Singin' and Dancing Back in Time.: Singer: Frances Langford.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Singer: Frances Langford.

Frances Langford (April 4, 1913 – July 11, 2005), was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and also made film appearances over two decades. Langford originally trained as an opera singer. While a young girl she required a tonsillectomy that changed her soprano range to a contralto. 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.

With her film debut in, Every Night at Eight (1935) she introduced what became her signature song: "I'm in the Mood for Love." her other films include: Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), Born to Dance (1936),Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Glenn Miller Story(1953) where she sang "Chattanooga Choo Choo" with the Modernaires and the movie orchestra.

From 1941, Langford was a regular singer on Bob Hope's radio show. During World War II, she joined Hope, Jerry Colonna, 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.

Also, during the war, Langford wrote a weekly column for Hearst Newspapers, entitled "Purple Heart Diary,".

Her association with Hope continued into the 1980s. In 1989 she joined him for a USO tour to entertain troops in the Persian Gulf.

Filmography:

The Subway Symphony (1932) (short subject)
Every Night at Eight (1935)
Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)
Collegiate (1936)
Palm Springs (1936)
Born to Dance (1936)
Hit Parade of 1937 (1937)
Hollywood Hotel (1937)
Dreaming Out Loud (1940)
Too Many Girls (1940)
Hit Parade of 1941 (1940)
Swing It Soldier (1941)
All American Co-Ed (1941)
Mississippi Gambler (1942)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Follow the Band (1943)
Cowboy in Manhattan (1943)
This Is the Army (1943)
Never a Dull Moment (1943)
Career Girl (1944)
Dixie Jamboree (1944)
Girl Rush (1944)
Radio Stars on Parade (1945)
People Are Funny (1946)
The Bamboo Blonde (1946)
Beat the Band (1947)
Melody Time (1948) (voice)
Deputy Marshal (1949)
Purple Heart Diary (1951)
The Glenn Miller Story (1953)
Fun at St. Fanny's (1956)

3 comments:

David LoboscoFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:38 AM
Actually her name is Frances Langford. :)
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DawnMarch 1, 2011 at 6:06 AM
Lobosco, Thank you. I used her middle name. :(
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David LoboscoMarch 1, 2011 at 12:45 PM
It's a great story! I am new to blogging, and when I post in the morning - it seems like I post some real interesting things!
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