Frances Langford
Encyclopedia
Julia Frances Langford was an American singer and entertainer who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and also made film appearances over two decades.
, she was the daughter of Vasco Cleveland Langford and his wife, Anna Rhea Newbern.
. While a young girl she required a tonsillectomy
that changed her soprano
range to a contralto
. As a result, she was forced to change her vocal style to a more contemporary big band
, popular music
style. At age 17, she was singing for local dances. Cigar manufacturer Eli Witt heard her sing at an American Legion
party and hired her to sing on his local radio show. While singing for radio during the early 1930s, she was heard by Rudy Vallee
, who invited her to become a regular on his radio show. From 1935 until 1938 she was a regular performer on Dick Powell
's radio show. From 1946 to 1951, she performed with Don Ameche
on The Bickersons
.
(1935) she introduced what became her signature song: "I'm in the Mood for Love
." She then began appearing frequently in films such as Broadway Melody of 1936
(1935), Born to Dance
(1936) and Yankee Doodle Dandy
(1942) with James Cagney
, in which (portraying Nora Bayes
) she performed the popular song "Over There
." In several of these films, such as Broadway Melody, she appeared as herself, as she did in 1953 in The Glenn Miller Story
where she sang "Chattanooga Choo Choo
" with the Modernaires and the movie orchestra.
's radio show. During World War II
, she joined Hope, Jerry Colonna, guitarist Tony Romano and other performers on U.S.O. tours through Europe, North Africa, and the South Pacific, entertaining thousands of G.I.'s throughout the world.
In his memoir, Don't Shoot! It's Only Me!, Bob Hope recalled how Frances Langford got the biggest laugh he had ever heard. At a U.S.O. show in the South Pacific, Langford stood up on a stage to sing before a huge crowd of G.I.'s. When Langford sang the first line of her signature song, "I'm in the Mood for Love," a soldier in the audience stood up and shouted, "You've come to the right place, honey!"
Also, during the war, Langford wrote a weekly column for Hearst Newspapers, entitled "Purple Heart Diary," in which she described her visits to military hospitals to entertain wounded G.I.'s. She used the weekly column as a means of allowing the recovering troops to voice their complaints, and to ask for public support for making sure that the wounded troops received all the supplies and comforts they needed.
Her association with Hope continued into the 1980s. In 1989 she joined him for a USO tour to entertain troops in the Persian Gulf.
' show and starred in a short-lived DuMont
variety show Star Time
(1950). She then teamed with Don Ameche
for the ABC
television program, The Frances Langford/Don Ameche Show (1951), a spin-off of their successful radio series The Bickersons
in which the duo played a feuding married couple. Langford was also the host of the NBC musical variety program Frances Langford Presents (1959), which lasted one season. Langford made an appearance in The Honeymooners
lost episode "Christmas Party" which first aired December 19, 1953.
. In 1948 they donated 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of land near her estate in Jensen Beach, Florida
to the Board of County Commissioners of Martin County
, which named it Langford Hall Park. Located at 2369 N.E. Dixie Highway just south of the Stuart Welcome Arch
, it is known today simply as Langford Park and is one of the county's major parks.
In 1955, she married Outboard Marine Corporation President Ralph Evinrude
. They lived on her estate in Jensen Beach and opened a resort they named The Outrigger, where Langford frequently performed. Evinrude died in 1986. In 1994, she married Harold Stuart, who had been an assistant secretary of the United States Air Force
under President Harry S. Truman
and who survived her. She had no children.
Langford was a supportive member of the Jensen Beach community and constantly donated money to the community. She died at her Jensen Beach home at age 92 from congestive heart failure
. In 2006, the Frances Langford Heart Center, made possible by a bequest from her estate, opened at Martin Memorial Hospital in Stuart, Florida
.
, at 1500 Vine Street
, which acknowledges her contribution to motion pictures.
