Singer frances langford biography
Frances Langford won fame on radio (primarily as Bob Hope's vocalist, later sparring comically with Don Ameche as "The Bickersons"), via recordings and in the movies. In spite of the fact that she played mostly in minor musicals (plus appearing occasionally in "A" productions, including Yankee Doodle Dandy (), This Is the Army () and The Glenn Miller Story ()), she introduced major songs like "I'm in the Mood for Love" in Every Night at Eight (), "You are My Lucky Star" and "Broadway Rhythm" in Broadway Melody of (), Cole Porter's "Easy to Love" in Born to Dance () and "Hooray for Hollywood" in Hollywood Hotel ().
BornApril 4,
DiedJuly 11, (92)
Frances Langford
American actress (–)
Frances Langford | |
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Langford in | |
| Born | Julia Frances Newbern-Langford ()April 4, Hernando, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | July 11, () (aged&#;92) Jensen Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years&#;active | – |
| Spouses | Jon Hall &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#;Ralph Evinrude &#; &#; (m.&#;; died&#;)&#;Harold Stuart &#; (m.&#;)&#; |
Julia Frances Newbern-Langford (April 4, – July 11, ) was an American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and made film and television appearances for over two decades.
She was known as the "GI Nightingale", an American armed-forces sweetheart, who entertained troops by frequently touring with Bob Hope.
Discovery
Langford originally trained as an opera singer. While a young girl she required a tonsillectomy that changed her soprano range to a rich contralto. As a result, she was forced to change her vocal approach 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 a local radio show he sponsored.
Actor Dan White played an important role in her discovery. White and Langford were schoolmates. Langford first sang in public in an amateur show that White staged in Lakeland, Florida. It was also White, who was now a seasoned character actor in Hollywood, that suggested to Langford that she go to Hollywood to give pictures a try.
Radio
After a brief stint in the Broadway musical "Here Goes the Bride" in , she moved to Hollywood, appearing on Louella Parsons' radio show Hollywood Hotel while starting a movie career. Singing for radio during the early s she was heard by Rudy Vallée, who invited her to become a regular on his radio show. From In World War II, Bob Hope became the unofficial ambassador to American troops, traveling around the globe to bring entertainment directly to those in service. Some of the most memorable moments of Hope’s shows were due to the female performers in the troupe. To assemble his traveling cast, he leaned on regulars from his radio performances and also called on new talent. Frances Langford was a core member of Hope’s troupe. She joined him on his first performance for troops at March Field in California in May , then toured with him on his initial long overseas tour in the summer of , and then again in By the time Langford joined up with Hope, she was already an established star and vocalist. Langford was born in Florida in Like Hope, she began her career in vaudeville and then followed it up with radio performances. Her rich tone was perfectly suited for love songs, including her signature, “I’m in the Mood for Love.” She debuted the tune in the film comedy, Every Night at Eight, in which she plays a young singer working with a bandleader, Tops Cardona. In , Hope assembled a troupe to undertake a tour for those he called “God’s Frozen People,” in Alaska and the Aleutians. Langford was always at the top of the list. Flying in military transports was risky, accommodations spartan, and they weren’t quite sure what to expect when they arrived at their destinations, but she was game. On the firs &#;I&#;d sing a song, and I could just see the guys getting this faraway expression. I knew they were going home in their minds.&#; -Frances Langford Julia Frances Langford was born in Hernando, Florida, on April 4, , to Vasco Cleveland Langford and Anna Rhea Newbern. The Langford family later moved to Lakeland, Florida, near the Mulberry area, where Langford was raised. Langford grew up on a houseboat situated upon the Miami River and developed a passion for fishing at a young age. She graduated from Lakeland High School and remained in Lakeland to study music at Florida Southern College. Langford originally trained as an opera singer; however, 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, Langford was singing for local dances. During this period, cigar manufacturer Eli Witt heard her sing at an American Legion party and hired her to perform on his local radio show. After a brief stint in the Broadway musical Here Goes the Bride, she moved to Hollywood. There, she appeared on the Louella Parsons radio show Hollywood Hotel, while trying to start a career in film. While singing on a Tampa-based radio station during the early s, she was heard by Rudy Vallee, who invited her to become a regular on his radio show. He would refer to her as, “my little Florida protégé.” As a result, Langford’s career would be closely tied to the radio. From until , she was a frequent performer on Dick Powell’s radio show. With her film debut in Every Night at Eight (), Langford introduced what became her signature song: “I’m in the Mood for Love.” She then began appearing in films such as Broadway Melody of (), in which she popularized “Broadway Rhythm” and “You Are My Lucky Star”; Born to Dance (), which also starred Jimmy Stewart, Eleanor Powell, Buddy Ebsen, and Una Merkel; and Yankee Doodle Dandy ( “When I finished singing, I noticed a nurse coming towards me leading a soldier carrying a bouquet of roses. He presented them to me and said they were just a token of appreciation, not only from the boys but from all the wounded boys I had ever sung for. I can explain the feeling that I had in my heart at that moment. The soldier was not more than 18 years old. He was blind in both eyes and his right arm was gone. It’s things like that that make one feel no matter how much we are doing, it’s still too little.”
— Frances Langford, "Purple Heart Diary"
Frances Langford