born in san francisco, lorraine began her career on stage in 1906 at the age of 14. in 1907, she appeared as a minor performer in a shubert production, "the tourists". it was in that show that she was discovered by florenz ziegfeld. he spent the next several years promoting her career, rocketing her into an ascendance, which made her one of the most popular attractions in his follies. in 1909, ziegfeld pulled the 17-year-old lorraine from the chorus line in that year's production of "miss innocence", spotlighting her as a solo performer who became celebrated for introducing the song, "by the light of the silvery moon".