 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/255078
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