Frances Fong obit

Frances Fong(1927-2012)

 

She was not on the list.

She was born Frances Chung in Honolulu, in what was then the Territory of Hawaii. Her parents, Francis Chung and Emma Leong Chung, were both born in Hawaii to immigrants from China. She had one older brother. Her father started as an electrician repairing appliances in a shop, and later became an executive of a lumber company. When the children were old enough for school, her mother worked as a packer in a pineapple cannery. English was Frances Chung's only language growing up.

Frances Chung attended Kalihi-weana Elementary, Kalakaua Junior High, and Roosevelt High School. At Roosevelt she was active in student government, volunteered in the school library, and was a member of the A Cappella Choir and Swim Club. She also belonged to the school's Allied Youth Organization, for which she was vice-president. During high school Frances Chung took part in USO entertainments in Hawaii, and performed in a continuing community variety show called "The Gay Nineties".

 

After graduating from Roosevelt High School in June 1945 she attended Long Beach City College (LBCC) on the mainland, studying Dramatics.

After just a few weeks at LBCC, Frances Chung was in a show for war workers at Douglas Aircraft Corporation. Francis Lederer spotted her and brought her to the attention of MGM scouts, who had her tested for a part in Holiday in Mexico. She got the part and a contract, though her performance wound up on the cutting room floor.

She continued to use Frances Chung as billing for all movies she made while under contract to MGM from 1945 thru 1948, despite having been married in May 1946. She was first loaned to 20th Century for an uncredited bit in Anna and the King of Siam. She was then loaned to Universal for a thirteen part serial, Lost City of the Jungle, her first credited part. Back at MGM in 1947, she was in Dark Delusion (sometimes mistakenly cited as Dark Illusion). For 1948 she was loaned out again, to Paramount for Saigon. Her final film in 1948 may have been done after her MGM contract finished, an independent production titled Women in the Night. A mildly lurid melodrama, it did provide her with screen credit and newspaper publicity.

Following 1948 she had no film roles for seven years. She joined a twelve-piece band called "The Cathayans", doing lead vocals for engagements at the St. Francis Hotel and other San Francisco venues. During winter 1953-54 she entered a contest for Miss Chinese New Year Festival, the winner to be determined by which contestant sold the most festival entry tickets. Though not a beauty contest, a photo of her and two other contestants was widely circulated among newspapers around the country.

The publicity led to Frances Fong (as she now billed herself) obtaining parts in at least four episodes of The New Adventures of China Smith during 1954. Her first television work, this series set in Singapore and nearby locales used her in different roles rather than as a recurring character. This led to her next film, Soldier of Fortune, a Hong Kong-based story starring Clark Gable. She didn't receive screen credit, but was mentioned favorably in newspaper reviews. She had another uncredited role in Hell on Frisco Bay (working title The Darkest Hour) which was filmed in April and May 1955, but not released until 1956. Fong had another uncredited bit part in Around the World in 80 Days, plus appearances on television series Navy Log and Cavalcade of America during 1956.

During 1956 Fong created a nightclub act that played for nineteen months at the New Frontier and seven months at the Thunderbird. The act was built around her singing, with some sultry dance routines and jokes added. She was top billed at San Francisco's Forbidden City during the last quarter of 1958, with local columnists noting whenever she temporarily left to film a show in Hollywood. Fong herself described her routine to an interviewer: "I wear sleek gowns, sing sexy songs. The women don't like it, but the men do." An example of her repartee between the songs and dances: "All I ever meet are Cads driving Jags".

For all her engagements, Fong's contract allowed her time off for television work. Her nightclub wardrobe enhanced her value for television roles in which she played an entertainer. While still at Forbidden City she started working for Warner Brothers Television, doing episodes of 77 Sunset Strip and Lawman. For the former, she was required to speak Chinese over the phone. Since she didn't know the language she started taking lessons, to which fact publicity agents tipped reporters.

By January 1959 Fong had quit nightclub work in favor of television. For the next three years she had parts in a dozen different TV series, some of them for multiple episodes. She had been cast for recurring roles in two series, Shark Street and Brady, but after filming the pilot episodes both shows remained unsold. Some of the shows she did appear in such as Peter Gunn, Hawaiian Eye, Bachelor Father, and Perry Mason were quite popular, so that she felt it worthwhile to purchase a modest second home in Van Nuys instead of commuting from San Francisco and staying in hotels.

However, she also did a number of short-lived and single season shows: Yancy Derringer, 21 Beacon Street, Johnny Midnight, The Case of the Dangerous Robin, and Mr. Garlund which only lasted seven episodes. With no series regular or recurring roles on the horizon, Fong decided to take a chance on performing live again, this time in theatre.

From June 1962 Fong was involved with a touring company production of the French farce Pajama Tops. So far as is known, this was her only appearance on the stage. The play, adapted from Moumou by Jean de Létraz, had been running steadily for five years in small Los Angeles theaters with an ever-changing cast. Producers Stan Seiden and Zev Buffman decided to take it on tour, beginning with the Moore Theatre in Seattle. That city was then hosting the World's Fair, ensuring large visiting crowds.

