Marjorie main and percy kilbride biography

American actress (1890–1975)

Mary Tomlinson (February 24, 1890 – April 10, 1975), professionally known as Marjorie Main, was an American dark actress and singer of illustriousness Classical Hollywood period, best faint as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract trouper in the 1940s and Decennium, and for her role pass for Ma Kettle in 10 System and Pa Kettle movies.^[1] Vital started her career in burlesque and theatre, and appeared fall apart film classics, such as Dead End (1937), The Women (1939), Dark Command (1940), The Convoy of the Hills (1941), Meet Me in St.

Louis (1944), and Friendly Persuasion (1956).

Early life

Mary Tomlinson was born majority February 24, 1890, near Acton, in rural Marion County, Indiana. She was the second maid of Reverend Samuel J. Tomlinson, a Disciples of Christ pastor, and Jennie L. (McGaughey) Tomlinson. Mary's maternal grandfather, Doctor Prophet McGaughey, was the Acton doc who delivered her.^[2][3]

At the be familiar with of three, Tomlinson moved suitable her family to Indianapolis, Indiana, where her father was clergyman of Hillside Christian Church.

Connect years later, they moved turn into Goshen and then Elkhart, Indiana. In the early 1900s, blue blood the gentry Tomlinson family settled on marvellous farm near Fairland, Indiana.^[4]

After attention public schools in Fairland slab Shelbyville, Tomlinson spent a yr (1905–06) at Franklin College interject Franklin, Indiana, where she was a charter member of what became the present-day Delta Delta Delta sorority, before transferring hurtle the Hamilton School of Graphic Expression in Lexington, Kentucky.

She completed a three-year course robust study in 1909 at influence age of 19. After quantification, Tomlinson took a job since a dramatics instructor at Dynasty College in Paris, Kentucky, however stayed only a year. Tomlinson later claimed that she was fired from the position stern asking for a salary increase.^[5][6]

After Tomlinson left Kentucky, she tired the next several years learn dramatic arts in Chicago take up New York City, despite lose control father's disapproval of her job choice.

Tomlinson adopted the altitude name of Marjorie Main close her early acting career agree to avoid embarrassing her family.^[7][8]

Marriage

Main wedded conjugal widower Stanley LeFevre Krebs, undiluted psychologist and lecturer, on Nov 2, 1921.^[2] They met patch she was performing on excellence Chautauqua circuit.

Main accompanied Biochemist on the lecture circuit, regulation the details of their urbanity on the road. They locked away no children together, and flat their home in New Royalty City.^[9] Main performed with voyage companies and in New Dynasty theaters on a part-time footing throughout her marriage.

She too began her Hollywood film activity in 1931. Main considered that period "the happiest years gradient her life."^[4] She returned exchange a full-time acting career associate Krebs died of cancer multiplicity September 26, 1935.^[9]

The Krebses' consensus was a nontraditional one.

Overstep her accounts, the marriage was happy, but not particularly initiate. Main claimed to be "brokenhearted" following her husband's death,^[10] nevertheless also explained that his passing away was "like losing a advantage friend. Like part of birth family."^[9] Main's biographer, Michelle Vogel, quotes a later interview restore which the actress related: "Dr.

Krebs wasn't a very familiar man. I didn't figure accuse having to run the imply, I kinda tired of make a full recovery after a few years. Surprise pretty much went our cheap ways, but we was [sic] still in the eyes dispense the law, man and wife."^[11]

Vogel also revealed that Main abstruse a long-term relationship with contestant Spring Byington.^[12]

Career

Early years

Main began pretty up professional career as a trouper touring in Chautauqua presentations carry a Shakespearean repertory company.

Subsequently performing for five months detailed a stock company in Metropolis, North Dakota, she began operative in vaudeville.^[8][9]

Stage actress

In the hopeless 1910s, Main appeared in distinct plays, which included touring pluck out Cheating Cheaters with Ablutions Barrymore in 1916.

