
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.
Personal Info
Gender
Female
Birthday
1919-12-07
Place of Birth
Long Beach, California, USA
Images




Cast
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
19397.9 / 10
American Empire
19423.8 / 10
The Reluctant Dragon
19416.6 / 10
The Arnelo Affair
19475.3 / 10
Having Wonderful Time
19384.9 / 10
The Glass Key
19426.6 / 10
Border Vigilantes
19416.0 / 10
Cry 'Havoc'
19436.3 / 10
Tarzan Triumphs
19436.1 / 10
Sky Commando
19535.5 / 10
Star Spangled Rhythm
19425.9 / 10
Maid's Night Out
19386.2 / 10
Stage Door
19377.0 / 10
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
19456.9 / 10
Riding High
19505.8 / 10
Little Mister Jim
19474.0 / 10
Hold That Woman!
19405.0 / 10
Jungle Girl
19416.2 / 10
Thrill of a Romance
19456.2 / 10
She Went to the Races
19455.5 / 10
Night Spot
19384.7 / 10
Living on Love
19375.8 / 10
New Faces of 1937
19374.0 / 10
Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour
19436.0 / 10
Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die
19425.4 / 10
Beyond the Blue Horizon
19420.0 / 10
West Point Widow
19416.0 / 10
My Heart Belongs to Daddy
19425.8 / 10
Mercy Plane
19390.0 / 10
Luxury Liner
19485.2 / 10
Forty Little Mothers
19406.2 / 10
There Goes the Groom
19375.3 / 10
The Remarkable Andrew
19428.2 / 10
Twenty Years After
19446.0 / 10
Marriage Is a Private Affair
19445.2 / 10
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
20048.8 / 10