Birth
Born Julia Frances Langford in Lakeland, FloridaLakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, she was the daughter of Vasco Cleveland Langford and his wife, Anna Rhea Newbern.
Discovery and radio
Frances grew up in the Mulberry, Florida area, a tiny community near Lakeland. She attended Lakeland High School. Langford originally trained as an opera singerOpera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. While a young girl she required a tonsillectomy
Tonsillectomy
A tonsillectomy is a 3,000-year-old surgical procedure in which the tonsils are removed from either side of the throat. The procedure is performed in response to cases of repeated occurrence of acute tonsillitis or adenoiditis, obstructive sleep apnea, nasal airway obstruction, snoring, or...
that changed her soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
range to a contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
. As a result, she was forced to change her vocal style to a more contemporary big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
style. At age 17, she was singing for local dances. Cigar manufacturer Eli Witt heard her sing at an American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
party and hired her to sing on his local radio show. While singing for radio during the early 1930s, she was heard by Rudy Vallee
Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
, who invited her to become a regular on his radio show. From 1935 until 1938 she was a regular performer on Dick Powell
Dick Powell
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss.Despite the same last name he was not related to William Powell, Eleanor Powell or Jane Powell.-Biography:...
's radio show. From 1946 to 1951, she performed with Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
on The Bickersons
The Bickersons
The Bickersons was a radio comedy sketch series that began in 1946 on NBC, moving the following year to CBS where it continued until 1951...
.
Films
With her film debut in Every Night at EightEvery Night at Eight
Every Night at Eight is a 1935 American comedy musical film starring George Raft and Alice Faye and made by Walter Wanger Productions Inc. and Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Walter Wanger from a screenplay by C...
(1935) she introduced what became her signature song: "I'm in the Mood for Love
I'm in the Mood for Love
"I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...
." She then began appearing frequently in films such as Broadway Melody of 1936
Broadway Melody of 1936
Broadway Melody of 1936 is a musical released by MGM in 1935. It was a follow up of sorts to the successful The Broadway Melody, which had been released in 1929, although, beyond the title and some music, there is no story connection with the earlier film.The film was written by Harry W. Conn, Moss...
(1935), Born to Dance
Born to Dance
Born to Dance is an American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and directed by Roy Del Ruth.The film stars dancer Eleanor Powell and was a follow-up to her successful debut in Broadway Melody of 1936...
(1936) and Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney.The movie was written by...
(1942) with James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
, in which (portraying Nora Bayes
Nora Bayes
Nora Bayes was a popular American singer, comedienne and actress of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:...
) she performed the popular song "Over There
Over There
"Over There" is a 1917 song popular with United States soldiers in both world wars.It was written by George M. Cohan during World War I. Notable early recordings include versions by Nora Bayes, Enrico Caruso, Billy Murray, and Charles King....
." In several of these films, such as Broadway Melody, she appeared as herself, as she did in 1953 in The Glenn Miller Story
The Glenn Miller Story
The Glenn Miller Story is a 1954 American film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their first non-western collaboration.-Plot:...
where she sang "Chattanooga Choo Choo
Chattanooga Choo Choo
"Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a song by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon . It was recorded in a big-band/swing manner by Glenn Miller and his orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller and his orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle...
" with the Modernaires and the movie orchestra.
World War II
From 1941, Langford was a regular singer on Bob HopeBob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
's radio show. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she joined Hope, Jerry Colonna, guitarist Tony Romano and other performers on U.S.O. tours through Europe, North Africa, and the South Pacific, entertaining thousands of G.I.'s throughout the world.
In his memoir, Don't Shoot! It's Only Me!, Bob Hope recalled how Frances Langford got the biggest laugh he had ever heard. At a U.S.O. show in the South Pacific, Langford stood up on a stage to sing before a huge crowd of G.I.'s. When Langford sang the first line of her signature song, "I'm in the Mood for Love," a soldier in the audience stood up and shouted, "You've come to the right place, honey!"
