Frances Rafferty

Frances Anne Rafferty (June 16, 1922 – April 18, 2004) was an American actress, dancer, World War II pin-up girl and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player.

Frances Anne Rafferty
Born	(1922-06-16)June 16, 1922 Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.
Died	April 18, 2004(2004-04-18) (aged 81) Paso Robles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, dancer
Years active	1942–1977
Spouse(s)	John Harlan (1944-1947) Thomas R. Baker (1948-2004) (her death) (2 children)
Children	Bridget Baker Kevin Baker (b. 1950)[1]
Relatives	Brother Max Rafferty

Life and career

Early life

Frances Anne Rafferty was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Maxwell Lewis Rafferty, Sr. (1886-1967), and the former DeEtta Frances Cox Rafferty (c. 1892-1972). She was the younger sister of California conservative educator and Republican politician Max Rafferty, whose wife was also named "Frances."[2] At the age of nine she moved with her family to Los Angeles, California. At a young age she studied dancing, and her physical attributes and dancing skills led to work in the film industry.

Rafferty attended Miss Bryant's Day School and Bryant School while the family lived in Iowa. After moving to California, she graduated from University High School in Los Angeles.[3]

Career

Signed by MGM Studios, Frances made her film debut in 1942. She appeared in minor and secondary roles, and although she had a part in the 1944 film Dragon Seed with Katharine Hepburn and Walter Huston, her significant parts were limited almost exclusively to "B" movies. For instance, in 1948, she starred with Hugh Beaumont in the Film Noir movie, Money Madness, directed by Sam Newfield. Her only 'major film' role was in Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood (1945).

During World War II she was a volunteer pin-up girl for YANK magazine, a publication for the soldiers of the United States military.

In 1949, Rafferty was a performer on the anthology series Oboler Comedy Theater on ABC television.[4] In 1954, she guest starred in two episodes of CBS's The Public Defender.

In (1953) Rafferty starred in a 24 min. TV episode "Christmas is Magic". Robert Hutton plays a war vet with amnesia who is taken in by widow Frances Rafferty and her son on Christmas Eve. Magic happens when the boy bonds with the stranger, who is helped to remember his past.

From 1954 to 1959, she appeared as Ruth Ruskin Henshaw in all 156 episodes of the Desilu Studios CBS sitcom December Bride. When Harry Morgan and Cara Williams joined in another CBS sitcom, Pete and Gladys in 1960, Rafferty was subsequently cast in seven episodes in the role of "Nancy".

Rafferty appeared in a number of different television programs throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Among them were two guest appearances on Perry Mason. After her retirement from acting in 1965, she made a final appearance in a 1977 episode of Karl Malden's ABC crime drama, The Streets of San Francisco.

Personal life

She was married to John Harlan from 1944 until their divorce in 1947. (Rafferty's biography on the Des Moines Register's DataCentral site gives Rafferty's first husband's name as "Maj. John Horton".[3] An Associated Press news story dated February 18, 1947, reported, "Movie Actress Frances Rafferty obtained a divorce today from John E. Horton, former army major.")[5] In 1948, she married Thomas R. Baker, and together they had two children. Following her retirement from acting, Rafferty and her husband operated a ranch where they bred and raised quarter horses.

Frances Rafferty died in 2004 in Paso Robles, California, just three months after the passing of her December Bride costar Dean Miller. With the death of Harry Morgan in 2011, none of the December Bride cast is still living.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1942	Fingers at the Window	Clinic Switchboard Operator	Uncredited
1942	The War Against Mrs. Hadley	Sally
1942	Seven Sweethearts	George Van Maaster
1943	Slightly Dangerous	Girl Getting Off Bus	Uncredited
1943	Presenting Lily Mars	Showgirl	Uncredited
1943	Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case	Irene
1943	Hitler's Madman	Annaliese Cermak	Uncredited
1943	Pilot No. 5	Carhop	Uncredited
1943	Young Ideas	Co-Ed
1943	Swing Shift Maisie	Office Worker	Uncredited
1943	Thousands Cheer	Marie Corbino
1943	Girl Crazy	Marjorie Tait
1944	Broadway Rhythm	Autograph Seeker	Uncredited
1944	Dragon Seed	Orchid Tan - Lao Ta's Wife
1944	Barbary Coast Gent	Portia Adair
1944	Mrs. Parkington	Jane Stilham
1945	The Hidden Eye	Jean Hampton
1945	Abbott and Costello in Hollywood	Claire Warren
1946	Bad Bascomb	Dora McCabe
1947	Lost Honeymoon	Lois Evans
1947	The Adventures of Don Coyote	Maggie Riley
1947	Curley	Mildred Johnson
1947	The Hal Roach Comedy Carnival	Schoolteacher Mildred Johnson, in 'Curly'
1948	Money Madness	Julie Saunders
1948	Lady at Midnight	Ellen McPhail Wiggins
1949	An Old-Fashioned Girl	Frances Shaw
1952	Rodeo	Dixie Benson
1953	Your Jeweler's Showcase	Julie Elson	Episode: "Christmas Is Magic"
1954	The Shanghai Story	Mrs. Warren
1961	Wings of Chance	Arlene Baker

References

1. "Frances Rafferty - The Private Life and Times of Frances Rafferty. Frances Rafferty Pictures". www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com.
2. Source Citation: US Federal Census Year: 1930; Census Place: Sioux City, Woodbury, Iowa; Roll 690; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 55; Image: 429.0.
3. "Frances Rafferty". DataCentral. Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
4. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 777–778. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
5. "Frances Rafferty Granted Divorce". Eau Claire Leader. Wisconsin, Eau Claire. Associated Press. February 19, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Frances Rafferty on IMDb
• Frances Rafferty at Find a Grave