Froman, Jane, 1907-1980

Ellen Jane Froman, American actress and singer, was born on 10 November 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri. Froman graduated in 1926 from Christian College, in Columbia, Missouri with an associate degree in French and then attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Froman did not graduate but went to Cincinnati to study voice at the Conservatory of Music from 1928 to 1930. Before graduation Froman broke into radio singing and doing commercials. Her first big break came when she got a job on the Chesterfield program that also starred Bing Crosby. This led to many other offers, one of which was to sing in the 1933 Ziegfield Follies. In 1934 she was voted the number one girl singer on the air. On 22 February 1943, while on her way to Europe to do a USO tour, Froman's plane crashed in the Tagus River at Lisbon, killing 25 of the 39 people on board. She had a compound fracture of the right leg, the left leg nearly severed below the knee, two broken ribs, and the right arm fractured in several places. She was finally able to return to the United States in April 1943 and underwent several operations. With A Song in My Heart, a film of Froman's life story, was released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1952. It starred Susan Hayward but Froman's voice was dubbed in for the songs. After making many television guest appearances, she was given a show of her own in 1952. Originally called USA Canteen, it was later named The Jane Froman Show and ran for three seasons. More operations became necessary in the mid-1950s, this time for spinal problems. The total number of operations which Froman underwent has been estimated at 39. After these she began to make club and television appearances and continued to record, finally retiring in 1962 at the age of 55.Froman married Rowland H. Smith on 22 June 1962. Jane Froman Smith died in Columbia, Missouri on 22 April 1980.