Greenwood, (Frances) Charlotte

Greenwood, [Frances] Charlotte (1893–1978), comic actress and dancer. The tall, thin comedienne, with blonde hair and large blue eyes, was most celebrated for her long‐legged, flat‐footed kicking. Born in Philadelphia, where her mother ran a theatrical boardinghouse, she made her debut as an eccentric dancer in The White Cat (1905). After appearances in vaudeville and several more Broadway musicals, including two editions of The Passing Show, she won critical acclaim for her performance as Letitia Proudfoot, a supporting role in Pretty Mrs. Smith (1914). The show was a failure, but its producer, Oliver Morosco, ordered a musical written around the character of Letty. For nearly a decade she toured in such “Letty” shows as Long, Lanky Letty (1915); So Long, Letty (1916); Linger Longer, Letty (1919); Let 'Er Go, Letty (1921); and Letty Pepper (1922). Only three of them played New York, where they were quickly dismissed as too unsophisticated, but in other cities and smaller towns Greenwood built a special following that long remembered her with affection. Afterwards she appeared in several revues: Music Box Revue (1922), The Ritz Revue (1924), and Rufus LeMaire's Affairs (1927). In the 1930s, when not in films, she appeared in several California and London productions, including a final “Letty” show, Leaning on Letty (1935). She toured for two years as Mama in the road company of I Remember Mama (1947 to 1949), then made a final appearance in New York when she portrayed Juno in the musical Out of This World (1950). Autobiography: Never Too Tall, 1947.