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Acting
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.

Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
as Doris (voice) (archive sound) (uncredited)

Sky Commando
as Jo McWethy

General Electric Theater
as Evelyn Crewes

Riding High
as Margaret Higgins

Luxury Liner
as Laura Dene

Little Mister Jim
as Jean Tukker

The Arnelo Affair
as Anne Parkson

She Went to the Races
as Dr. Ann Wotters

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
as Viola Johnson

Thrill of a Romance
as Maude Bancroft

Marriage Is a Private Affair
as Sissy Mortimer

Twenty Years After
as (archive footage)

Cry 'Havoc'
as Helen

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour
as Hilary Dane

Tarzan Triumphs
as Zandra

American Empire
as Abigail 'Abby' Taylor, Dan's Sister

My Heart Belongs to Daddy
as Grace Saunders

The Glass Key
as Nurse

Beyond the Blue Horizon
as Charlotte (uncredited)

Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die
as Ruth Grant

Star Spangled Rhythm
as Frances Gifford (uncredited)

The Remarkable Andrew
as Miss Halsey

Jungle Girl
as Nyoka Meredith

West Point Widow
as Daphne

The Reluctant Dragon
as Doris

Border Vigilantes
as Helen Forbes

Hold That Woman!
as Mary Mulvaney

Forty Little Mothers
as Granville Girl
Mercy Plane
as Brenda Gordon

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
as Hopper Girl (uncredited)

Having Wonderful Time
as Salesgirl (uncredited)

Maid's Night Out
as Ticket Seller - Octopus Concession (uncredited)

Night Spot
as Nightclub Patron

Living on Love
as Bus Passenger (uncredited)

There Goes the Groom
as Undetermined Role (uncredited)

Stage Door
as Mary McGuire (uncredited)

New Faces of 1937
as Showgirl