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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

8.8

Doris (archive sound)

Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6

2004

5.5

Jo McWethy

Sky Commando

1953

6.3

Evelyn Crewes

General Electric Theater

1953

5.8

Margaret Higgins

Riding High

1950

5.2

Laura Dene

Luxury Liner

1948

4.0

Jean Tukker

Little Mister Jim

1947

5.3

Anne Parkson

The Arnelo Affair

1947

5.5

Dr. Ann Wotters

She Went to the Races

1945

6.9

Viola Johnson

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes

1945

6.2

Maude Bancroft

Thrill of a Romance

1945

Credits

Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6

as Doris (archive sound)

2004

8.8

Sky Commando

as Jo McWethy

1953

5.5

General Electric Theater

as Evelyn Crewes

1953

6.3

Riding High

as Margaret Higgins

1950

5.8

Luxury Liner

as Laura Dene

1948

5.2

Little Mister Jim

as Jean Tukker

1947

4.0

The Arnelo Affair

as Anne Parkson

1947

5.3

She Went to the Races

as Dr. Ann Wotters

1945

5.5

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes

as Viola Johnson

1945

6.9

Thrill of a Romance

as Maude Bancroft

1945

6.2

Marriage Is a Private Affair

as Sissy Mortimer

1944

5.2

Twenty Years After

as (archive footage)

1944

6.0

Cry 'Havoc'

as Helen

1943

6.3

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour

as Hilary Dane

1943

6.0

Tarzan Triumphs

as Zandra

1943

6.1

American Empire

as Abigail 'Abby' Taylor, Dan's Sister

1942

3.8

My Heart Belongs to Daddy

as Grace Saunders

1942

5.8

The Glass Key

as Nurse

1942

6.6

Beyond the Blue Horizon

as Charlotte (uncredited)

1942

0.0

Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die

as Ruth Grant

1942

5.4

Star Spangled Rhythm

as Frances Gifford (uncredited)

1942

5.9

The Remarkable Andrew

as Miss Halsey

1942

8.2

Jungle Girl

as Nyoka Meredith

1941

6.2

West Point Widow

as Daphne

1941

6.0

The Reluctant Dragon

as Doris

1941

6.6

Border Vigilantes

as Helen Forbes

1941

6.0

Hold That Woman!

as Mary Mulvaney

1940

5.0

Forty Little Mothers

as Granville Girl

1940

6.2

🎬

Mercy Plane

as Brenda Gordon

1939

0.0

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

as Hopper Girl (uncredited)

1939

7.9

Having Wonderful Time

as Salesgirl (uncredited)

1938

4.9

Maid's Night Out

as Ticket Seller - Octopus Concession (uncredited)

1938

6.2

Night Spot

as Nightclub Patron

1938

4.7

Living on Love

as Bus Passenger

1937

5.8

There Goes the Groom

as Undetermined Role (uncredited)

1937

5.3

Stage Door

as Mary McGuire (uncredited)

1937

7.0

New Faces of 1937

as Showgirl

1937

4.0