Frank Baker, an actor with a career spanning the late 1930s to the late 1950s, contributed to the evolving landscape of American cinema. He appears in Tarzan and the Green Goddess (1938), a film that blends adventure with the allure of the jungle, showcasing the early days of the Tarzan franchise. Baker also features in Woman on the Run (1950), a film noir that captures the tension of a murder investigation, and Teacher's Pet (1958), a comedy that reflects the shifting societal norms of its time. His roles in these films highlight his versatility and the diverse genres that defined mid-century cinema.
Teacher's Pet
Journalism instructor Erica Stone (Doris Day) asks journalist James Gannon (Clark Gable) to speak to her night school class. He turns down the invitation via a nasty letter to her. His managing editor, however, orders him to accept the assignment. He arrives late to find Stone reading aloud his letter and mocking him in front of her class. Humiliated, he decides to join the class as a student in order to show up Stone and get his own back by posing as a wallpaper salesman named Jim Gallagher. The instructor is somewhat intrigued by this charming older man, whom she finds an exceptional student. Gannon continues his ruse and becomes attracted to Stone. He finds he has to contend with Dr. Pine (Gig Young), as well as his own girlfriend, Peggy DeFore, a nightclub singer (Mamie Van Doren). When Stone discovers Gannon's deception, she immediately calls off their relationship. Dr. Pine convinces her to give Gannon another chance. In the end, Jim and Erica have come to understand, and partially adopt, the other's point of view.