The action centered around three "couples" at a Deauville country house, with a diminutive police inspector as odd man out. The touring company cast was small, just seven actors, with John Agar and June Wilkinson as the stars. Fong, as the ambitious maid "Claudine", Cliff Halle, Leslie Vallen, Brad Logan, and Don McArt completed the cast, while Richard Vath directed the action. The broad comedy included many intentional prop mishaps and stage miscues, delighting audiences and appalling critics. After nine SRO weeks in Seattle, the company moved to Miami's Coconut Grove Playhouse, where it set performance records with another nine week run. From there it went to Pittsburgh's Nixon Theatre, then to Kingston, Jamaica, St. Louis, Kansas City, Baltimore, and other cities for two and three week runs.

The year-long tour playing what was essentially a burlesque given a veneer of stage legitimacy took its toll on the players. Director Richard Vath had to take over Agar's part and James Winslow replaced Logan as the butler "Jacques". Fong and Wilkinson had reportedly stopped speaking to each other off-stage. Finally, in a reversal of the usual process, the comedy went to Broadway in late May 1963, where it had 4 previews and 52 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre. Towards the end of the run, Wilkinson deliberately upstaged Fong during the latter's big scene, causing a backstage brawl that left the stage manager, who unwisely tried to intervene, with a sore jaw.

Fong returned to television in 1965, doing two or three series episodes or TV movies each year up to 1982, when her small screen work became much more intermittent. She was now a character actor rather than a leading lady. She had a small part in the John Wayne film Hellfighters during 1968. She was credited with doing three movies in the 1970s and 1980s, Golden Needles, Dragon Force, and Bruce Lee's Dragons Fight Back that may actually have been performed by a much younger Hong Kong based actress with the same name. This may also have been the case with a 1990 episode of a Hong Kong made British television series Yellowthread Street.

Her last film was a bit part in 1998 for Rush Hour, while her last television work was a year later for Martial Law.

Fong died on October 24, 2012; the place and cause of death are not public knowledge.

Actress

Sammo Kam-Bo Hung in Martial Law (1998)

Martial Law

6.9

TV Series

Kai Lee (as Francis Fong)

1999

1 episode

 

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour (1998)

Rush Hour

7.1

Socialite

1998

 

Yellowthread Street (1990)

Yellowthread Street

8.3

TV Series

Mo Tay

1990

1 episode

 

Bruce Lee's Dragons Fight Back (1985)

Bruce Lee's Dragons Fight Back

7.8

1985

 

Shen tan guang tou mei (1982)

Shen tan guang tou mei

5.6

Soo-lim

1982

 

Bruce Boxleitner, Clyde Kusatsu, and Cindy Morgan in Bring 'Em Back Alive (1982)

Bring 'Em Back Alive

7.1

TV Series

Alice Wong

1982

1 episode

 

Twirl (1981)

Twirl

5.7

TV Movie

Mrs. King

1981

 

Stone (1979)

Stone

6.7

TV Series

1980

1 episode

 

Hart to Hart (1979)

Hart to Hart

6.7

TV Series

Shopkeeper

1979

1 episode

 

Billy Crystal in Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (1979)

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

5.7

TV Movie

Nurse Grant

1979

 

Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox in CHiPs (1977)

CHiPs

6.5

TV Series

1st Teller

1979

1 episode

 

Susan Dey and Natasha Ryan in Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night (1977)

Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night

7.2

TV Movie

Secretary

1977

 

Alan Alda, David Ogden Stiers, Gary Burghoff, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, and Loretta Swit in M*A*S*H (1972)

M*A*S*H

8.5

TV Series

Rosie

1976–1977

2 episodes

 

Panic in Echo Park (1977)

Panic in Echo Park

5.4

TV Movie

1977

 

Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers, Carroll O'Connor, and Jean Stapleton in All in the Family (1971)

All in the Family

8.4

TV Series

Nurse

1976

1 episode

 

Kung Fu (1972)

Kung Fu

7.6

TV Series

WomanNurse

1974–1975

2 episodes

 

David Janssen in Harry O (1973)

Harry O

7.6

TV Series

Maid

1975

1 episode

 

Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders (1974)

Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders

7.2

TV Movie

Mrs. Pao

1974

 

Joe Don Baker, Jim Kelly, Burgess Meredith, and Ann Sothern in Golden Needles (1974)

Golden Needles

5.1

Lotus

1974

 

Peggy Lipton, Michael Cole, and Clarence Williams III in Mod Squad (1968)

Mod Squad

7.0

TV Series

Sergeant ImotoLandlady

1970–1972

2 episodes

 

Yul Brynner and Samantha Eggar in Anna and the King (1972)

Anna and the King

7.2

TV Series

Kralahome's WifeMan-Yah

1972

2 episodes

 

Elizabeth Montgomery, Agnes Moorehead, and Dick York in Bewitched (1964)

Bewitched

7.6

TV Series

Mrs. Tanaka

1970

1 episode

 

Family Affair (1966)

Family Affair

7.1

TV Series

Betty Ng

1969

1 episode

 

The Name of the Game (1968)

The Name of the Game

7.6

TV Series

Arlene

1969

1 episode

 

John Wayne and Katharine Ross in Hellfighters (1968)

Hellfighters

6.5

Madame Loo

1968

 

Robert Wagner in It Takes a Thief (1968)

It Takes a Thief

7.5

TV Series

Madame Chen

1968

1 episode

 

The F.B.I. (1965)

The F.B.I.

