Josephine Sherwood decided to study drama at Radcliffe College because she couldn’t fight the urge to perform.  The Newtonville, Massachusetts native began her journey to become one of the greats of the American theater in a stock company in Boston.  Hers was not the built of a glamour queen, but when she stepped onto a stage her undeniable presence and brittle delivery rendered her unforgettable.  Her Broadway career, which lasted from 1907 through 1955, brought her much acclaim in dramatic roles, but it was her exquisite comedic timing that earns her a spot among the greats.

Miss Sherman changed her last name to Hull after marrying stage actor Shelly Hull in 1910.  Sadly Mr. Hull died of Spanish influenza at the age of thirty-five at which time Josephine left the stage for three years, but when she returned she did so with renewed energy with the first of her many major hits in…