Evening star., 1941-08-03
Sings for Her Supper, and Plenty of 1t
1t Takes Lot of Groceries, Jane Froman Declares
To Fuel for Five and Six Swing Shows Day
BY Vesta Keeling.
Associated Press Staff Writer.
NEW WORK.

NEW YIN.
Jane Froman. radio and vaude-
vile canary. has been singing for
her supper for about Is years {.
all the way from The st. Louis
Blues" to The Hut Sut Song.
and eating regularly every inch of
the way.
While the feature picture was
being run off at the Paramount
Theater the other afternoon. she
was engaged in fortifying herself
with shrimp chop suev sent TO her
dressing room from Sardi's.
Five shows a day and six on Sat-
urdayS and Sundays at the Para
mount, stronghold of Broadway jit-
terbugs who might feel like tossing
tomatoes if they were offered bal
lads instead of swing. takes plenty
of groceries, Jane declares.
She has just completed five
straight weeks there. her ninth en-
gagement in this house in as many
years. which breaks some sort of
record.
Studied journalism.
Passing a box of chocolate creams,
Jane declared that she turned into
a radio singer rather than an opera
star. an earlier ambition. because
she hates not eating well.
AT the University of Missouri,
from which she was graduated.
Jane majored in journalism. but
she thinks it's much more <un being
interviewed than interviewing.
Asked what year of her profess
sional life she regarded as its high
point, she recalled that in the sea-
son of 1934-5 she sang on four top
commercial programs.
For canarying total of 80 min
utes week. she was earning plenty.
"Brother!" breathed Jane. ut
was indeed folding money!"
Jane sang two or three numbers,
which totaled six minutes on the
air, on three half-hour programs
and II minutes on an hour pro-
gram.
You can see her point. Playing
a movie house is fun, but it's work.
Sang in Church.
At the Paramount Jane first goes
on at noon. She arises at about 10
am, leaves her Manhattan apart
ment and remains at the theater
until her last show at 9:19. Week
ends there's another at lis.
Between performances she knits
socks cher husband wears them,
listens to the radio, sees her friends
and has trays sent up.
She was christened Ellen Jane
when born in st. Louis. Mo. Her
father died when she was only 5
and her mother sent her to a con-
vent at Clinton, Mo, where she re-
manned until she was II. Her
first professional experience was
singing in a church there, for which
she was paid 81.
All the time Jane was studying
about writing for the papers she
was singing the leads in college
musicals.
The st. Louis Blues" paid her
way through the Conservatory of
Music at Cincinnati, which she
entered after saying farewell to
Journalism.
She got into radio by accident. At
a party one night in Cincinnati she
was invited to sing when Powell
Crosley, Station WLW executive, was
present. Within a year she was
singing % broadcasts week. featur-
ing the famous old torch number,
and making as high as $40 weekly.
Program of Her Own.
Paul Whiteman, then in Chicago,
frequently caught the young vocal
lists broadcasts and finally invited
her for an addition.
The bid arrived while Jane was in
a hospital convalescing from ton
silectomy and had been advised not
to sing for year.
Of she went to Chicago, anyway.
and broke her ankle the day she ar
rived. In spite Of the pain she was
carried into the studio and sang