Frances Langford-RIP

Sorry to be the bearer of this news....

Frances Langford, who sang steamy I'm in the Mood for Love, dead at 91

By TERRY SPENCER
Associated Press
Posted July 11 2005, 1:33 PM EDT

MIAMI -- Frances Langford, whose steamy rendition of ``I'm in the Mood for Love'' captivated soldiers when she was part of Bob Hope's USO tours during World War II, died Monday at the age of 92.

Langford had been ill with congestive heart failure and died at her home in Jensen Beach, said her lawyer, Evans Crary Jr.

Langford, a recording artist, radio star and actress from the 1930s to 1950s, joined Hope's troupe to boost wartime morale at military bases and hospitals in Great Britain, Italy, North Africa and the South Pacific. She also entertained new generations of soldiers in Korea and Vietnam.

Even with her hair swept up in a bandanna, the 5-foot-1 singer was a glamorous vision of home and became known as the ``Sweetheart of the Fighting Fronts.''

Her trademark was I'm in the Mood for Love,'' written for her for the 1935 movie Every Night at Eight.''

Langford appeared in 30 Hollywood movies, including Broadway Melody,'' Yankee Doodle Dandy'' and The Hit Parade.'' She played herself in her final film, 1954's The Glenn Miller Story.''

She was also known for her role as the insufferable wife, Blanche, opposite Don Ameche on the popular 1940s radio comedy ``The Bickersons.''

She recalled in interviews decades later that 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,'' Langford told The Associated Press in January 2002.

She was a charming person, very warm-hearted,'' said Crary, who had known her for more than 70 years. She was very interested in other people and appreciative of their interest in her.''

Born in Lakeland in April 1913, Langford was discovered by bandleader Rudy Vallee when he was in Florida for a performance, and he invited her to be a guest on his radio program.

After a brief stint in the Broadway musical Here Goes the Bride'' in 1931, she moved to Hollywood, where she appeared on Louella Parsons' radio show Hollywood Hotel'' and began to appear in movies.

She was singing on Hope's ``Pepsodent Show'' when he held his first military program at March Field in Riverside, Calif., in 1941. The response was so positive he continued broadcasting from training bases and asked Langford to join him. Soon there were enough soldiers overseas to bring his variety show to them.

Langford wrote a daily newspaper column, ``Purple Heart Diary,'' about her war experiences and later starred in a movie of the same name.

Her first marriage was to actor Jon Hall, who appeared in films such as The Hurricane'' and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.''

After World War II, she was singing in nightclubs when she met outboard motor heir Ralph Evinrude. They married in 1955 and moved to her 400-acre estate in Jensen Beach, 100 miles north of Miami.

The couple built a Polynesian-themed restaurant and marina on the Indian River called the Outrigger Resort. She entertained locals and celebrities, including Hope, until Evinrude died in 1986 and she sold the property.

Langford kept up her pastimes of boating and sport fishing and her collection of mounted tuna, marlin and other fish adorns the wall of the Florida Oceanographic Society's visitor center in nearby Stuart that is named after her.

In 1994, she married Harold Stuart, assistant secretary of the Air Force under Harry Truman. They spent summers on Canada's Georgian Island, traveling from Florida aboard her 110-foot yacht.

She is survived by her husband. She had no children.

Whenever I hear about a "famous" member of the World War II generation slipping away it brings to mind the sad fact that this great group of people who fought, sacrificed, and many of who died 60 years ago are disappearing at an alarming rate. These men and women put their personal lives on hold to fight, and in Mrs. Langford's case helped boost the morale, simply because it was what needed to be done. Many people have the naive vision that all who served did so to fight for the honor of their countries when in fact it was what was required of them in a time of need. It was a job that needed to be done and thankfully they did it with valor and unwavering courage unbeknownst to them at the time.

In 1993 I was fortunate to have been vacationing in Europe and was in Paris to witness a parade commemorating the 50th Anniversary of D-Day. At the time I had a small interest in WWII but I never stopped to consider that the "old guys," many of which were also neighbors and relatives at the time, were actually responsible for saving the world so long ago. As I watched the parade, which was nothing more that gray and white haired American veterans marching up the Champs Elysées to the Arc de Triumphe, I had my first realization of what I owed to these men. Some of the former fighting men wore their dress uniforms, some of them were walking with the aid of canes and some unable to make the march were pushed in wheelchairs but, the one thing they all had in common was an undeniable sense of proud humbleness that brought tears to my eyes. Since that day I haven't forgotten what an amazing generation of people they are and I have the utmost respect for what their sacrifices and accomplishments have done to make the world a better place.