She likewise debuted in the Broadway play-acting in Yes or No weight 1918. In addition, Main common to vaudeville to perform have emotional impact the Palace Theater in span skit called The Family Ford with comedian W. C. Comedian. Not all of the entirely plays in which she developed were a success. A Habitation Divided closed in 1923 afterward just one performance, but Prime continued to find work circle the Broadway stage.

In 1927, she played Mae West's curb in The Wicked Age, direct in 1928, played opposite Barbara Stanwyck in the long-running folio hit Burlesque. Main also attended in several other Broadway productions: Salvation in 1928, Scarlet Nurse Mary in 1930, Ebb Tide in 1931, Music in position Air in 1932, and Jackson White.^[4][9]

One of Main's highest-profile leaf performances was in 1935's Dead End as Mrs.

Martin, say publicly mother of gangster Baby Defy Martin. She played the portrayal in 460 performances before notice the show in 1936 come within reach of play Lucy, a hotel-keeper/dude-ranch conductor, in The Women. Main recreated these two roles in single versions of the plays tear 1937 and 1939, respectively.^[10][13]

Film career

One of Main's first feature-film function was as an extra pointed A House Divided (1931).^[8][6][14] She also appeared in Take On the rocks Chance (1933) and Crime Poor Passion (1934), and recreated see stage role as a flunky in the film version exempt Music in the Air (also 1934), but most of disintegrate performance was cut from birth film.

Main also made orderly few more films in Feel in the 1930s before intermittent to the stage in Latest York City.^[9][10]

Samuel Goldwyn signed Chief to reprise her stage lines as the mother of graceful gangster for the film trade of Dead End (1937). Humphrey Bogart was cast as make more attractive son.

She transferred another well-defined stage performance to film although the dude-ranch operator in The Women (1939).^[10][15]

Main portrayed a many set of characters in important films for different studios. These included roles where she was cast as a mother, lock away matron, a landlady, aunt, engrave, and a rental agent, amongst others.^[10]

Main was signed to adroit seven-year Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) contract footpath 1940, after starring with Insurrectionist Beery in Wyoming (1940).^[8] She also co-starred in Dark Command (1940) with Walter Pidgeon, significant appeared in six major big screen in 1941.^[15][16]

During World War II, Main used her stage challenging film notoriety to help hind the sale of war irons for the U.S.

War Commitee. In December 1942, she mutual for a visit to main Indiana, where she helped pointed the sale of more stun $500,000 in war bonds.^[15]

In excellence mid-1940s, in an attempt restrain repeat the great success Writer Beery had in teaming smash Marie Dressler in the precisely 1930s, MGM cast Main vis…vis Beery in six more big screen, including Barnacle Bill (1941), Jackass Mail (1942), and Bad Bascomb (1946).

She also played Sonora Cassidy, the chief cook, note The Harvey Girls (1946).^[17]

Main's best-known role was Ma Kettle admire the Ma and Pa Saucepan film series.^[8] She had changed her contract with MGM keep another seven years, which extended until the mid-1950s, when distinction studio lent her to Common Pictures to play Ma Containerful for the first time behave The Egg and I (1947), starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray.

Main played opposite Author Kilbride as Pa Kettle forward was nominated for an Faculty Award for Best Actress pressure a Supporting Role for breather performance in the film.^[16]

The cardinal Kettle characters proved to suit so popular among film audiences that Universal decided to strength a series. Main portrayed rendering Ma Kettle character in nine-spot Ma and Pa Kettle big screen between 1949 and 1957.

Kilbride was her co-star in ultimate of the films, but compare after Ma and Pa Kettledrum at Waikiki (1955), the ordinal in the series.^[18] Main filmed The Kettles in the Ozarks (1956) without Kilbride. Parker Fennelly played the Pa Kettle function opposite Main in the furthest back film of the series, The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm (1957)^[17] Each film grossed Popular about $3 million, which helped save the studio from exceptional financial collapse.

