Sally Fraser (December 12, 1932 – January 13, 2019) was an American actress who appeared on television and in numerous films. She became best known for appearing in low-budget science fiction films of the 1950s.

Biography

Spotted after singing on a local TV show, Fraser was encouraged to take drama lessons and eventually gained experience in stage plays. On television, she appeared opposite

Tyler MacDuff Tyler Glenn Duff Jr. (September 12, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was an American film and television actor. Life and career MacDuff was born in Hollywood, California. He attended Woodrow Wilson Junior High. MacDuff joined the U.S. Navy in 194 ...

in the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series, ''

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American marksman, sharpshooter and folk heroine who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoveris ...

,'' in the episode "The Saga of Clement O'Toole". She also appeared on Guy Madison's series, ''

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok ''The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'' is an American Western television series that ran for eight seasons from April 15, 1951, through September 24, 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication, but ran on CBS from June 5, 1955, throug ...

''. She was in the 1954 TV presentation of ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' starring

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, page 95. As ...

, in the role of "Belle, sweetheart of Scrooge's youth, and as the Spirit of Christmas Past." On May 27, 1954, Fraser was part of the Anderson family in a pilot for the television version of ''

Father Knows Best ''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young (actor), Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray (actor), Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six ...

.'' The pilot was broadcast as an episode of ''

Ford Television Theatre ''General Motors Theatre'' (also known as ''CBC Theatre'', ''Encounter'', ''Ford Television Theatre'', and ''General Motors Presents'') was a Canadian television anthology drama series of television plays, which ran on CBC Television under vari ...

''. Fraser played the older daughter but (as with all others in the family except Robert Young) was not cast as part of the regular series. In 1955, Fraser (along with Jil Jarmyn) completed two pilot episodes of ''Behind the Scenes'' (not to be confused with a latter

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the ...

series of the same name), a series about the "adventures of two girls trying for movie careers in Hollywood." Fraser eventually became typecast in low budget 1950s sci-fi films. She played a wife possessed by aliens in the

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

film '' It Conquered the World'' (1956), the sister of the titular monster in ''

War of the Colossal Beast ''War of the Colossal Beast'' (a.k.a. ''Revenge of the Colossal Man'' and ''The Colossal Beast'') is a 1958 black-and-white science fiction film, written, produced, and directed by Bert I. Gordon for his Carmel Productions, and starring Dean Pa ...

'' (1958), and a mother protecting her baby in '' Earth vs. the Spider'' (1958). She was briefly onscreen as the United Nations receptionist who introduces

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

's character to

Philip Ober Philip Nott Ober (March 23, 1902 – September 13, 1982) was an American screen and stage actor who later retired from performing to be a foreign service diplomat. Ober is best remembered for his roles in the films '' From Here to Eternity'' ( ...

's Lester Townsend in Hitchcock's ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason. The original screenplay written by Ernest Lehman was intended to be the basis for ...

'', and also appeared in ''

Giant from the Unknown ''Giant from the Unknown'' (working titles ''Giant from Devil's Crag'' and ''The Diablo Giant'' ) is a 1957 independently made American black-and-white science fiction-horror film drama, produced by Marc Frederic and Arthur A. Jacobs, directed by ...

'' (1958). In 1959, Fraser appeared as Martha Maitland on an episode of '' The Texan''. She continued to work on television and the stage into the 1960s until she decided to retire to raise her family. Fraser moved to

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

in the 1980s and lived on a cattle ranch.

Partial filmography

*''

All I Desire ''All I Desire'' is a 1953 American drama film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Carlson, Lyle Bettger, Marcia Henderson, Lori Nelson, and Maureen O'Sullivan. It is based on Carol Ryrie Brink's 1951 novel ''Stop ...

'' (1953) – Daughter in Auditorium (uncredited) *''

Flight Nurse A flight nurse is a registered nurse specializing in the field of providing comprehensive pre-hospital, emergency critical care, and hospital care to a vast scope of patients. The care of these patients is generally provided during aeromedical ...

'' (1953) – Best Girl (uncredited) *'' It's a Dog's Life'' (1955) – Dorothy Wyndham *'' The Adventures of Champion'' (1956, TV Series) – Beth Collier *'' It Conquered the World'' (1956) – Joan Nelson *''

'' (1958) – Janet Cleveland *''

'' (1958) – Joyce Manning *'' Earth vs. the Spider'' (1958) – Mrs. Helen Kingman *'' Roadracers'' (1959) – Joanie Wilson *''

'' (1959) – UN Receptionist #1 (uncredited) *''

Elmer Gantry ''Elmer Gantry'' is a 1927 satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis that presents aspects of the religious activity of the United States in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. Reverend Dr. ...

'' (1960) – Prostitute (uncredited) *''

Dangerous Charter ''Dangerous Charter'' is a 1962 seagoing adventure film shot in five days in 1958 on and around Santa Catalina Island. California, with no studio shooting. It was directed, co-produced and co-written by Robert Gottschalk as a showcase for his Pan ...

'' (1962) – June

References

External links

Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Sally 1932 births 2019 deaths American film actresses American television actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Idaho 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women