Sadly now the WWII veterans that used to be in my life in various forms have all but disappeared... we are actually witnessing the loss of a piece of our collective history and sadly one of these days we'll probably see a little blurb on the national news that the last know living veteran of World War II has passed away and the walking history that once surrounded us will then be relegated solely to the history books.

Frances Langford is definitely an important component of the World War II generation and the work she did in those times, providing a taste of home to those longing for what they left behind, was a noble and worthwhile cause that deserves to be recognized. Yes it is a sad day for tiki in the fact that the Outrigger was supposed to have been quite a spot in its heyday and an even sadder day for a world as a whole that owes "the long forgotten" Frances Langford a thank you.

What a nice post. Something worth reading.

Thank You

On 2005-07-11 11:50, Kentiki wrote:
Sorry to be the bearer of this news....

Frances Langford, who sang steamy I'm in the Mood for Love, dead at 91

By TERRY SPENCER
Associated Press
Posted July 11 2005, 1:33 PM EDT

MIAMI -- Frances Langford, whose steamy rendition of ``I'm in the Mood for Love'

I can't hear that song without thinking of the film "A Clockwork Orange".

Its just my sick mind.

Aloha and R.I.P crooner. Or would it be songstriss?

[ Edited by: AlienTiki 2005-07-12 03:01 ]

I was very sad when Ken sent me her obituary. I always wanted to meet her, and now she's gone. The walls of my home office are covered with Frances Langford and Jon Hall lobby cards and sheet music. Everything I have ever seen or read about her can be summed up as "she was a class act".

Here's some photos and biographical information I posted about her earlier this year.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=13970&forum=2&vpost=150496&hilite=frances langford

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff 2005-07-12 10:05 ]

i found some 78's by Frances on sale ~ i'm not sure its a good price, but if a TC member is interested, i'd be willing to pick up and mail these to you. also 2 LPs by Bob Eberly.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/clt/87934103.html

a: When Hilo Hattie Does The Hilo Hop
b: Kuu Ipo (My Sweetheart)
Decca Records

a: Please Don't Play Number 6Tonight
b: Pretty Soon
Americaan Recording Artists

a: Get Out Of Town
b: From Now On
Decca Records

a: Tropical Magic
b: White Blossoms of Tah-ni
Decca Records

a: In Waikiki
b: White Ginger Blossoms
Decca Records

a: The Man With The Mandolin
b: Echoes of Hawaii
Decca Records

a: Silhouetted In The Moonlight
b: Can't Teach My Old Heart New Tricks
Decca Records

a: So Many Memories
b: Stardust On The Moon
Decca Records

I have all of the Hawaiian/South Seas discs you listed. They're all good. If anyone else has a taste for pre-tiki era Hawaiian music, I recommend them.
KG

RIP indeed. Many blessings to him and his family left behind.

I have shivers though, seriously. Because our Aunt Claire passed away on the 13th of the very same month. (Actually Steve's great-aunt. But she was "Aunt Claire" to me too). And "Im In The Mood For Love" was her very favorite song of all time. She was constantly singing it. At the funeral, her son tearfully hummed bits at pieces of it, because he missed her. Then we all wondered aloud about who it was that originally performed it, and no one was quite sure. I asked "Do you think whomever did is up in heaven with Aunt Claire right now?" and we all smiled at the thought of them up there singing it together.

I had no idea that she had passed away only 2 days before...

May they both RIP, and be having a party to that song up in paradise... and may there be plenty of palm trees there and only the yummiest tiki drinks and the most beautiful sunsets...

[ Edited by: Tikilicious 2005-08-03 05:16 ]

[ Edited by: Kon-Hemsby 2005-08-03 05:22 ]

Thanks for the info. My father will be very saddened by this as most of his war friends are now gone. It does give us another reason to talk about "those" days though and for that I can be a little happy.