Julia Frances Langford (April 4, 1913 â€" July 11, 2005) was an
American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of
Radio and made film appearances for over two decades. She was known as
the "GI Nightingale," a forces sweetheart, who entertained troops
touring often with Bob Hope.Langford was born in Hernando, Florida, a
small town in Citrus County, to Vasco Cleveland Langford and Anna Rhea
(Newbern). The Langford family later moved to the Mulberry area, a
tiny community near Lakeland, where Frances grew up. She graduated
from Lakeland High School and studied music at Florida Southern
College, also in Lakeland. She was a diminutive five-foot-one-inch
(155 cm) tall.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. 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. 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 radio comedy The Bickersons.
American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of
Radio and made film appearances for over two decades. She was known as
the "GI Nightingale," a forces sweetheart, who entertained troops
touring often with Bob Hope.Langford was born in Hernando, Florida, a
small town in Citrus County, to Vasco Cleveland Langford and Anna Rhea
(Newbern). The Langford family later moved to the Mulberry area, a
tiny community near Lakeland, where Frances grew up. She graduated
from Lakeland High School and studied music at Florida Southern
College, also in Lakeland. She was a diminutive five-foot-one-inch
(155 cm) tall.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. 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. 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 radio comedy The Bickersons.
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