Overview (5)
| Born | in Lakeland, Florida, USA |
| Died | in Jensen Beach, Florida, USA (congestive heart failure) |
| Birth Name | Frances Newbern |
| Nickname | Sweetheart of the Fighting Fronts |
| Height | 5' (1.52 m) |
Mini Bio (1)
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 (1942), This Is the Army (1943) and The Glenn Miller Story (1954)), she introduced major songs like "I'm in the Mood for Love" in Every Night at Eight (1935), "You are My Lucky Star" and "Broadway Rhythm" in Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), Cole Porter's "Easy to Love" in Born to Dance (1936) and "Hooray for Hollywood" in Hollywood Hotel (1937).
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>
Spouse (3)
| Harold Stuart | (18 November 1994 - 11 July 2005) ( her death) |
| Ralph Evinrude | (6 October 1955 - 1986) ( his death) |
| Jon Hall | (4 June 1934 - 1955) ( divorced) |
Trivia (15)
She gave her last public concert in 1966 during a tour for the US forces in Vietnam.
Former daughter-in-law of actor Felix Locher.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald S. Smith, pg. 51-53 (article titled "The Bickersons"). New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
Teamed up with Don Ameche on radio and on record albums as a battling married couple in the "The Bickersons" (called "Drene Time" when program was sponsored by Drene Shampoo [1946-1947]).
Her steamy rendition of "I'm in the Mood for Love" (from her movie Every Night at Eight (1935)) was her trademark, and captivated soldiers when she was part of Bob Hope's USO tours during World War II.
She divorced first husband Jon Hall but they remained friends until his suicide in 1979; she was left a widow in 1986 by second husband Ralph Evinrude, whose family made the famous outboard motors; third husband Harold Stuart, a former assistant secretary of the Air Force under President Truman, survived her. She had no children.
Frances was very fond of fishing and enjoyed her last years on a 57-acre estate in Rio, Fla. She and husband Harold spent much of their time on a yacht called "The Chanticleer." Among her many charitable causes included the Florida Oceanographic Society on Hutchinson Island, where a visitor center is named for her.
During one of their USO tours, she and Bob Hope were forced to leap out of a jeep to avoid fire from a German fighter plane. They both jumped to safety in a culvert, with Frances landing on top of Bob. Another time they spent the night in the basement of a hotel in Algiers as bombs burst above them.
Teamed up with Don Ameche on radio and on record albums as a battling married couple in "The Bickersons".
According to Bob Hope, the biggest laugh he ever heard from an audience occurred in 1944 at a USO show for young Marine troops on a remote South Pacific island. When Frances Langford sang the first line of her song, "I'm in the Mood for Love", a Marine in the audience stood up and shouted, "You've come to the right place, honey!".
In 1953, Frances again entertained troops with the USO, this time in Korea.
She was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 1525 Vine Street and for Motion Pictures at 1500 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
During World War II, she wrote a weekly column for Hearst Newspapers called "Purple Heart Diary," in which she described her USO visits to wounded soldiers in hospitals in the U.S. and overseas. She used the column to provide a "voice" for the soldiers, relaying their feelings, gripes, and complaints to the general public.
While on a USO tour with Bob Hope in the South Pacific, she was invited to take a ride in a U.S. army fighter plane. During the flight over South Pacific islands, the fighter pilot spotted a Japanese cargo ship. The "tour flight" had to be put on hold while the pilot strafed the ship, while Frances Langford sat "completely terrified" in the back seat.
The first complete biography of her was published in 2017, written by Ben Ohmart, who also wrote books on Don Ameche and The Bickersons. Frances was a part of the battling Bickersons comedy team for years, with co-star Don Ameche.
Personal Quotes (2)
"Entertaining the troops was the greatest thing in my life. We were there just to do our job, to help make them laugh and be happy if they could." (January 2002)
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. -- Interview, 2000
