Frances Gifford, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Frances Gifford
Acting

Frances Gifford
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1920-12-07,Long Beach, California, USA
Gender
Female
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.

Filmography

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

7.8

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939-10-19

American Empire

5

American Empire
1942-12-11

The Reluctant Dragon

6.6

The Reluctant Dragon
1941-06-19

The Arnelo Affair

5.214

The Arnelo Affair
1947-02-13

Having Wonderful Time

4.9

Having Wonderful Time
1938-07-01

6.6

The Glass Key
1942-09-08

Border Vigilantes

6.333

Border Vigilantes
1941-04-18

6.533

Cry 'Havoc'
1943-11-23

Tarzan Triumphs

6.188

Tarzan Triumphs
1943-01-20

6.667

Sky Commando
1953-08-21

Star Spangled Rhythm

6.182

Star Spangled Rhythm
1942-03-05

Maid's Night Out

5.9

Maid's Night Out
1938-03-03

7.1

Stage Door
1937-10-08

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes

7.2

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
1945-09-06

6.063

Riding High
1950-04-12

Little Mister Jim

5.5

Little Mister Jim
1947-04-01

Hold That Woman!

7

Hold That Woman!
1940-06-28

6.833

Jungle Girl
1941-06-21

Thrill of a Romance

6.571

Thrill of a Romance
1945-05-23

She Went to the Races

6

She Went to the Races
1945-11-04

4.6

Night Spot
1938-02-25

6.286

Living on Love
1937-11-12

New Faces of 1937

5.333

New Faces of 1937
1937-07-02

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour

7

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour
1943-04-30

Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die

6.071

Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die
1942-06-13

Beyond the Blue Horizon

6

Beyond the Blue Horizon
1942-06-25

West Point Widow

7

West Point Widow
1941-06-20

My Heart Belongs to Daddy

5

My Heart Belongs to Daddy
1942-11-07

10

Mercy Plane
1939-12-04

5.833

Luxury Liner
1948-11-09

Forty Little Mothers

6.5

Forty Little Mothers
1940-04-26

There Goes the Groom

6.25

There Goes the Groom
1937-10-29

The Remarkable Andrew

7.375

The Remarkable Andrew
1942-03-05

Twenty Years After

8

Twenty Years After
1944-01-01

Marriage Is a Private Affair

6.375

Marriage Is a Private Affair
1944-08-23

Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6

8.8

Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
2004-05-31

General Electric Theater

6.833

General Electric Theater
1953-02-01