Jane Froman
Jane Froman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ellen Jane Froman Template:Birth date University City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 1980 (aged 72) Columbia, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, actress |
| Years active | 1929–1961 |
| Known for | American vocalist and actress; subject of the film With a Song in My Heart |
| Notable work | With a Song in My Heart (film), Jane Froman's U.S.A. Canteen (TV show) |
Ellen Jane Froman (November 10, 1907 – April 22, 1980) was a distinguished American vocalist and actress. Despite enduring persistent health complications resulting from a 1943 airplane accident, she maintained an active presence in theater, radio, and television for over three decades.
Her remarkable story served as the basis for the 1952 motion picture With a Song in My Heart, featuring Susan Hayward in the lead role, who received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her portrayal.
Early life and education
Froman was born in University City, Missouri, the daughter of Elmer Ellsworth Froman and Anna Tillman (Barcafer). She spent her formative years in Clinton, Missouri. When she was about five years old, her father vanished and was later confirmed to have passed away in Los Angeles in 1936. Following this, her mother remarried William Hetzler. Froman struggled with a stutter throughout her life, which notably did not affect her singing.[1]
In 1919, she relocated with her mother to Columbia, Missouri, a place she regarded as home. At the age of thirteen, she performed a piano and vocal recital at Christian College,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name now known as Columbia College (Missouri), where her mother was the head of vocal studies.[2] After graduating from Christian College in 1926, she pursued studies at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.[2] By 1928, Froman was enrolled at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, focusing on voice until 1930.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Radio
Although trained in classical singing, Froman’s early career gravitated toward popular music influenced by composers such as George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin. During an audition at Cincinnati’s WLW radio station, she met vaudeville artist Don Ross. Her initial broadcast on WLW occurred on October 9, 1929, on the King Taste nightclub show. She made her debut on a national network with NBC on July 31, 1931, appearing on the Sunday afternoon Florsheim Frolic program. On July 4, 1937, Froman and Ross launched their own series on the NBC Red Network, which aired thirteen episodes as a summer substitute for The Jack Benny Program.
Froman became a featured vocalist with Henry Thies' orchestra and recorded several tracks with Thies under RCA Victor. Recognizing her potential for stardom, Ross took on the role of her informal manager and encouraged her to relocate to Chicago where he worked at NBC radio. They wed in 1933. That same year, Froman moved to New York City and appeared alongside Bing Crosby on Chesterfield's Music that Satisfies radio show. On January 4, 1948, following recovery from a serious U.S.O. airplane crash (detailed below), she secured a regular spot on The Pause That Refreshes, a Sunday evening music program sponsored by Coca-Cola on CBS.
Ziegfeld Follies
In 1933, Froman became part of the prestigious Ziegfeld Follies, where she developed a friendship with fellow performer Fannie Brice. By 1934, at age twenty-seven, she had been voted the leading "girl singer." Composer and producer Billy Rose reportedly ranked her among his top ten female vocalists, placing her first. This acclaim was echoed by radio listeners who named her "the number-one female singer on the radio" that same year.
Film and television
Froman's filmography includes three movies: Kissing Time (1933), Stars Over Broadway (1935), and Radio City Revels (1938). Beginning October 15, 1952, she served as the host of the CBS series Jane Froman's U.S.A. Canteen, which showcased performances by armed forces entertainers alongside Froman herself. In late 1953, the program was renamed The Jane Froman Show and continued until its conclusion on June 23, 1955.
The song I Believe, penned for Froman by Ervin Drake and collaborators, became the first hit track introduced via television and earned her a gold record in 1953.
U.S.O. airplane crash
On February 22, 1943, Froman sustained critical injuries when the Yankee Clipper, a Boeing 314 flying boat operated by Pan Am, crashed while landing on Lisbon’s Tagus River during a USO tour. She suffered a nearly severed left leg below the knee and multiple fractures to her right arm and leg. Notably, she had given her seat to singer Tamara Drasin, who tragically perished in the accident.
