Frances Lee

Frances Lee

From Wikipedia Frances Lee was born as Myrna Tibbetts (some sources indicate Merna Tibbetts) in Eagle Grove, Iowa. She initially began pursuing a career as a teacher but began taking dance lessons, which led to her being spotted by Gus Edwards, who owned a theater in New York City. Edwards persuaded Lee to perform at his theater, and she joined the cast of The Ziegfeld Follies in 1923, when she was hired by Al Christie to perform in his Christie Comedies. Moving to Hollywood in the mid-1920s to pursue acting, she received her first film role in 1924, starring in Hello and Goodbye, a comedy short film. That brought her to the attention of the studios and launched her into a very successful and busy silent film career. In 1925 she had roles in three films, and in 1926 her number of films jumped to seven. She was a frequent guest at the home of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks and became friends with other notable Hollywood legends, to include Rudolph Valentino until his death in 1926. In 1927 she had roles in five films and was selected as one of thirteen girls to be WAMPAS Baby Stars, which that year included silent film star Sally Phipps and actress Barbara Kent. The year 1928 was a big year for her. She starred in nine films, the most memorable of which was Sweeties with Bobby Vernon. Her biggest year by far was 1929, when she starred in ten films, including the lead role in Stage Struck Susie opposite Eddie Barry and Divorce Made Easy starring alongside Marie Prevost and Douglas MacLean. That year, she married Alexander Bennett, brother to Australian silent film actress Enid Bennett. Their wedding was attended by such famous Hollywood legends as Enid Bennett's husband, film producer Fred Niblo; actresses Gloria Swanson and Greta Garbo; and actors Rod La Rocque and John Gilbert. She retired from film acting after 1935, living with her husband in Beverly Hills, California. She began working in interior design and studied for and received a degree in teaching. She and her husband lived in Brentwood, where she began one of the early Head Start programs at Knox Presbyterian Nursery School. She also taught dance, society behavior, and etiquette at the Elisa Ryan Studio, where she instructed the daughters of President Richard M. Nixon. In 1972 she and Alex moved to Cardiff-by-the-Sea. She worked as a children's librarian at the Rancho Sante Fe Library until only a few years before her death. She died on November 5, 2000, in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, aged 94.

  • Title: Frances Lee
  • Popularity: 0.702
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1906-05-05
  • Place of Birth: Eagle Grove, Iowa, USA
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Merna Phyllis Tibbetts
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Frances Lee Movies

  • 1930
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    Down with Husbands

    Down with Husbands

    6 1930 HD

    When their wives go on strike, two husbands form an organization they call the "Husbands Protective League".

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  • 1927
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    Good as Gold

    Good as Gold

    1 1927 HD

    Buck Brady is the son of a prospector whose valuable claim was stolen when Buck was a child. Brady grows up with revenge on his mind and retaliates...

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  • 1928
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    Nifty Numbers

    Nifty Numbers

    1 1928 HD

    Fourth release in the "Confessions of a Chorus Girl" comedy series.

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  • 1933
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    Phantom Thunderbolt

    Phantom Thunderbolt

    4.3 1933 HD

    A cowboy called The Thunderbolt Kid comes to the aid of a town that is being threatened by outlaws who don't want a railroad to go through the town.

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  • 1933
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    Her Splendid Folly

    Her Splendid Folly

    1 1933 HD

    Solomon Ginsberg is the President of International Pictures Corporation and hires Joan McAllister, an unemployed stenographer, to double for his...

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  • 1934
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    These Thirty Years

    These Thirty Years

    1 1934 HD

    The rise of Henry Ford of the Ford Motor Company.....

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  • 1929
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    The Carnation Kid

    The Carnation Kid

    1 1929 HD

    It's a case of mistaken identity in this comedy that centers around a country bumpkin mistaken for a Chicago hitman.

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  • 1926
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    Page Me

    Page Me

    1 1926 HD

    Unable to pay his hotel bill Bobby has to become a bellboy to cover the cost. Among the many complications that ensue he finds himself handing from...

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  • 1929
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    Show of Shows

    Show of Shows

    5.5 1929 HD

    Now hear this. The studio that gave the cinema its voice offered 1929 audiences a chance to see and hear multiple silent-screen favorites for the...

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  • 1926
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    Dummy Love

    Dummy Love

    1 1926 HD

    Evelyn's uncle gives a party to announce her engagement to the suitor he has approved, but she decides to elope with Oscar. Oscar pal goes along to...

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  • 1929
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    Naughty Baby

    Naughty Baby

    1 1929 HD

    A gorgeous showgirl is hired as a lingerie model at a fashion show......

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  • 1934
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    Flirtation Walk

    Flirtation Walk

    5.5 1934 HD

    A private stationed in Hawaii gets involved with the general's engaged daughter. In order to avoid a scandal, the pair break up, but meet again years...

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  • 1928
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    Chicken à la King

    Chicken à la King

    1 1928 HD

    A married tightwad learns to loosen up by living the life of a playboy.

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  • 1928
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    The Little Snob

    The Little Snob

    1 1928 HD

    May Banks (May McAvoy) is a working-class girl who gets ideas above her station in life when her father, Colonel Banks (Aleck B. Francis), a Coney...

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  • 1932
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    The Tabasco Kid

    The Tabasco Kid

    1 1932 HD

    A timid accountant for a California cattle ranch and a lookalike dashing bandit become rivals for the beautiful daughter of a wealthy rancher.

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  • 1929
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    Stage Struck Susie

    Stage Struck Susie

    1 1929 HD

    Eddie Barry bewilders himself backstage at a show.

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  • 1927
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    Duck Out

    Duck Out

    1 1927 HD

    At a magic show put on by Blondini the magician, a member of the audience is invited up to participate. He gets into all sorts of shenanigans,...

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  • 1929
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    Divorce Made Easy

    Divorce Made Easy

    1 1929 HD

    When his aunt disapproves of his marriage to Mabel Deering and threatens to disinherit him, Percy elicits the aid of his buddy Billy Haskell, who is...

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