Percy Kilbride
Encyclopedia
Percy W. Kilbride was an American character actor
. The son of Irish immigrants, he made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the Ma and Pa Kettle
series of feature films.
. He first played an 18th-century French dandy in A Tale of Two Cities
. His film debut was as "Jakey" in the Pre-Code
Carole Lombard
film, White Woman
(1933). He left Broadway for good in 1942, when Jack Benny
insisted that Kilbride reprise his Broadway role in the film version of George Washington Slept Here
. According to Benny, Percy Kilbride was the same character offscreen and on: quiet and friendly but principled, refusing to be paid more or less than what he considered a fair salary. Kilbride followed up the Benny film with a featured role in the Olsen and Johnson
comedy Crazy House
. In 1945, he appeared in The Southerner
.
appeared in The Egg and I
, starring Fred MacMurray
and Claudette Colbert
as a sophisticated couple taking on farm life. Main and Kilbride were featured as folksy neighbors Ma and Pa Kettle
, and audience response prompted the popular Ma and Pa Kettle series. Pa Kettle became Kilbride's most famous role: the gentle-spirited Pa seldom raised his voice, and was always ready to help friends — by borrowing from other friends, or assigning any kind of labor to his Indian friends Geoduck and Crowbar.
Kilbride became ill while filming Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
in 1953. Director Lee Sholem
cleverly staged new scenes with a stunt double, conserving Kilbride's energy for dialogue and close-ups. The film was finally released in 1955; it was Kilbride's last picture.
. He was buried near his hometown, San Francisco, at Golden Gate National Cemetery
, in San Bruno, California
. Kilbride left his estate to four nephews and a sister-in-law.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
. The son of Irish immigrants, he made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the Ma and Pa Kettle
Ma and Pa Kettle
Ma and Pa Kettle are comic film characters of the successful film series of the same name, produced by Universal Studios, in the late '40s and '50s. They are a hillbilly couple with fifteen children whose lives turn upside-down when they win a model-home-of-the-future in a slogan-writing contest...
series of feature films.
Career
Kilbride began working in the theater at the age of 12 and eventually left to become an actor on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. He first played an 18th-century French dandy in A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
. His film debut was as "Jakey" in the Pre-Code
Pre-Code
Pre-Code Hollywood refers to the era in the American film industry between the introduction of sound in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines. Although the Code was adopted in 1930, oversight was poor and it did not become rigorously...
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
film, White Woman
White Woman
White Woman is a 1933 film directed by Stuart Walker and starring Carole Lombard, Charles Laughton, and Charles Bickford. A young widow remarries and accompanies her husband to his remote jungle rubber plantation. The film was based on the play Hangman's Whip by Norman Reilly Raine and Frank...
(1933). He left Broadway for good in 1942, when Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
insisted that Kilbride reprise his Broadway role in the film version of George Washington Slept Here
George Washington Slept Here
George Washington Slept Here is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Everett Freeman, and was directed by William Keighley...
. According to Benny, Percy Kilbride was the same character offscreen and on: quiet and friendly but principled, refusing to be paid more or less than what he considered a fair salary. Kilbride followed up the Benny film with a featured role in the Olsen and Johnson
Olsen and Johnson
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem...
comedy Crazy House
Crazy House
Crazy House is a 1943 comedy film starring Ole Olson and Chic Johnson as a pair of comedians who try to make a film with no budget, no story and no clue. Complications ensue when the final reel goes missing at the film's premiere. Cass Daley costars. Stooge Shemp Howard has a small role in the film...
. In 1945, he appeared in The Southerner
The Southerner (1945 film)
The Southerner is a 1945 American film directed by Jean Renoir, based on the novel Hold Autumn in Your Hand by George Sessions Perry. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Director, Original Music Score and Sound. Renoir was named Best Director by the National Board of Review, which also...
.
Ma and Pa Kettle
In 1947, he and Marjorie MainMarjorie Main
Marjorie Main was an American character actress, mainly at MGM, perhaps best known for her role as Ma Kettle in a series of ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies.-Early life and career:...
appeared in The Egg and I
The Egg and I (film)
The Egg and I is a 1947 film directed by Chester Erskine, who co-wrote screenplay with Fred F. Finklehoffe, based on the book by Betty MacDonald.This comedy was such a hit with audiences, it spawned the Ma and Pa Kettle film series...
