Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConOutfest LASTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Biography
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Esther Dale(1885-1961)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Esther Dale in Curly Top (1935)
Esther Dale was born on November 10, 1885 in Beaufort, South Carolina. She attended Leland and Gray Seminary in Townsend, Vermont, then studied music in Berlin, Germany and had a successful career as a lieder singer. Later, she became an actress in summer stock. She had the title role on Broadway of Carrie Nation in 1933, which also starred James Stewart, Mildred Natwick, and Joshua Logan. Her first film was Crime Without Passion (1934) in 1934, followed by many, many roles in movies and television. Her husband, writer/director Arthur J. Beckhard was her manager. He died in March 1961 and she died a few months later, after surgery, in Queen of Angels Hospital in Hollywood, California.
BornNovember 10, 1885
DiedJuly 23, 1961(75)
BornNovember 10, 1885
DiedJuly 23, 1961(75)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos26

Esther Dale and Muriel Hutchison in The Women (1939)
Esther Dale in The Unfinished Dance (1947)
Ralph Bellamy, Irene Dunne, and Esther Dale in The Awful Truth (1937)
Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, and Esther Dale in The Awful Truth (1937)
Ralph Bellamy and Esther Dale in The Awful Truth (1937)
Esther Dale, Arthur Hohl, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, Penny Singleton, and Ray Turner in Blondie Has Servant Trouble (1940)
Esther Dale, Arletta Duncan, and Douglas Walton in Damaged Goods (1937)
Robert Benchley, Hobart Cavanaugh, and Esther Dale in How to Sub-Let (1939)
Esther Dale, Sally Eilers, and Lee Patrick in Condemned Women (1938)
John Wayne, Capucine, Esther Dale, and Karl Swenson in North to Alaska (1960)
Jean Arthur, Gertrude Astor, Nora Cecil, Ethel Clayton, Dora Clement, Lois Clinton, Elsa Connor, Virginia Dabney, Esther Dale, Mary Nash, Florence Wix, and Gloria Williams in Easy Living (1937)
Barbara Jo Allen and Esther Dale in Village Barn Dance (1940)

Known for:

Maureen O'Hara, Laird Cregar, George Montgomery, and John Sutton in Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942)
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
6.1
  • Mrs. Thompson
  • 1942
Percy Kilbride, Marjorie Main, Lori Nelson, and Byron Palmer in Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1953)
Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
6.4
  • Birdie Hicks
  • 1953
1 sheet 27 x 41
The Awful Truth
7.7
  • Mrs. Leeson
  • 1937
Percy Kilbride, Richard Long, Marjorie Main, and Meg Randall in Ma and Pa Kettle (1949)
Ma and Pa Kettle
6.7
  • Mrs. Birdie Hicks
  • 1949

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Sebastian Cabot, Anthony George, and Doug McClure in Checkmate (1960)
    Checkmate
    • Mrs. Kenyon
    • TV Series
    • 1961
  • Bob Denver and Dwayne Hickman in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959)
    The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
    • Grandma
    • Mrs. Finch
    • TV Series
    • 1960–1961
  • Thriller (1960)
    Thriller
    • Ellen the Maid
    • TV Series
    • 1960
  • John Wayne, Capucine, Stewart Granger, Fabian, and Ernie Kovacs in North to Alaska (1960)
    North to Alaska
    • Woman at Picnic (uncredited)
    • 1960
  • Lock Up (1959)
    Lock Up
    • Mrs. Raymond
    • TV Series
    • 1960
  • The Alaskans (1959)
    The Alaskans
    • Matilda Miller
    • TV Series
    • 1959
  • Shelley Fabares, Donna Reed, Carl Betz, and Paul Petersen in The Donna Reed Show (1958)
    The Donna Reed Show
    • Mrs. Abrogast
    • TV Series
    • 1959
  • Yul Brynner and Joanne Woodward in The Sound and the Fury (1959)
    The Sound and the Fury
    • Mrs. Maud Mansfield (uncredited)
    • 1959
  • Lee Marvin in M Squad (1957)
    M Squad
    • Julia Sheldon
    • TV Series
    • 1958
  • John McIntire in Wagon Train (1957)
    Wagon Train
    • Grandma Birch
    • TV Series
    • 1957
  • James Garner and Jack Kelly in Maverick (1957)
    Maverick
    • Ma Braus
    • TV Series
    • 1957
  • Joel McCrea in The Oklahoman (1957)
    The Oklahoman
    • Mrs. Fitzgerald
    • 1957
  • Climax! (1954)
    Climax!
    • TV Series
    • 1956
  • Studio 57 (1954)
    Studio 57
    • Clara
    • TV Series
    • 1956
  • Mark Stevens in Big Town (1950)
    Big Town
    • TV Series
    • 1956

Soundtrack

  • Shirley Temple and John Boles in Curly Top (1935)
    Curly Top
    • Soundtrack ("When I Grow Up" (1935), uncredited)
    • 1935

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Ester Dale
  • Born
    • November 10, 1885
    • Beaufort, South Carolina, USA
  • Died
    • July 23, 1961
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(after surgery)
  • Spouse
    • Arthur J. Beckhard? - April 25, 1961 (his death)
  • Other works
    Active on Broadway in the following productions:
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    One of her most memorable roles was Miss Birdie Hicks, one of the main antagonists of the Ma and Pa Kettle series. She first played this part in The Egg and I (1947) and later reprised it in three more films: Ma and Pa Kettle (1949), Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair (1952), and Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1953).

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Production art
List
The Best Movies and Series in July
See our picks
Production art
List
New and Upcoming Sci-fi & Fantasy
See our picks

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

Demo reel thumbnail
Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
Upload your demo reel

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
Upload your demo reel
Demo reel thumbnail

How much have you seen?

Keep track of how much of Esther Dale’s work you have seen. Go to your list.

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
  • Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • IMDb Developer
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.