Also, during the war, Langford wrote a weekly column for Hearst Newspapers, entitled "Purple Heart Diary," in which she described her visits to military hospitals to entertain wounded G.I.'s. She used the weekly column as a means of allowing the recovering troops to voice their complaints, and to ask for public support for making sure that the wounded troops received all the supplies and comforts they needed.
Her association with Hope continued into the 1980s. In 1989 she joined him for a USO tour to entertain troops in the Persian Gulf.
Television
She worked for several years in the late 1940s on Spike JonesSpike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
' show and starred in a short-lived DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
variety show Star Time
Star Time (TV series)
Star Time is a short-lived TV series which aired on the DuMont Television Network from September 5, 1950 to February 27, 1951, and starred singer-actress Frances Langford...
(1950). She then teamed with Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
for the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television program, The Frances Langford/Don Ameche Show (1951), a spin-off of their successful radio series The Bickersons
The Bickersons
The Bickersons was a radio comedy sketch series that began in 1946 on NBC, moving the following year to CBS where it continued until 1951...
in which the duo played a feuding married couple. Langford was also the host of the NBC musical variety program Frances Langford Presents (1959), which lasted one season. Langford made an appearance in The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners is an American situation comedy television show, based on a recurring 1951–'55 sketch of the same name. It originally aired on the DuMont network's Cavalcade of Stars and subsequently on the CBS network's The Jackie Gleason Show hosted by Jackie Gleason, and filmed before a live...
lost episode "Christmas Party" which first aired December 19, 1953.
Marriages and later life
Frances Langford married three times. Her first husband, from 1934 until 1955, was actor Jon HallJon Hall
Jon Hall was an American film actor.-Biography:Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, California, and raised in Tahiti by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty...
. In 1948 they donated 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of land near her estate in Jensen Beach, Florida
Jensen Beach, Florida
Jensen Beach is a census-designated place in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,100 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Port St...
to the Board of County Commissioners of Martin County
Martin County, Florida
Martin County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 126,731. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county is 138,660. Its county seat is Stuart, Florida.- History :...
, which named it Langford Hall Park. Located at 2369 N.E. Dixie Highway just south of the Stuart Welcome Arch
Stuart Welcome Arch
The Stuart Welcome Arch is an historic arch-shaped structure which straddles State Road 707 between 2369 and 2390 Northeast Dixie Highway in Jensen Beach, Florida. It was built in 1926 to mark what was then the town line between the town of Jensen to the north and the town of Stuart to the south...
, it is known today simply as Langford Park and is one of the county's major parks.
In 1955, she married Outboard Marine Corporation President Ralph Evinrude
Ralph Evinrude
Ralph S. Evinrude was an American business magnate best known for being the Chairman of Outboard Marine Corporation, and the husband of singer and entertainer Frances Langford....
. They lived on her estate in Jensen Beach and opened a resort they named The Outrigger, where Langford frequently performed. Evinrude died in 1986. In 1994, she married Harold Stuart, who had been an assistant secretary of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
under President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
and who survived her. She had no children.
Langford was a supportive member of the Jensen Beach community and constantly donated money to the community. She died at her Jensen Beach home at age 92 from congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
. In 2006, the Frances Langford Heart Center, made possible by a bequest from her estate, opened at Martin Memorial Hospital in Stuart, Florida
Stuart, Florida
Stuart is the only incorporated city of Martin County, Florida, on Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 14,633 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 15,964....
.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Frances Langford enjoyed significant success in both the radio and movie genres, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, at 1500 Vine Street
Vine Street
Vine is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north-south from Melrose Avenue up past Hollywood Boulevard. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine was once a symbol of Hollywood itself...
, which acknowledges her contribution to motion pictures.