John Curtis Burn, the fourth officer aboard, assisted in keeping Froman afloat on an improvised raft. Both were later treated together at the same rehabilitation facility.
Within a year of the accident, Froman made a Broadway comeback in Artists and Models, performing with a wheelchair and leg brace after undergoing thirteen surgeries. Over time, she faced a total of thirty-nine operations, resisted amputation, and wore a leg brace permanently.
Despite using crutches in 1945, she completed ninety-five performances entertaining American troops throughout Europe. She later confronted and overcame addictions to pain medication and alcohol. In 1949, Froman received treatment for depression at the Menninger Clinic in Kansas during a six-month residency.
On March 1, 1953, she appeared as a celebrity guest on What's My Line, where panelist Hal Block revealed he had been booked on the same ill-fated flight.
Together with fellow survivor Gypsy Markoff and attorney Harry A. Gair, renowned for aviation accident litigation, Froman filed suit against Pan Am. A private law enacted in 1958 under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act awarded her $23,403.58 for her injuries.
With a Song in My Heart and later career
Froman’s remarkable story was adapted into the 1952 film With a Song in My Heart, featuring Susan Hayward portraying her. Froman provided her own singing voice for the film and acted as technical consultant. The Capitol Records album accompanying the movie, also titled With a Song in My Heart, became the best-selling album of 1952 and remained available for many years. In 2003, DRG Records reissued it on CD paired with the 1952 revival cast recording of Pal Joey, where Froman performed as Vera Simpson.
In 1996, Collectors' Choice Music released Jane Froman on Capitol, compiling her singles and album tracks recorded for Capitol Records. Later, London-based Jasmine Records issued the 1998 CD My Heart Speaks, which includes twenty-one of her recordings.
Following the end of Jane Froman's U.S.A. Canteen in 1956, she continued to make appearances on various television shows and performed live on stage in Las Vegas.
Family
Jane Froman, the sole surviving offspring of Anna T. Barcafer and Elmer Ellsworth Froman, entered into marriage with Donald McKaig Ross in 1933; their union concluded with a divorce in 1948. That same year, she wed John Burn, though this marriage also ended in divorce by 1956. Subsequently, she relocated back to Columbia, Missouri, where on June 22, 1962, she married her college acquaintance Rowland Hawes Smith.
Life after stardom
After retiring in 1961 to her residence in Columbia, Missouri, Froman continued to engage actively in volunteer efforts. She lent her support to organizations such as the Easter Seals campaign and the Missouri Mental Health Association.
Her retirement was briefly interrupted in 1969 when she performed in a holiday program at Arrow Rock, Missouri. This event was organized to benefit the Jane Froman Music Camp, an initiative she founded aimed at fostering young musical talent.
Death
On April 22, 1980, Froman passed away at the age of 72 in Columbia, Missouri, succumbing to cardiac arrest related to long-standing heart and lung ailments. She had not fully recovered from injuries sustained in a car accident on December 24, 1979. Her funeral service took place at Calvary Episcopal Church in Columbia on April 25, and she was laid to rest in Columbia Cemetery.
Charitable service
In 1957, Froman created the Jane Froman Foundation to provide financial assistance to the children's hospital at the Menninger Clinic, with substantial funding sourced from her fan clubs. She was also deeply involved as a volunteer with groups like Easter Seals and the Missouri Mental Health Association.
Legacy
Celebrated for her unique contralto vocal style, Froman’s life story has been documented in three biographies. Among these are Ilene Stone’s One Little Candle: Remembering Jane Froman and Jane Froman, Missouri's First Lady of Song, as well as Barbara Seuling’s Say It With Music – The Life and Legacy of Jane Froman, published in 2007 to commemorate her centennial.
