Frances Gifford; Appeared in Movies, ‘Jungle Girl’ Serial

Frances Gifford, 73, actress of the 1940s best remembered as Nyoka, heroine of the serial “Jungle Girl.” A native of Long Beach, Miss Gifford began her acting career when she finished high school, working first for Paramount and later for MGM. Clad in leopard skin, she thrilled adolescents in the “Jungle Girl” film serial in 1941. Among her other films were “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” in 1939, “Tombstone--The Town Too Tough to Die” in 1942, “Thrill of a Romance” in 1945, “Luxury Liner” in 1948 and her last, “Sky Commando” in 1953. After a 1948 automobile accident, dismissal by MGM, the end of a romantic relationship and the death of her parents, Miss Gifford suffered severe depression and spent two decades in Camarillo State Hospital. She later worked for the American Cancer Society. On Saturday in Pasadena of emphysema.