Goodee Montgomery (born Virginia Lawhead; 1906–1978) was an American

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and musician. She was the niece of the actor David C. Montgomery. She also performed in vaudeville. Montgomery was born Virginia Lawhead in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...

. Her father, Rex Lawhead, managed a theater in

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

. Her parents divorced when she was 15 years old. Her stage name was a combination of a pet name her uncle used for her, Goodee, and her mother's maiden name, Montgomery. Montgomery sang and played banjo and ukulele. She also arranged, recorded, and made broadcasts for the Victor Company in addition to writing songs and writing books about the ukulele. As a writer, Montgomery used the pen name Donna McDonald. On Broadway, Montgomery portrayed Hotsie in ''Piggy'' (1927). Montgomery and Dorothy Stone formed an act in the early 1930s, following in the tradition of Montgomery's uncle and Stone's father, who had an act together. Montgomery married director Frank Burgess McDonald in 1934. She became a successful watercolor artist after she injured her spine in 1940 and cut short her career in acting.

Selected filmography

* '' Charlie Chan Carries On'' (1931) * '' Let's Talk It Over'' (1934) * '' Stolen Sweets'' (1934) * ''

Stolen Harmony ''Stolen Harmony'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring George Raft, Ben Bernie and Grace Bradley. It is a semi-musical, featuring Big Band numbers. It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Plot ...

'' (1935) * '' Beware of Ladies'' (1936) * '' Mountain Music'' (1937)

References

Bibliography

* Everett Aaker. ''George Raft: The Films''. McFarland, 2013.

External links

* 1906 births 1978 deaths American film actresses Actresses from St. Joseph, Missouri 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub