Jeanie Lang

Jeanie Lang, born Mary Eugenia Wirick on December 17, 1911, in St. Louis, Missouri, was an American actress and singer whose career spanned stage, screen, and radio. She grew up with three older brothers and attended Maplewood High School in St. Louis, where she gained her earliest performing experience on local stages.

Lang's path to national recognition began during a family trip to California, when she and her relatives toured Universal Studios. There she encountered bandleader Paul Whiteman, who was in the midst of producing the 1930 color film King of Jazz. Following a screen test and a microphone test, Lang was cast in the production, contributing vocals on two songs performed with Whiteman and his orchestra: "Ragamuffin Romeo" and "I Like to Do Things for You." The film became her most prominent screen credit. She also appeared in the short films Freshman Love in 1931 and The Way of All Freshmen in 1933.

Her stage work brought her to Broadway, where she appeared in 1930 and later in the musical Ballyhoo of 1932. Beyond Broadway, she performed as part of the program at the Brooklyn Paramount theater in 1933 and appeared alongside Buddy Rogers at the Chicago Theatre in 1934.

Radio became a significant part of Lang's professional life during the early 1930s. In December 1932, she served as the featured female singer when the comedy duo Stoopnagle and Budd launched a new comedy revue series on CBS. The following year, she performed on NBC Radio's Musical Grocery Store alongside comedian Tom Howard and the vocal group the Three X Sisters. She also appeared on broadcasts featuring Jack Denny's orchestra, whose program launched in September 1933. A newly resurfaced radio transcription preserves her vocal performance of the song "Rumble Seat."

Lang was married to Arthur C. Langkamer, who died in 1986. She died on September 19, 1993, in Broward, Florida.