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 Rafferty
Rafferty in the 1940s
Born
Frances Anne Rafferty

(1922-06-16)June 16, 1922
DiedApril 18, 2004(2004-04-18) (aged 81)
Resting placePaso Robles District Cemetery
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer
Years active19421977
Spouses
John Horton
(m. 1944; div. 1947)
    Thomas R. Baker
    (m. 1948)
    Children2[1]
    RelativesMax Rafferty (brother)

    Early life

    Frances Anne Rafferty was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Maxwell Lewis Rafferty and DeEtta Frances (née Cox) Rafferty. She was the younger sister of California conservative educator and Republican politician Max Rafferty, whose wife was Frances (née Longman) Rafferty.[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, Rafferty 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 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]

    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. She portrayed Heather Marlow in “Never Look Back”, the Season 4, Episode 18, installment of My Three Sons in 1964.

    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 her first husband 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.

    Death

    Frances Rafferty died in 2004 in Paso Robles, California.

    Filmography

    Year Title Role Notes
    1942Fingers at the WindowClinic Switchboard OperatorUncredited
    1942The War Against Mrs. HadleySally
    1942Seven SweetheartsGeorge Van Maaster
    1943Slightly DangerousGirl Getting Off BusUncredited
    1943Presenting Lily MarsShowgirlUncredited
    1943Dr. Gillespie's Criminal CaseIrene
    1943Hitler's MadmanAnnaliese CermakUncredited
    1943Pilot No. 5CarhopUncredited
    1943Young IdeasCo-Ed
    1943Swing Shift MaisieOffice WorkerUncredited
    1943Thousands CheerMarie Corbino
    1943Girl CrazyMarjorie Tait
    1944Broadway RhythmAutograph SeekerUncredited
    1944Dragon SeedOrchid Tan - Lao Ta's Wife
    1944Barbary Coast GentPortia Adair
    1944Mrs. ParkingtonJane Stilham
    1945The Hidden EyeJean Hampton
    1945Abbott and Costello in HollywoodClaire Warren
    1946Bad BascombDora McCabe
    1947Lost HoneymoonLois Evans
    1947The Adventures of Don CoyoteMaggie Riley
    1947CurleyMildred Johnson
    1947The Hal Roach Comedy CarnivalSchoolteacher Mildred Johnson, in 'Curly'
    1948Money MadnessJulie Saunders
    1948Lady at MidnightEllen McPhail Wiggins
    1949An Old-Fashioned GirlFrances Shaw
    1952RodeoDixie Benson
    1953Your Jeweler's ShowcaseJulie ElsonEpisode: "Christmas Is Magic"
    1954The Shanghai StoryMrs. Warren
    1961Wings of ChanceArlene 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. open access
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