7.5

TV Series

Becky Lee, the Restaurant Hostess

1967

2 episodes

 

Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton in Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964)

Gomer Pyle: USMC

7.0

TV Series

Mrs. Wong

1967

1 episode

 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

7.7

TV Series

Baku's Mother

1966

1 episode

 

William Demarest, Don Grady, Barry Livingston, Stanley Livingston, and Fred MacMurray in My Three Sons (1960)

My Three Sons

7.1

TV Series

Lucy

1965

1 episode

 

Ben Gazzara in Run for Your Life (1965)

Run for Your Life

7.6

TV Series

Mitzi Kuan

1965

1 episode

 

The Beachcomber (1962)

The Beachcomber

7.2

TV Series

IlanaKina

1962

2 episodes

 

Robert Conrad, Anthony Eisley, Poncie Ponce, and Connie Stevens in Hawaiian Eye (1959)

Hawaiian Eye

7.6

TV Series

Lisa ChuPoppy Shu

1961

2 episodes

 

The Case of the Dangerous Robin (1960)

The Case of the Dangerous Robin

7.8

TV Series

Dominique Chan

1961

1 episode

 

Raymond Burr in Perry Mason (1957)

Perry Mason

8.3

TV Series

Frances Kim

1961

1 episode

 

Bachelor Father (1957)

Bachelor Father

7.3

TV Series

Dolores WongSusieAnna May

1960

3 episodes

 

Edmond O'Brien in Johnny Midnight (1960)

Johnny Midnight

7.4

TV Series

Mikito

1960

1 episode

 

21 Beacon Street (1959)

21 Beacon Street

7.8

TV Series

Lao Tseng

1959

1 episode

 

Yancy Derringer (1958)

Yancy Derringer

7.8

TV Series

Ruby

1959

1 episode

 

Craig Stevens in Peter Gunn (1958)

Peter Gunn

8.0

TV Series

Lillian Quon

1959

1 episode

 

Lawman (1958)

Lawman

8.1

TV Series

May Ling

1958

1 episode

 

Edd Byrnes, Roger Smith, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in 77 Sunset Strip (1958)

77 Sunset Strip

7.7

TV Series

Lotus Wong

1958

1 episode

 

The Adventures of McGraw (1957)

The Adventures of McGraw

7.2

TV Series

Mrs. Soong

1958

1 episode

 

Rod Cameron in State Trooper (1956)

State Trooper

7.6

TV Series

Mei Ling Kam

1958

1 episode

 

Pat Conway in Tombstone Territory (1957)

Tombstone Territory

8.0

TV Series

Mei Lon

1958

1 episode

 

David Niven and Cantinflas in Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

Around the World in 80 Days

6.7

Featured Player (uncredited)

1956

 

Preston Foster in Cavalcade of America (1952)

Cavalcade of America

8.0

TV Series

Miss Lou

1956

1 episode

 

Robert Shayne in Navy Log (1955)

Navy Log

8.0

TV Series

Miss Ling

1956

1 episode

 

Alan Ladd, Edward G. Robinson, and Joanne Dru in Hell on Frisco Bay (1955)

Hell on Frisco Bay

6.4

Club dancing hipster (uncredited)

1955

 

Clark Gable and Susan Hayward in Soldier of Fortune (1955)

Soldier of Fortune

6.2

Maxine Chan - Shop Owner (uncredited)

1955

 

The New Adventures of China Smith

6.8

TV Series

Mai LinPrecious Star

1954

3 episodes

 

Women in the Night (1948)

Women in the Night

4.7

Li Ling (as Frances Chung)

1948

 

Saigon (1947)

Saigon

6.2

Chinese Nurse (uncredited)

1947

 

Lucille Bremer and James Craig in Dark Delusion (1947)

Dark Delusion

6.1

Toots (uncredited)

1947

 

Holiday in Mexico (1946)

Holiday in Mexico

6.0

Chinese Girl (uncredited)

1946

 

Jane Adams, Lionel Atwill, Russell Hayden, and Keye Luke in Lost City of the Jungle (1946)

Lost City of the Jungle

6.2

Lakana Shan (as Frances Chung)

1946

 

Thanks

Barbie: Super Sports (1999)

Barbie: Super Sports

Video Game

special thanks

1999

 

Archive Footage

Bachelor Father (1957)

Bachelor Father

7.3

TV Series

Susie (archive footage)

1960

1 episode