Percy Kilbride

Percy Kilbride

as Pa Kettle (1947–1955)
Born Percy William Kilbride
(1888-07-16)July 16, 1888
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died December 11, 1964(1964-12-11) (aged 76)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death Atherosclerosis and terminal pneumonia
Resting place Golden Gate National Cemetery
Occupation Actor
Years active 1928–55

Percy William Kilbride[1] (July 16, 1888 – December 11, 1964) was an American character actor. He made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the Ma and Pa Kettle series of feature films.

Early life

Kilbride was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Elizabeth (née Kelly), a native of Maryland, and Owen Kilbride, a Canadian.[1][2]

Career

Kilbride began working in the theater at the age of 12 and eventually left to become an actor on Broadway.[3] He first played an 18th-century French dandy in A Tale of Two Cities.[3] His film debut was as Jakey in White Woman (1933), a Pre-Code film starring Carole Lombard. 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.[4] 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 (1943). In 1945, he appeared in The Southerner.

In 1947, he and Marjorie Main 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 Home in 1953.[5] Released in 1954, it was his last film; his previous film, Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (filmed in 1952), wasn't released until 1955. Kilbride disliked making the Kettle films. In a 1953 interview, he discussed the monotony of his career due to his portrayal of Pa Kettle:

I had my training on the stage, where I did a variety of roles. That's the fun of being an actor: to meet the challenge of creating new characters. But Pa Kettle is always the same. He can do anything; there is no need to establish any motivation. There's no kick in doing him over and over again. I have had dozens of offers to do television series, but I have turned them all down. I might do one-shot appearances; but I won't let myself get tied down to one character.[6]

Death

On September 17, 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.[7] Belmont died instantly; Kilbride died three months later from atherosclerosis and terminal pneumonia which were caused by head injuries, having undergone brain surgery at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles on November 11.[8] He was 76 years old and a veteran of World War I. Kilbride 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.

Partial filmography

References

  1. 1 2 "Overview for Percy Kilbride – TCM". Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Percy Kilbride Death Certificate". Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "'Pa Kettle' of Movies, Percy Kilbride, Dies". The Milwaukee Journal. December 11, 1964. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  4. ↑ Thomas, Bob (November 8, 1951). "Percy Kilbride Sole Film Star on Hollywood Boulevard". Reading Eagle. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  5. ↑ Thomas, Bob (July 5, 1962). "Pa Kettle's Taking Life Easy Now". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  6. ↑ Thomas, Bob (April 8, 1953). "'Pa Kettle To Quit Family Film Series". Sarasota Journal. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  7. ↑ "People In The News: Condition Improves". Reading Eagle. November 14, 1964. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Percy Kilbride Dead at Age 76". The Owosso Argus-Press. December 11, 1964. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
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