Sothern was born Sara Viola Warmbrodt in Arkansas City, Kansas, the daughter of Elizabeth Ann (née Wilson; February 10, 1864 – February 7, 1932) and Samuel Sylvester Warmbrodt (October 8, 1861 – January 6, 1948). Her paternal grandfather, Samuel Warmbrodt, was from Switzerland.[1] Sothern was a seasoned actress by the time she made her Broadway debut in The Dagger (1925). That was followed by Arabesque and Fool's Bells that same year. She next appeared in Mama Loves Papa (1926). During that tim ...