To honor her 100th birthday anniversary, Columbia hosted The Jane Froman Centennial Celebration in November 2007. During this event, Mayor Darwin Hindman proclaimed November 10 as "Jane Froman Day." A newly released DVD edition of With a Song in My Heart, featuring additional segments, premiered at the celebration and is distributed by Fox Home Entertainment.
Froman was honored with three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her outstanding contributions in Radio (6321 Hollywood Blvd.), Recording (6145 Hollywood Blvd.), and Television (1645 Vine Street).
Discography
| Title | Collaborators | Label | Release Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a Song in My Heart | None | Capitol Records | 1952 |
| Souvenir Album | None | Decca Records | 1952 |
| Yours Alone | None | Capitol Records | 1953 |
| Jane Froman and Orchestra | None | Royale Records | 1954 |
| Gems from Gershwin | Felix Knight, Sunny Skylar | RCA Victor | 1954 |
| Faith | None | Capitol Records | 1956 |
| Songs at Sunset | None | Capitol Records | 1957 |
| A Right to Sing the Blues | None | AEI Records | 1980 |
| Moonlight and Roses | Lanny Ross | Royale Records | Unknown |
| Title | Collaborators | Label | Year Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Melancholy Baby" / "Lost in a Fog" | None | Decca Records | 1934 |
| "Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!" / "Tonight" | None | Columbia Records | 1941 |
| "My Bill" / "O sole mio" | Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra, Nino Martini | V-Disc | 1946 |
| "For You, for Me, for Evermore" / "A Garden in the Rain" | None | Majestic Records | 1946 |
| "You, So It's You!" / "Linger in My Arms a Little Longer, Baby" | Jerry Gray And His Orchestra | Majestic Records | 1946 |
| "I Got Lost in His Arms" / "Millionaires Don't Whistle" | Jerry Gray And His Orchestra | Majestic Records | 1946 |
| "I Like the Sunrise" / "For Every Man There's a Woman" / "What Is This Thing Called Love?" | Duke Ellington And His Orchestra, Percy Faith And Orchestra | V-Disc | 1948 |
| "I'll Walk Alone" | None | Capitol Records | 1952 |
| "Wish You Were Here" / "Mine" | None | Capitol Records | 1952 |
| "Who's Your Little Who-Zis!" / "Hands Across the Table" | Dean Martin | Capitol Records | 1952 |
Filmography
| Title | Character | Director | Release Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kissing Time | Miss Sullivan | Roy Mack | 1933 |
| Stars Over Broadway | Joan Garrett | William Keighley | 1935 |
| Radio City Revels | Jane Froman | Benjamin Stoloff | 1938 |
Broadway Credits
| Production | Role(s) | Venue | Number of Performances | Premiere Date | Final Performance Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ziegfeld Follies of 1934 | A Little Woman, The Bride, Vocalist for "Suddenly," "Moon About Town," "Green Eyes" | Winter Garden Theatre | 182 | Jan 4, 1934 | Jun 9, 1934 |
| Keep Off the Grass | The Girl, Vocalist for "This Is Spring," "Clear Out of This World," "Look Out For My Heart," "This is Winter" | Broadhurst Theatre | 44 | May 23, 1940 | Jun 29, 1940 |
| Laugh, Town, Laugh! | Cast Member | Alvin Theatre | 65 | Jun 22, 1942 | Jul 25, 1942 |
| Artists and Models [1943] | Cast Member | Broadway Theatre (53rd Street) | 27 | Nov 5, 1943 | Nov 27, 1943 |
See also
References
Further reading
External links
- 1907 births
- 1980 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- 20th-century American singers
- Actresses from Missouri
- Columbia College (Missouri) alumni
- University of Missouri alumni
- Actors from Columbia, Missouri
- Hickman High School alumni
- American contraltos
- American film actresses
- American television actresses
- Burials at Columbia Cemetery (Columbia, Missouri)
- Singers from Columbia, Missouri
- 20th-century American women singers
- Majestic Records artists
- Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents