Holy Crap Anne Francis has been in everything

Cafe Society
1

So I was watching an old episode of Columbo recently, (as one does), and I recognized an actress and couldn’t place her, so I looked her up on IMDb. Holy crap, I cannot believe how many things Anne Francis has been in that I might have recognized her from. Here is a list of things that I, personally, might have been thinking of when I saw her. Bear in mind she has been in even more things, but although in some cases I was aware of the show or movie, I hadn’t seen it enough to include it.

1998 The Drew Carey Show (TV Series)
1996 Wings (TV Series)
Fatal Attraction (1987) … Dixie
1984 The Love Boat (TV Series)
1984 Riptide (TV Series)
1983 Simon & Simon (TV Series)
1982 CHiPs (TV Series)
1978-1981 Fantasy Island (TV Series)
1981 Dallas (TV Series)
1979 Quincy M.E. (TV Series)
1978 Hawaii Five-O (TV Series)
1977 Black Sheep Squadron (TV Series)
1976 Wonder Woman (TV Series)
1974 Kung Fu (TV Series)
1972-1973 Columbo (TV Series)
1972 Gunsmoke (TV Series)
1970 Love, American Style (TV Series)
1969 Mission: Impossible (TV Series)
1967 The Fugitive
1964 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV Series)
1960-1963 Twilight Zone (TV Series)
1960-1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series)
1960 The Untouchables (TV Series)
1959 Rawhide (TV Series)
1956 Forbidden Planet
1955 Blackboard Jungle
1955 Bad Day at Black Rock

Wow. Got me thinking: is there someone who could beat her? IMDb could use an Advanced Search thingy where you check TV shows and Movies that you have seen, and they show you which actor has appeared the most times based on your selections. For me, until I find someone else, it’s gotta be Anne Francis.

(BTW, it was the Twilight Zone I remembered her from - with the after hours department store and the Mannequins. One of my favorites, and it was her voice more than anything that triggered my memory).

2

You left out The Rocky Horror Picture Show (sort of).

3

And she was almost in Funny Girl.

4

She had her own detective series back in the '60s:

I remember watching it in our living room when I was in fifth grade. Anne was really, really hot! :o

5

At the late-night
Double-feature
Picture show
{In the back ro-wo-wo-woooooh}

6

Feh. Burt Mustin has her beat by a mile. He has 188 credits; if you remove his movie credits, it’s certainly well over 150. Whenever they needed someone to play a kindly old man, Mustin got the call.

7

For me it would have to be Charles Lane. With 363 credits there can’t be too many actors with a longer list.

8

Charles Lane’s 100th birthday celebration.

Love his comment at the end- “If you’re interested, I’m still available.”

9

William Conrad estimated he played 7,500 roles on radio. He almost didn’t get his most famous one, Matt Dillon on “Gunsmoke” because he was too well-known but an audition won him the part. Short and fat, he wasn’t in the running when it moved to television. He narrated the “Rocky and Bullwinkle” and “The Fugitive” tv show. He directed a number of tv shows and later starred in three tv series.

10

I’ll throw in William Schallert, still working at 92.

I think Vera Miles may have done every 1960’s series on TV except Star Trek.

11

I was going to mention William Schallert, but since kunilou beat me to it, I’ll add James Hong, who’s been working in television for almost as long as it’s been around.

12

I just wanna let everyone know that I saw this thread title TWICE and read “Anne Frank” and thought

No, just the one place really

13

I thought John Carradine had everybody beat.

14

I see your Anne Francis and raise you one Grace Zabriskie. Too long a list but here’s her (partial!) credit breakdown. This woman has a hell of an agent!

TV Episode (148)
Feature Film (63)
TV Series (45)
TV Movie (30)
Video (9)
Short Film (8)
TV Mini-Series (1)
Video Game (1)

You’ll recognize her immediately, but have probably never heard the name.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0951471/#actress

15

Not so much quantity, as quality: when the AFI list of the Top 100 Films of All Time came out, Ward Bond was in some ridiculous number of them: GWTW, It Happened One Night, The Searchers, The Maltese Falcon, It’s A Wonderful Life…off the top of my head.