Frances Langford

Frances Langford
promo photo 1946
Born	(1913-04-04)April 4, 1913 Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
Died	July 11, 2005(2005-07-11) (aged 92) Jensen Beach, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Singer, actress
Years active	1931–1956
Spouse(s)	Jon Hall (1934–1955) Ralph Evinrude (1955–1986) Harold Stuart (1994–2005; her death)

Julia Frances Langford (April 4, 1913 – July 11, 2005) was an American singer and entertainer who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and also made film appearances over two decades.

Born in Hernando, Florida, a small town in Citrus County, Florida, she was the daughter of Anna Rhea Newbern and her husband, Vasco Cleveland Langford. The Langford family later moved to Lakeland, Florida, where Frances grew up. She graduated from Lakeland High School and studied music at Florida Southern College, also in Lakeland.

Frances grew up in the Mulberry, Florida area, a tiny community near Lakeland. She attended Lakeland High School. Langford originally trained as an opera singer. 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. After a brief stint in the Broadway musical "Here Goes the Bride" in 1931, she moved to Hollywood appearing on the Louella Parsons' radio show "'Hollywood Hotel' while starting a movie career. 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 as the insufferable wife, Blanche, on The Bickersons.