First off, that’s not a typo: Sue Ane Langdon (b. 1936) spells the second part of her first name with a single “n” — as in “Nything to stand out in show business.” In her heyday, she was mostly known for funny-sexy supporting roles in comedies.
Early in her career, Langdon had performed at Radio City Music Hall, in the 1955 Broadway show Ankles Aweigh, and with a comedy act in Las Vegas. She had her greatest success in television debuting in a 1959 episode of Lux Playhouse. She figures significantly in the history of five tv shows in particular: Bachelor Father, on which she had a recurring role (1959-61); Jackie Gleason’s American Scene Magazine (1962), on which became the third actress to play Alice Kramden, though only briefly; and three shows on which she was cast as a regular: Arnie (1970-72) with Herschel Bernardi; Grandpa Goes to Washington (1978-79) with Jack Albertson; and When the Whistle Blows (1980). Among her dozens of other tv credits were guest shots on The Joey Bishop Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, McHale’s Navy, Love American Style, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, The Love Boat etc.
Langdon’s first film was The Great Imposter (1961) with Tony Curtis. She worked with Henry Fonda in The Rounders (1965), with Gene Kelly on A Guide for the Married Man (1967) and with both of them on The Cheyenne Social Club (1970). 1966 might have been her busiest year: she appeared in Frankie and Johnny with Elvis Presley and A Fine Madness with Sean Connery, posed nude for Playboy, and went into the Broadway show The Apple Tree opposite Alan Alda. Later movies included the teen comedies Zapped! (1982) and Zapped Again (1990), and UHF (1989) with Weird Al Yankovic.
Langdon was only 54 at the time of her retirement. She was married to Jack Emrek, who had been in the original Broadway production of Brigadoon, and acted as her manager and agent.
For more on show business history, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, and please stay tuned for the upcoming Electric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.