One of the most familiar voices and faces in Hollywood, Percy Helton was born in New York City, New York, on January 31, 1894. He began acting as a young child at the age of two, appearing in his father's vaudeville act. He appeared in many Broadway plays as a child actor before joining the U.S. Army to serve in World War I. He appeared on film in 1947's Miracle on 34th Street, playing a drunken Santa Claus. Over his career he appeared in many movies, including Call Northside 777 in 1948, Criss Cross in 1949, Abbott & Costello Met the Killer Boris Karloff in 1949, How to Marry a Millionaire in 1953, White Christmas in 1954, Jailhouse Rock in 1957, Where the Boys Are in 1960, The Music Man in 1962, Hush. . .Hush, Sweet Charlotte in 1964, The Sons of Katie Elder in 1965 and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969.
The short actor with a hoarse, raspy voice and breathy delivery was a fixture in a wide range of films and TV programs. He appeared in episodes of Bonanza, The Life of Riley, The Wild Wild West, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Beverly Hillbillies, Batman, Mister Ed, The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, Green Acres, and Perry Mason, where he made three guest appearances.
Percy Helton died of natural causes in Hollywood, California, on Setember 11, 1971, at the age of 77.
Beulah Bondi was born May 3, 1889, in Valparaiso, Indiana. She began her acting career as a child in theater, and, after establishing herself as a stage actress, she reprised her role in Street Scene for the 1931 film version. She played supporting roles in several films during the 1930s and was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in The Gorgeous Hussy in 1936 and Of Human Hearts in 1938. Although she lost both time, Bondi established her reputation as a character actress. She would most often be seen in the role of the mother of the star of the film for the rest of her career. She played James Stewart's mother in four films, It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Of Human Hearts, and Vivacious Lady.
Her television credits include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Goodyear Television Playhouse, and Wagon Train. Beulah Bondi made her final appearance as Martha Corinne Walton on The Waltons in the episodes "The Conflict" in 1974 and "The Pony Cart" in 1976, for which she received an Emmy Award.
Despite the fact that she was known for playing mother figures, Bondi never married in real life. She died from pulmonary complications caused by broken ribs suffered when she tripped over her cat on January 11, 1981, at the age of 91.
Percy Kilbride was an American character actor who made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the Ma and Pa Kettle series for Universal Pictures in the late 1940s and early to mid 1950s. He was born in San Francisco, California, on July 16, 1888. He began working in the theater at the age of 12 and eventually left to become an actor on Broadway. His film debut was in the 1933 film White Woman starring Carole Lombard. Kilbride left Broadway for good in 1942 when Jack Benny insisted that he reprise his Broadway role in the film version of George Washington Slept Here. According to Benny, Percy Kilbride was the same character off-screen as he was on: quiet and friendly but principled, refusing to be paid more or less what he considered a fair salary. Other film roles include Keeper of the Flame in 1942, The Adventures of Mark Twain in 1944, and Fallen Angel and State Fair both in 1945.
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. Audience response prompted the popular Ma and Pa Kettle series, seven films for Universal between 1949 and 1955. Pa Kettle became Kilbride's most famous role: the gentle-spirited Pa seldom raised his voice and was always ready to help his friends - by borrowing from other friends.
Percy Kilbride became ill while filming Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki in 1953. The director cleverly staged new scenes with a stunt double, conserving Kilbride's energy for dialogue and close-ups. The film, finally released in 1955, was Percy Kilbridge's last picture. On September 21, 1964, Kilbride and his friend and acting colleague, Ralf Belmont, were struck by a car while walking near Kilbride's home in Hollywood. Belmont died instantly. Percy Kilbride died three months later on December 11, 1964, from head injuries, having undergone brain surgery a month before. He was 76 years old. A World War I veteran, Kilbride was buried near his hometown of San Francisco at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.
Herb Vigran was a well-known American character actor in Hollywood from the 1930's until his death in 1986. Over his 50 year career he made over 350 television and film appearances. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 5, 1910, but grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He graduated with a law degree from Indiana University School of Law but later chose to pursue acting.
After starting out on Broadway, he soon moved to Hollywood. In 1939, his agent helped him secure a lead in the radio drama Silver Theatre. He had a $5 recording made of the radio show and used it as a demo to get other jobs with his unique voice. He performed in radio shows in the 1940s with Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, and Jimmy Durante.
He made hundreds of television appearances on shows like The Adventures of Superman, Dragnet, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Perry Mason, The Brady Bunch, and many apperances on I Love Lucy. He had a recurring role between 1970 and 1975 on Gunsmoke at Judge Brooker.
Herb Vigran was active up until his death from cancer on November 29, 1986, in Los Angeles.
Cliff Norton was an American character actor and radio announcer who appeared in many movies and television series in a career that spanned over 40 years. Norton was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 21, 1918. He began his career as a radio disc jockey in Chicago. While working in Chicago radio, he met NBC announcer Dave Garroway who introduced Norton to TV with Garroway's variety series Garroway at Large. For two years from 1949 to 1951 Norton was regularly featured on the show in humorous skits. He appeared in such films as It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, Kiss Me Stupid, and The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!
On television, he made appearances on Bewitched, The Monkees, Hogan's Heroes, The Munsters, That Girl, The Wild Wild West, and The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as many others. He appeared in a short-lived weather spot, Your Weather and Mine, which aired locally in the Los Angeles area in 1963.
Cliff Norton served in the Army Air Corps as a bombardier during World War II. He died of natural causes in Studio City, California, on January 25, 2003.
Elizabeth Patterson was an American film and television character actress best remembered for her portrayal of elderly neighbor and occasional babysitter on I Love Lucy. She was born in Savannah, Tennessee, on November 22, 1874. Her father, who had been a Confederate soldier, was a judge in Hardin County, Tennessee. In college, Patterson's participation in college theatricals helped form her interest in drama. Her parents sent her to Europe in the hope of discouraging her interest in the theater but her determination to become an actress was only reinforced by her attending productions at the Comedie Francaise. After returning from Europe, she used a small inheritance to move to Chicago where she joined a theatrical troupe. In 1913, she made her Broadway debut in the play Everyman. She remained active in New York City theatre through 1954.
In 1926, at the age of 51, Patterson was cast in her first movie, The Boy Friend. Additional screen appearances included A Bill of Divorcement, Tarnished Lady, Dinner at Eight, High Wide and Handsome, Intruder in the Dust, Remember the Night, No Man of Her Own, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, Little Women, My Sister Eileen, and Pal Joey.
In 1952, at the age of 77, Elizabeth Patterson made her first appearance on I Love Lucy in the episode entitled "The Marriage License" as the wife of the justice of the peace who married Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The following year she was cast in a guest role in "No Children Allowed" as Mrs. Matilda Trumbull , a neighbor of the Ricardos and the Mertzes. The role was so popular that she continued in the role for three more years as Little Ricky's babysitter.
Elizabeth Patterson never married and lived alone at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel during her 35 year motion picture career. She died in Los Angeles on January 31, 1966, of complications from pneumonia at the age of 91 and is buried in her hometown of Savannah, Tennessee.