Filmography
- The Subway Symphony (1932) (short subject)
- Rambling 'Round Radio Row #5 (1933) (short subject)
- Every Night at EightEvery Night at EightEvery Night at Eight is a 1935 American comedy musical film starring George Raft and Alice Faye and made by Walter Wanger Productions Inc. and Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Walter Wanger from a screenplay by C...
(1935) - Broadway Melody of 1936Broadway Melody of 1936Broadway Melody of 1936 is a musical released by MGM in 1935. It was a follow up of sorts to the successful The Broadway Melody, which had been released in 1929, although, beyond the title and some music, there is no story connection with the earlier film.The film was written by Harry W. Conn, Moss...
(1935) - Collegiate (1936)
- Palm Springs (1936)
- Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs (1936) (short subject)
- Born to DanceBorn to DanceBorn to Dance is an American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and directed by Roy Del Ruth.The film stars dancer Eleanor Powell and was a follow-up to her successful debut in Broadway Melody of 1936...
(1936) - Hit Parade of 1937 (1937)
- Hollywood HotelHollywood Hotel (film)Hollywood Hotel is a 1937 American film, directed by Busby Berkeley. It stars Dick Powell, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane, and Ted Healy. Ronald Reagan, Benny Goodman and Harry James also appear....
(1937) - Dreaming Out Loud (1940)
- Too Many GirlsToo Many GirlsToo Many Girls may refer to:*Too Many Girls , a 1939 Broadway musical comedy and a 1940 film version*Two Many Girls , 1967 episode of TV show The Monkees...
(1940) - Hit Parade of 1941 (1940)
- Swing It Soldier (1941)
- All American Co-Ed (1941)
- Picture People No. 4: Stars Day Off (1941) (short subject)
- Mississippi Gambler (1942)
- Picture People No. 10: Hollywood at Home (1942) (short subject)
- Yankee Doodle DandyYankee Doodle DandyYankee Doodle Dandy is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney.The movie was written by...
(1942) - Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 4 (1942) (short subject)
- Combat America (1943) (documentary)
- Follow the Band (1943)
- Cowboy in Manhattan (1943)
- This Is the ArmyThis Is the ArmyThis Is the Army is a 1943 American wartime motion picture produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz, and a wartime musical designed to boost morale in the U.S. during World War II, directed by Sgt. Ezra Stone...
(1943) - Never a Dull Moment (1943)
- Career Girl (1944)
- Memo for Joe (1944) (short subject)
- Dixie Jamboree (1944)
- Girl Rush (1944)
- Radio Stars on Parade (1945)
- People Are Funny (1946)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Victory Show (1946) (short subject)
- The Bamboo BlondeThe Bamboo BlondeThe Bamboo Blonde is a 1946 American film directed by Anthony Mann based on an original story "Chicago Lulu" by Wayne Whittaker, and starring Frances Langford and Ralph Edwards in a patriotic War movie.-Plot:...
(1946) - Beat the Band (1947)
- Melody TimeMelody TimeMelody Time is a 1948 animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on May 27, 1948. Made up of several sequences set to popular music and folk music, the film is, like Make Mine Music before it, the popular music version of Fantasia Melody Time is a 1948...
(1948) (voice) - Deputy Marshal (1949)
- Purple Heart DiaryPurple Heart DiaryPurple Heart Diary is a 1951 drama film directed by Richard Quine. It stars Frances Langford and Judd Holdren.-Cast:*Frances Langford as Herself*Judd Holdren as Lt. Mike McCormick*Ben Lessy as Himself*Tony Romano as Himself...
(1951) - The Glenn Miller StoryThe Glenn Miller StoryThe Glenn Miller Story is a 1954 American film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their first non-western collaboration.-Plot:...
(1953) - Fun at St. Fanny's (1956)
External links
- Frances Langford profile
- Internet Archive: Maxwell House Coffee Time (1947): Frances Langford (13 episodes)
- "Over There" with James Cagney as George M. Cohan and Frances Langford as Nora Bayes