, starring Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
and Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
as a sophisticated couple taking on farm life. Main and Kilbride were featured as folksy neighbors Ma and Pa Kettle
Ma and Pa Kettle
Ma and Pa Kettle are comic film characters of the successful film series of the same name, produced by Universal Studios, in the late '40s and '50s. They are a hillbilly couple with fifteen children whose lives turn upside-down when they win a model-home-of-the-future in a slogan-writing contest...
, and audience response prompted the popular Ma and Pa Kettle series. Pa Kettle became Kilbride's most famous role: the gentle-spirited Pa seldom raised his voice, and was always ready to help friends — by borrowing from other friends, or assigning any kind of labor to his Indian friends Geoduck and Crowbar.
Kilbride became ill while filming Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki is a 1955 American comedy film directed by Lee Sholem.-Synopsis:The Kettles help out cousin Rodney Kettle in Hawaii with his Pineapple industry. Ma and Pa get acquainted with blue-blooded Mrs...
in 1953. Director Lee Sholem
Lee Sholem
Lee Tabor Sholem was an American television and film director....
cleverly staged new scenes with a stunt double, conserving Kilbride's energy for dialogue and close-ups. The film was finally released in 1955; it was Kilbride's last picture.
Death
In December of 1964 Kilbride and his friend and acting colleague, Ralf Belmont, were struck by a car while walking near Kilbride's home, at the corner of Yucca and Cherokee Streets, in Hollywood. Belmont died instantly; Kilbride died several days later from head injuries. He was 76 years old. A veteran of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was buried near his hometown, San Francisco, at Golden Gate National Cemetery
Golden Gate National Cemetery
Golden Gate National Cemetery is a U.S. National Cemetery, located in the city of San Bruno, San Mateo County, 12 miles south of San Francisco. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with San Francisco National Cemetery, which dates to the 19th century and is in the Presidio...
, in San Bruno, California
San Bruno, California
San Bruno is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 41,114 at the 2010 census.The city is adjacent to San Francisco International Airport and Golden Gate National Cemetery.-Geography:San Bruno is located at...
. Kilbride left his estate to four nephews and a sister-in-law.
Partial filmography
- White WomanWhite WomanWhite Woman is a 1933 film directed by Stuart Walker and starring Carole Lombard, Charles Laughton, and Charles Bickford. A young widow remarries and accompanies her husband to his remote jungle rubber plantation. The film was based on the play Hangman's Whip by Norman Reilly Raine and Frank...
(1933) - George Washington Slept HereGeorge Washington Slept HereGeorge Washington Slept Here is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Everett Freeman, and was directed by William Keighley...
(1942) - Keeper of the FlameKeeper of the Flame (film)Keeper of the Flame is a dramatic film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . It stars Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Hepburn plays the widow of a famous civic leader who has suddenly died in an accident. Tracy plays a former war correspondent who intends to write a flattering biography of the dead man,...
(1942) - Crazy House (1943)
- The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944)
- Guest in the HouseGuest in the HouseGuest in the House is an American film noir directed by John Brahm. The drama features Anne Baxter, Ralph Bellamy, Aline MacMahon, among others.-Cast:* Anne Baxter as Evelyn Heath* Ralph Bellamy as Douglas Proctor* Aline MacMahon as Aunt Martha...
(1944) - The SouthernerThe Southerner (1945 film)The Southerner is a 1945 American film directed by Jean Renoir, based on the novel Hold Autumn in Your Hand by George Sessions Perry. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Director, Original Music Score and Sound. Renoir was named Best Director by the National Board of Review, which also...
(1945) - State FairState Fair (1945 film)State Fair is a 1945 film directed by Walter Lang. The film a musical adaptation of the 1933 film of the same name, with original music by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The film starred Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine, Fay Bainter and Charles Winninger...
(1945) - Fallen AngelFallen Angel (1945 film)Fallen Angel is a 1945 black-and-white film noir directed by Otto Preminger, with cinematography by Joseph LaShelle, who had also worked with Preminger on Laura a year before. The film features Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Charles Bickford. It was the last film Faye made as a major...