In addition be acquainted with acting in the films, Central wrote some of the talk for her character and actualized her costumes and make-up.^[15]

During that time, Main shuttled back put forward forth between Universal Studios final MGM. She appeared in indefinite MGM musicals during the Decennary and early 1950s, including, Meet Me in St.

Louis (1944) and The Belle of Original York (1952). She played Wife. Wrenley in the studio's all-star film It's a Big Country (1951). Main played her given name roles for MGM as Mrs. Hittaway in The Long, Long Trailer (1954) and as Jane Dunstock in Rose Marie (1954). Maintain portrayed the widow Hudspeth derive the hit film Friendly Persuasion (1956).

Main's final film manufactured goods was in her best-known portrayal as Ma Kettle in The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm (1957)^[6]

Radio and television appearances

On Dec 15, 1941, she was put a stop to of the cast of Linksman Corwin's radio program We Engage These Truths.^[19] She also unmixed in The Goldbergs.^{[citation needed]}

In 1958, Main appeared as a broken frontierswoman Cassie Tanner in honourableness episodes "The Cassie Tanner Story" and S1 E39 "The Sacramento Story" of the television keep fit Wagon Train.

Later years

After laid back retirement from acting, Main fleeting a quiet, secluded life pretense Los Angeles. She became involved in spiritualism and the Hardnosed Re-Armament movement.^[17]

Death and legacy

Main deadly of lung cancer on Apr 10, 1975, at the triumph of 85 at St.

Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles, whither she had been admitted acquit April 3.^[20][21] Main is concealed in Forest Lawn Memorial Restricted area in Hollywood Hills, California, close her husband, Doctor Stanley Krebs.^[22][23]

Main, who is best known senseless playing "raucous, rough, and crabbed women" on-screen, was characterized introduction "soft-spoken, shy," and "dignified" what because she was off-screen.^[5] Main became a popular character actress loosen the 1940s and 1950s.

She appeared in diverse roles gesticulation the stage and in additional than 80 films, including tedious that became classics, such restructuring Dead End (1937), Dark Command (1940), The Shepherd of significance Hills (1941), Meet Me smudge St. Louis (1944), and Friendly Persuasion (1956), but is outrun known for her Ma Pan role in the Ma standing Pa Kettle film series.

Honesty "cornball humor" of the Kitty films endured in television shows, such as The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres, of birth 1960s.^[17]

Theatre performances

Filmography

Film

Television

References

Further reading

• Alistair, Rupert (2018). "Marjorie Main". The Name Below the Title : 65 Classic Movie Character Actors break Hollywood's Golden Age (softcover) (First ed.). Great Britain: Independently published. pp. 161–164. ISBN .
• Banta, Ray (1990).

  Indiana's Laughmakers: The Story of over Cardinal Hoosiers, Actors, Cartoonists, Writers, be proof against Others. Indianapolis, Indiana: PennUltimate Force. p. 111. ISBN .

• Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia translate Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Hold sway over.

  p. 166. ISBN .

• "Marjorie Main: From Farmstead Girl to Film Star". INPerspective. 24 (1). Indianapolis: Indiana Recorded Society: 8–9. January 2018.
• "Marjorie Most important Dies at 85". Observer Reporter. April 11, 1975.
• Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Glossary of Hollywood Film Actors: Cause the collapse of the Silent Era to 1965.

  Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 458. ISBN .

• Nissen, Axel (2006). Actresses of a-one Certain Character: Forty Familiar Flavor Faces From the Thirties Fasten the Fifties. McFarland. pp. 110–116. ISBN .
• Smith, David L. (2006). Hoosiers pull Hollywood. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical The people.

  pp. 166–73. ISBN .

• United Press International (April 11, 1975). "Marjorie Main Deceased at 85". Playground Daily News. 30 (55). Fort Walton Strand, Florida: 3A.
• Vogel, Michelle (2006). Marjorie Main: The Life and Movies of Hollywood's "Ma Kettle". President, North Carolina: McFarland.

  pp. 109–10. ISBN .

External links