[4][5] Williams was subsequently signed as a chorus girl in Al Reeve's Big Beauty Show on the Eastern Burlesque Wheel.

Williams' imitation of Held was a hit, one that led to principal roles in shows produced by Jack Singer and Robert Manchester.

[13] It was around this time that she first performed her best known acts, namely a letter carrier ragtime number and a fashion show “for the ladies.”[14] Williams frequently touted her appeal with women.

Williams’ box office returns were second only to Jean Bedini, Columbia's top-performing male producer and performer.

[8] The 1923–1924 season of The Mollie Williams Show smashed house records for ticket sales in major cities along the Columbia Wheel route.

On the advice of the assistant superintendent of the Brooklyn Post Office, Williams used her popular letter carrier dance number to champion improved wages for postal workers.

In 1914, she turned down a leading role in Maurice Jacob's The Cherry Blossoms when the two failed to agree on a fair salary.

Variety reported, “Miss Williams’ insistence upon a certain figure for her services has caused her to reject many offers that would have been decidedly alluring to almost any principal woman in burlesque.”[24] During that same year, she sued a motion picture company for royalties after they staged and filmed a traffic stop to catch her off guard.