FRANCES LANGFORD - CONTRACT SIGNED 06/29/1946 - HFSID 178226

FRANCES LANGFORD. Carbon Typed DS: "Frances Langford" in ink on page 4 and initialed: "F.L." twice, 4p, 8½x13. No place, 1946 June 29. Langford signs a one-year contract with Mercury Records. In part: "AGREEMENT made this 29th day of June, 1946 by and between MERCURY RADIO AND TELEVISION CORP. with offices at 228 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois, hereinafter called 'Mercury' and Frances Langford in care of William Morris Agency, Inc., 1270 Avenue of the Americas, New York 20, N.Y. hereinafter called 'Artist'. 1. The Artist hereby grants and Mercury engages the Artist's personal services as vocalist in connection with the production of phonograph records. 2. The period of this contract shall be one year commencing with the date hereof. The Artist agrees to record during the term of this contract and Mercury agrees to accept commercially satisfactory master records of a minimum of twelve record sides which are to be chosen by Mercury and are to be subject to approval by the Artist...Mercury will designate the accompaniment for the Artist's recordings hereunder...and Mercury will pay the cost of such accompaniment and the cost of orchestrations, not, however, exceeding Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($750.) for each recording of two sides...Mercury will pay to the Artist for the rights granted herein...a royalty of five percent (5%) of the retail list price in the country of manufacture of all records sold embodying performances on both sides thereof and one-half (1/2) the amount of such royalty of all records sold embodying performances hereunder on only one side...Mercury guarantees to the Artist royalty payments of a minimum of Seventy-five hundred Dollars ($7500.) during the period of one year from and after the date of the commencement of this contract...The Artist grants to Mercury the option to renew this contract for two (2) additional one year periods upon all the terms and conditions contained herein...." Langford has initialed at left margin on the first page and on page 2 next to typed additions to the contract. Also signed by the President of Mercury Radio and Television Corp. In the year she signed this contract, Langford appeared in two feature films: The Bamboo Blonde and People Are Funny. Actress and band singer Frances Langford (1914-2005) was a radio star of the 1940s, performing on her own show, with Bob Hope and paired with Don Ameche in the comedic The Bickersons. Her best film work includes Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). Langford's musical repertoire featured show tunes and pop standards. On thin paper, which is lightly creased with folds, not at signatures. 3½-inch diagonal tears at upper portions of all pages, touching 3 lines of type (all legible). Staple holes at upper left corners and margins, 2 file holes at upper blank margins of all pages. Overall, fine and interesting.