After a stint with Florenz Ziegfeld as a showgirl, Malo's ambitions as a singer found vent when she secured the part of the prima dona in Sigmund Romberg's operetta 'The New Moon' (1928-1929).

Rumors of her American nativity were not laid to rest by her speaking in a heavy French accent to interviewers, but her singing, markedly superior to Damita's, won praise in 1930.

When the British-Gaumont film company decided to adapt Johann Strauss's Fledermaus to the screen, they tapped Malo to play Adele, the singing maid.

Firmly established in the British entertainment world, Malo next starred in The Bride of the Lake, a nostalgic, tuneful rendering of Dion Boucicault's old Irish melodrama, The Colleen Bawn.

After testing unsuccessfully for the role of Anna Held in The Great Ziegfeld in Hollywood, Malo returned to London to play in the French importation, Toi C’est Moi, followed in Spring 1935 with a turn in the musical Leave it to Love.

Malo in the late 1930s was a fixture of the English stage, playing in a succession of hits: The Gang Show, On Your Toes, Diversion and The Gentle People.

Her film career remained lively, with highlights such as The Private Life of Don Juan, Windbag the Sailor, Where There's a Will and the screen version of the stage hit The Gang Show.