Marjorie Main
Known for Acting · 92 credits
- Born
- 1890-02-22
- Died
- 1975-04-10
- Place of birth
- Acton, Indiana, USA
- Also known as
- Mary Tomlinson
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marjorie Main (born Mary Tomlinson, February 24, 1890 – April 10, 1975) was an American actress, best known as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player and for her role as Ma Kettle in a series of ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies.
Main worked in vaudeville on the Orpheum circuit and in Chautauqua presentations, and debuted on Broadway in 1916. Her first film was A House Divided in 1931.
Main began playing upper class dowagers, but ultimately was typecast in abrasive, domineering, salty roles, for which her distinctive voice was well suited. She repeated her stage role in Dead End in the 1937 film version, and was subsequently cast repeatedly as the mother of gangsters. She again transferred a strong stage performance, as a dude-ranch operator in The Women, to film in 1939. At this time, she guest-starred on radio programs such as Columbia Presents Corwin and The Goldbergs.
Main was signed to a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract in 1940 and stayed with the studio until the mid-1950s. She made six films with Wallace Beery in the 1940s, including Barnacle Bill (1941), Jackass Mail (1942), and Bad Bascomb (1946). She played Sonora Cassidy, the chief cook, in The Harvey Girls (1946). The director George Sidney remarked in the commentary for the film that Miss Main was a "great lady" as well as a great actress who donated most of her paychecks over the years to the support of a school.
Known For
TV Shows (2)
Movies (90)
The Women
1939
as Lucy
Turnabout
1940
as Nora, the Cook
Penitentiary
1938
as Miss Katie Mathews
Dead End
1937
as Mrs. Martin
Test Pilot
1938
as Landlady
Girls' School
1938
as Miss Armstrong
Tennessee Johnson
1942
as Mrs. Maude Fisher
Undercurrent
1946
as Lucy
Friendly Persuasion
1956
as The Widow Hudspeth
Gentle Annie
1944
as Annie Goss
Rationing
1944
as Iris Tuttle
Heaven Can Wait
1943
as Mrs. Strabel
Meet Me in St. Louis
1944
as Katie
Two Thoroughbreds
1939
as Hildegarde 'Hildy' Carey
A Woman's Face
1941
as Emma Kristiansdotter
The Harvey Girls
1946
as Sonora Cassidy
Rose Marie
1954
as Lady Jane Dunstock
Dark Command
1940
as Mrs. Cantrell / Mrs. Adams
Stella Dallas
1937
as Mrs. Martin
Summer Stock
1950
as Esme
Another Thin Man
1939
as Mrs. Dolley
Mr. Imperium
1951
as Mrs. Cabot
Honky Tonk
1941
as Mrs. Varner
The Shepherd of the Hills
1941
as Granny Becky
The Long, Long Trailer
1954
as Mrs. Hittaway
Too Hot to Handle
1938
as Miss Wayne
Hot Saturday
1932
as Gossip in Window (uncredited)
The Egg and I
1947
as Phoebe 'Ma' Kettle
Prison Farm
1938
as Matron Brand
I Take This Woman
1940
as Gertie
The Shadow
1937
as Hannah Gillespie
Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'
1948
as Maribel Mathews
Tish
1942
as Miss Letitia 'Tish' Carberry
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap
1947
as Widow Hawkins
Music in the Air
1934
as Anna (Uncredited)
The Kettles in the Ozarks
1956
as Ma Kettle
Fast Company
1953
as Ma Parkson
It's a Big Country
1951
as Mrs. Wrenley
The Man Who Cried Wolf
1937
as Amelia Bradley
Big Jack
1949
as Flapjack Kate
The Law and the Lady
1951
as Julia Wortin
The Affairs of Martha
1942
as Mrs. McKissick
Wyoming
1940
as Mehitabel
Broken Lullaby
1932
as Frau Schmidt - Townswoman (uncredited)
Johnny Come Lately
1943
as 'Gashouse' Mary
Women Without Names
1940
as Mrs. Lowery
The Wrong Road
1937
as Martha Foster
Art Trouble
1934
as Woman Who Sits on Painting
They Shall Have Music
1939
as Mrs. Miller
We Were Dancing
1942
as Judge Hawkes
Murder, He Says
1945
as Mamie Fleagle Smithers Johnson
Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair
1952
as Ma Kettle
The Belle of New York
1952
as Mrs Phineas Hill
The World of Abbott and Costello
1965
as Widow Hawkins in The Wistful Widow Of Wagon Gap
Close Relations
1933
as Woman in Depot (uncredited)
There Goes My Heart
1938
as Fireless Cooker Customer (uncredited)
The Bugle Sounds
1942
as Susie 'Suz'
Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone
1950
as Harriet O'Malley
Barnacle Bill
1941
as Marge Cavendish
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
1936
as Self
Ma and Pa Kettle
1949
as Phoebe 'Ma' Kettle
Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
1955
as Ma' Kettle
Lucky Night
1939
as Mrs. Briggs
Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation
1952
as Ma Kettle
Susan and God
1940
as Mary
Three Comrades
1938
as Old woman by phone (uncredited)
The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm
1957
as Ma Kettle
The Trial of Mary Dugan
1941
as Mrs. Collins
Angels Wash Their Faces
1939
as Mrs. Arkelian
Crime Without Passion
1934
as Backstage Wardrobe Woman (uncredited)
Little Tough Guy
1938
as Mrs. Boylan
Under the Big Top
1938
as Sara Post
Romance of the Limberlost
1938
as Nora
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
1950
as Ma Kettle
The Show-Off
1946
as Mrs. Fisher
The Wild Man of Borneo
1941
as Irma, the Cook
Ma and Pa Kettle at Home
1954
as Ma Kettle
A House Divided
1931
as Townswoman at Wedding (uncredited)
Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm
1951
as Ma Kettle
City Girl
1938
as Mrs. Ward (uncredited)
King of the Newsboys
1938
as Mrs. Stephens (uncredited)
Ricochet Romance
1954
as Pansy Jones
Jackass Mail
1942
as Clementine 'Tina' Tucker
Love in a Bungalow
1937
as Miss Emma Bisbee
Bad Bascomb
1946
as Abbey Hanks
Boy of the Streets
1938
as Mrs. Mary Brennan
The Captain is a Lady
1940
as Sarah May Willett
New Deal Rhythm
1933
as Arizona Representative
Harry Fox and His Six American Beauties
1929
as Statler Hotel Beauty
Summer Stock: Get Happy!
2006
as Esme (archive footage) (uncredited)
About Marjorie Main
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Marjorie Main (born Mary Tomlinson, February 24, 1890 – April 10, 1975) was an American actress, best known as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player and for her role as Ma Kettle in a series of ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies. Main worked in vaudeville on the Orpheum circuit and in Chautauqua presentations, and debuted on Broadway in 1916. Her first film was A House Divided in 1931. Main began playing upper class dowagers, but ultimately was typecast in abrasive, domineering, salty roles, for which her distinc… With 92 credits spanning from 1929 to 2006, Marjorie Main has appeared in 90 films and 2 TV shows.
Fans searching for Marjorie Main movies, Marjorie Main filmography, or the latest projects starring Marjorie Main can stream many of these titles on HinFlix, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Marjorie Main Movies
- The Women (1939) — as Lucy
- Turnabout (1940) — as Nora, the Cook
- Penitentiary (1938) — as Miss Katie Mathews
- Dead End (1937) — as Mrs. Martin
- Test Pilot (1938) — as Landlady
Where to Watch Marjorie Main Films
Most Marjorie Main movies and series are available to stream on HinFlix in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Marjorie Main, check our movies catalogue and browse page.