Franc Hale (born – June 10, 1986) was an American actress.

Early years

Hale was a native of Tacoma. The spelling of her first name was a compromise after she was born, because her parents had been expecting a boy. They had chosen "Frank" as the name, but it no longer seemed appropriate. Her mother did not favor "Frances" as a compromise, so they settled on "Franc", pronounced the same as "Frank". Hale played piano from an early age, and when she was 5 years old, one of her performances led to Tacoma newspapers commenting on her talents as a prodigy. She graduated from Miss Hansom's School for Girls, and her performances in school plays developed her desire to be an actress. Her parents, however, wanted her to be a writer, so she had to change their minds. "I finally convinced them", she said, "that in order to write plays I should have some working knowledge of the stage".

Career

Hale's early acting experience came in stock theater, beginning in Portland and later touring in a production of ''Ma Pettingill'' with a company headed by May Robson, who had seen Hale perform in a school program, leading to Hale's debut as a professional. By age 22, she had played 50 roles on stage, with the characters' ages ranging from 12 to 60. For more than five years, she was the leading lady with Walker Whiteside's theatrical company. Hale's Broadway credits include ''The Arabian'' (1927), ''The Royal Box'' (1928), ''Sakura'' (1928, ''Three Men and a Woman'' (1932), and ''Late Wisdom'' (1934). On radio, Hale played Dale Arden on ''The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon'', Annette Rogers on ''

John's Other Wife ''John's Other Wife'' is an American old-time radio soap opera. It was broadcast on NBC-Red from September 14, 1936, until March 1940. In that month it moved to NBC-Blue, where it ran until March 20, 1942. Overview ''John's Other Wife'' center ...

'' and Shanghai Lil on '' Jungle Jim''. She also was featured on ''

Second Husband ''Second Husband'' is a radio soap opera in the United States.Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920–1950''. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 209. The program told " e dramatic story of Brenda Cummings and the probl ...

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Aunt Jenny Aunt Jenny was an advertising character created for Spry Vegetable Shortening. Primarily portrayed by Edith Spencer, Aunt Jenny was best known as host and narrator of the long-lived radio show, '' Aunt Jenny’s Real Life Stories'' (January 18, 1 ...

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Our Gal Sunday ''Our Gal Sunday'' is an American soap opera produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, network broadcast via CBS from March 29, 1937, to January 2, 1959, starring Dorothy Lowell and, after Lowell's 1944 death, Vivian Smolen in the title role. The orig ...

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Young Doctor Malone ''Young Doctor Malone'' (a.k.a. ''Young Dr. Malone'') is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced ''Pepper Youn ...

''.

Personal life and death

Hale was married to screenwriter

Frank Gabrielson Frank Gabrielson (March 13, 1910 – January 24, 1980) was an American stage, film, and television writer. His stage work includes '' The Wizard of Oz'' as adapted in 1942 for The Muny, ''Days of Our Youth'', also performed as ''The Bo Tree'' an ...

. She died on June 10, 1986, in Santa Monica, California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hale, Franc 1900s births 1986 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Tacoma, Washington American radio actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses Broadway theatre people