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From an unknown date thought to be in 1933. One of the oldest surviving recordings from Lum and Abner. Sponsored by Ford.
As we look in on Pine Ridge tonight, we find the school house all decked out and ready for the big dance. Lum announces the festivities and that the Friday night format is a regular fixture. The band plays a fanfare and Lum talks with Abner just before a yodeling tune is presented.
After a few moments of joking around between Lum and Abner, a nice harmonica tune is played. Lum introduces the next singer who sings in a clear baritone voice, Home on the Range.
Lum calls on the next group, a woman’s quartet to sing, Bird in a Gilded Cage. Lum and Abner follow up by doing some more joking around, then invite a very young Francis Langford on stage.
Francis sings, Young and Healthy. The song ends, and so does the show.
Note: Hey, what happened to the series that had been playing? What happened to Lum, and his trouble with the court, and the Blue-Sky Laws? Did he ever track down Squire?
All good questions, but from this point there just aren’t any more episodes of Lum and Abner from this period. Through 1936 to 1938 the available shows skip around with lots of empty periods. Through the upcoming months, I’ll play them as I can squeeze them in, but a regular string of shows won’t pick up again until early 1938 or so. Stay tuned, and enjoy the interspersed Vic and Sade shows that will begin to appear.
PS: Francis Langford was a popular singer, and though at this time she was fairly unknown, she would have been 20 years old at the time of this recording, she would have a long singing career. Francis was also known for her making many USO tours with Bob Hope to entertain the troops just 10 years later during World War 2. According to Wikipedia, her career spanned from 1932 to 1956, and she passed away at the age of 92 in 2005. In addition, 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. While singing for radio during the early 1930’s, 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 on The Bickersons.
