Born in
Buenos Aires to English parents, She was the younger of two children born to Alfred Edward Fleetwood Lawton, general manager of
Cable & Wireless plc, and Alma Drucilla Fleetwood Lawton Sr. (aka the former Alma Drucilla Harris), herself a onetime music hall comedienne. Prior to beginning her radio career, Lawton reportedly performed in Great Britain, Australia and South America. Evidently, the younger Lawton inherited her mother's diminutive stature, the latter having been described in 1912 as "the little British singing comedienne," On the other hand,
Joe Hyams of the
Citizen-News, while likewise documenting Lawton's modest dimensions, adds that "[w]hat she lacks in size, Alma makes up for in talent, proving again that good things come in small packages." On November 3, 1947, Lawton made her American radio debut on
Lux Radio Theatre, in "Singapore," an original radio drama starring
Fred MacMurray and
Ava Gardner. Later that month, she costarred with
Wally Maher in "Body Off Billingsgate" on
The Whistler, and on December 8, she did another
Lux episode, as part of a large ensemble supporting
Robert Montgomery,
Wanda Hendrix and
Thomas Gomez, reprising their starring roles in
Ride the Pink Horse. The following spring, Lawton was tasked by
Samuel Goldwyn with helping
Teresa Wright achieve a reasonably authentic English accent. ==Radio==