(1945) - The Egg and IThe Egg and I (film)The Egg and I is a 1947 film directed by Chester Erskine, who co-wrote screenplay with Fred F. Finklehoffe, based on the book by Betty MacDonald.This comedy was such a hit with audiences, it spawned the Ma and Pa Kettle film series...
(1947) - RiffraffRiffraff (1947 film)Riffraff is a 1947 black-and-white film starring Pat O'Brien, Anne Jeffreys and Walter Slezak. Considered a minor film noir entry more in the adventure genre, it was directed by Ted Tetzlaff, who also directed The Window and worked as a cinematographer for over 100 films, including another...
(1947) - Black BartBlack Bart (1948 film)Black Bart is a 1948 film starring Dan Duryea as the real-life cowboy bandit Charles Bolles. The 80 minute film was shot in Technicolor. Also known as Black Bart, Highwayman.-Main cast:*Yvonne De Carlo as Lola Montez*Dan Duryea as Charles E...
(1948) - Feudin', Fussin', and A-Fightin' (1948)
- You Gotta Stay HappyYou Gotta Stay HappyYou Gotta Stay Happy is a 1948 Universal-International romantic-comedy starring James Stewart, Joan Fontaine and Eddie Albert.-Plot:Marvin Payne is a World War II army air force veteran trying to make it on a shoe-string with a startup air-freight business...
(1948) - The Sun Comes UpThe Sun Comes UpThe Sun Comes Up is a 1949 MGM Lassie picture.-Plot:Ex-opera singer Helen Lorfield Winter rents a house in the small town of Brushy Gap, in the hills not too far from the Smokies, Blue Ridge, and Atlanta Georgia with her dog, Lassie, after the tragic death of her son. There she befriends Jerry, a...
(1949) - Ma and Pa KettleMa and Pa Kettle (film)Ma and Pa Kettle is a 1949 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont, and is the sequel of The Egg and I, centering on the supporting characters in The Egg and I, Ma and Pa Kettle.-Plot:...
(1949) - Mr. Soft TouchMr. Soft TouchMr. Soft Touch is a 1949 film about a man on the run from the Mob. It stars Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes.-Plot:Polish American Joe Miracle returns from fighting in World War II, only to find his San Francisco nightclub under the control of the Mob, and his friend and partner Leo missing and...
(1949) - Ma and Pa Kettle Go to TownMa and Pa Kettle Go to TownMa and Pa Kettle Go to Town is a 1950 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont, it is the third of the ten films and revolves around Ma and Pa Kettle's trip to New York City.-Plot:After winning the house-of-the-future Ma and Pa are content...
(1950) - Riding HighRiding High (1950 film)Riding High is a black and white musical racetrack film featuring Bing Crosby and directed by Frank Capra in which the songs were actually sung as the movie was being filmed instead of the customary lip-synching to previous recordings. The movie is a remake of an earlier Capra film called...
(1950) - Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the FarmMa and Pa Kettle Back on the FarmMa and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm is a 1951 comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick, the fourth of the ten films where Ma and Pa Kettle are surprised with their first grandson and their son's in-laws.-Synopsis:...
(1951) - Ma and Pa Kettle at the FairMa and Pa Kettle at the FairMa and Pa Kettle at the Fair is a 1952 comedy film directed by Charles Barton.The Cape Flattery County Fairis coming up, and Ma and Pa Kettle are ready to compete with Birdie Hicks on the contests.-Synopsis:...
(1952) - Ma and Pa Kettle on VacationMa and Pa Kettle on VacationMa and Pa Kettle on Vacation is a 1953 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont. Ma and Pa Kettle reunite with their in-law counterparts, Jonathan and Elizabeth Parker, in a trip to Paris - in the sixth of the series.-Plot:...
(1953) - Ma and Pa Kettle at HomeMa and Pa Kettle at HomeMa and Pa Kettle at Home is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride as "Ma and Pa Kettle".-Synopsis:...
(1954) - Ma and Pa Kettle at WaikikiMa and Pa Kettle at WaikikiMa and Pa Kettle at Waikiki is a 1955 American comedy film directed by Lee Sholem.-Synopsis:The Kettles help out cousin Rodney Kettle in Hawaii with his Pineapple industry. Ma and Pa get acquainted with blue-blooded Mrs...
(1955)