In Remembrance: Frances Langford

     Frances Langford, the 1930s and 40s singer and actress, has passed away on July 11, 2005 in Jensen Beach, Florida. She was 92.

     Born on April 4, 1913 in Lakeland, Florida, Langford’s singing career almost ended before it began when a tonsil operation while she was a teenager shifted her operatic voice to a more throaty tone. However, Langford’s mother, a concert pianist, encouraged her to continue singing. Vaudeville performances earned her the notice of singer Rudy Vallee, who booked her onto his radio show. Langford then landed a small part in a short-lived Broadway show, which lead to more radio appearances and finally to films.

     In 1935, Langford made her feature film debut – she had previously appeared in the 1932 short subject A Subway Symphony – in the musical comedy Every Evening At Eight, where she sang what would become her biggest hit, “I’m In The Mood For Love.” The song was such a sensation that she reprised it the following year for Palm Springs.

     Although Langford considered herself more of a singer than an actress, she appeared in over 30 films during her career. Most of her film appearances were in musical comedies including Hit Parade Of 1937 (1937), Hollywood Hotel (1937), Too Many Girls (1941), Hit Parade Of 1941 (1941) and Yankee Doodle Dandy (1941).

     During World War II, Langford earned the nickname “Sweetheart of the Fighting Fronts” for her tireless touring of Europe, Africa and the Pacific with comedian Bob Hope to entertain the American troops. She would recount that every time she sang “I’m In The Mood For Love” for a new group of GIs, one soldier would invariably stand up and yell “You’ve come to the right place, sister!” Frances would also write a newspaper column about her experiences overseas called “Purple Heart Diaries,” which was turned into a film in 1951. She also entertained troops in the Korean War in 1952 and the Vietnam War in 1966.

     In addition to her film work, Langford appeared with Don Amache as the constantly quarreling couple the Bickerson on the radio comedy series of the same name.

     Langford’s last appearance was playing herself in the 1954 bio-pic The Glenn Miller Story. She retired from motion pictures in 1955 to marry outboard motor heir Ralph Evinrude.