Frances Gifford

Biography

Frances Gifford had a somewhat unorthodox introduction to the movie business. Born and raised in Long Beach, California, she had no ambition to be an actress, and in fact had applied to UCLA when, at age 16, she and a friend got to visit the Samuel Goldwyn Studios, where they watched a movie being shot. A studio exec saw her and asked if she would take a screen test. She did, the studio was impressed with the result and put her under contract. Nothing much came of it, however, other than bit parts, and she moved to RKO. Nothing much happened there, either. She had married actor James Dunn and decided to retire, which she did, in 1938. Off the screen for almost two years, she got a small part in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and her career began to revive. She was signed by Paramount, which soon loaned her to Republic, where she made the film she is probably most remembered for: the serial Jungle Girl (1941), based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs story. Unfortunately, her career never really took off, and she bounced around among several studios. In 1948 she was involved in an auto accident in which she received severe head injuries. Although she seemed to recover physically, her career took a nosedive, and she made her last film in 1953. In 1958 newspaper stories reported that as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident, she was admitted to a California state mental hospital. Nothing further was heard from her or about her until 1983, when a writer for a film magazine found her in Pasadena. She had apparently fully overcome her physical and mental problems and was working for the city library. She died of emphysema in Pasadena in 1994.

Known For

General Electric Theater

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The Reluctant Dragon

Stage Door

The Glass Key

Tarzan Triumphs

Thrill of a Romance

American Empire

All Movies (36)

• Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.62004 · as Doris (voice) (archive sound) (uncredited)
• Sky Commando1953 · as Jo McWethy
• Riding High1950 · as Margaret Higgins
• Luxury Liner1948 · as Laura Dene
• Little Mister Jim1947 · as Jean Tukker
• The Arnelo Affair1947 · as Anne Parkson
• She Went to the Races1945 · as Dr. Ann Wotters
• Our Vines Have Tender Grapes1945 · as Viola Johnson
• Thrill of a Romance1945 · as Maude Bancroft
• Marriage Is a Private Affair1944 · as Sissy Mortimer
• Twenty Years After1944 · as (archive footage)
• Cry 'Havoc'1943 · as Helen
• Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour1943 · as Hilary Dane
• Tarzan Triumphs1943 · as Zandra
• American Empire1942 · as Abigail 'Abby' Taylor, Dan's Sister
• My Heart Belongs to Daddy1942 · as Grace Saunders
• The Glass Key1942 · as Nurse
• Beyond the Blue Horizon1942 · as Charlotte (uncredited)
• Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die1942 · as Ruth Grant
• Star Spangled Rhythm1942 · as Frances Gifford (uncredited)
• The Remarkable Andrew1942 · as Miss Halsey
• Jungle Girl1941 · as Nyoka Meredith
• West Point Widow1941 · as Daphne
• The Reluctant Dragon1941 · as Doris
• Border Vigilantes1941 · as Helen Forbes
• Hold That Woman!1940 · as Mary Mulvaney
• Forty Little Mothers1940 · as Granville Girl
• Mercy Plane1939 · as Brenda Gordon
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington1939 · as Hopper Girl (uncredited)
• Having Wonderful Time1938 · as Salesgirl (uncredited)
• Maid's Night Out1938 · as Ticket Seller - Octopus Concession (uncredited)
• Night Spot1938 · as Nightclub Patron
• Living on Love1937 · as Bus Passenger (uncredited)
• There Goes the Groom1937 · as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
• Stage Door1937 · as Mary McGuire (uncredited)
• New Faces of 19371937 · as Showgirl

All TV Shows (1)

• General Electric Theater1953 · as Evelyn Crewes