Hannah Williams was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actress, singer, and comedienne.

Hannah Williams was born in Taylor, Pennsylvania

Taylor, Pennsylvania

Taylor is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, four miles southwest of Scranton on the Lackawanna River. Silk manufacturing and coal mining were once practiced in the borough. In 1900, 4,215 people lived in Taylor; in 1910, 9,060; and in 1940, 9,002 people resided in the...

 and performed as a young child with her older sister Dorothy as "The Williams Sisters", a singing and dancing vaudeville act. The sisters performed with the Scranton Sirens Orchestra (1923), George White's Scandals

George White's Scandals

George White's Scandals were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modelled after the Ziegfeld Follies. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W.C. Fields, the Three Stooges, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan, Ethel Merman, ...

 of 1924, Charley Straight

Charley Straight

Charles Theodore Straight , better known as Charley Straight, was an American pianist, bandleader and composer. He started his career in 1909 accompanying singer Gene Greene in Vaudeville. In 1916 he began working at the Imperial Piano Roll Company in Chicago were he recorded dozens of piano rolls...

 Orchestra (1925), Ben Pollack

Ben Pollack

Ben Pollack was a drummer and bandleader from the mid 1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to either discover or employ, at one time or another, musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland and Harry James...

 Orchestra (1926–1927), and in various Chicago and New York night clubs and theaters.

She performed in Broadway theater, being known in particular for the song, "Cheerful Little Earful

Cheerful Little Earful

"Cheerful Little Earful" is a 1930 song composed by Harry Warren, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Billy Rose.It was written for the musical Sweet and Low .-Notable recordings:...

" in Sweet and Low

Sweet and Low (musical)

Sweet and Low is a musical revue produced by Billy Rose and starring James Barton, Fanny Brice, George Jessel, and Arthur Treacher. It features sketches by David Freedman and songs by various composers and lyricists....

(1930). In the 1920s she recorded with Ben Pollack

Ben Pollack

Ben Pollack was a drummer and bandleader from the mid 1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to either discover or employ, at one time or another, musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland and Harry James...

's band. Her only film appearance was singing "Get Happy

Get Happy (song)

"Get Happy" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler.It was the first song they wrote together, and was introduced by Ruth Etting in The Nine-Fifteen Revue in 1930....

" in the short film The Audition (1933), one of the Warner Brothers series of "Melody Masters" musical shorts.

She was married to bandleader Roger Wolfe Kahn

Roger Wolfe Kahn

Roger Wolfe Kahn was an American jazz and popular musician, composer, and bandleader ....

 from 1931 through 1933, then married to boxer Jack Dempsey

Jack Dempsey

William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...

from 1933 through 1943, with whom she had 2 children, Joan (1934) and Barbara (1936). In 1950, she married the movie actor Thomas J. Monaghan.