Born in Oakland, California, Shirley Cady, a Stanford graduate, had several vocations – professional singer, teacher, and legal secretary.

[3] Dissatisfied with academia, Frank began a series of jobs two years later, as an announcer and news broadcaster at various California radio stations.

His career was put on hold in 1943 when he joined the United States Army Air Forces, serving in England, France, and Germany during World War II.

[5] After being discharged from military service in 1946, Cady appeared in a series of plays in the Los Angeles area that led to movie roles, beginning in 1947.

Cady acted in Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole (or The Big Carnival, also 1951) and portrayed the male half of the fire escape sleeping couple in Rear Window in 1954.

In 1961, he made a guest appearance on Perry Mason as twin brothers Joe and Hiram Widlock in "The Case of the Pathetic Patient".

Also as Drucker, he was one of only three co-stars of Petticoat Junction who stayed with the series for its entire seven-year run (1963–1970), along with Edgar Buchanan and Linda Henning, appearing in 152 of the show's 222 episodes.

"[7] In 2005, Cady attended Eddie Albert's funeral, along with Green Acres co-stars Sid Melton and Mary Grace Canfield.