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IMDbPro

Marjorie Main(1890-1975)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Marjorie Main
Nicky and Tacy are going to be married. Nicky wants to save up money for a house, but Tacy dreams of starting off with their own home on wheels--a trailer.
Play trailer3:08
Oma kyyhkyslakkamme (1954)
10 Videos
99+ Photos
Her father was a minister, and when she joined a local stock company as a youngster she changed her name to avoid embarrassing her family. She worked in vaudeville and debuted on Broadway in 1916. Her film debut was in A House Divided (1931). She repeated her stage role in Varjojen kadut (1937) as Baby Face Martin (Humphrey Bogart)'s mother, which led to a number of slum mother parts. She played very strong role of Lucy, the dude ranch operator in Naiset (1939). She achieved popularity as a comedienne in six 1940s movies made with Wallace Beery e.g., Sataman seikkailija (1941). The character which would dominate her remaining career was established when she played Ma Kettle in Muna ja minä (1947), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. She began her co-starring series with Percy Kilbride the following year in Kilpajuoksu lännessä (1948) and continued through seven more. Her last movie was a "Kettle" without Kilbride: The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm (1957).
BornFebruary 24, 1890
DiedApril 10, 1975(85)
BornFebruary 24, 1890
DiedApril 10, 1975(85)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 4 nominations total

Photos131

Marjorie Main in Naiset (1939)
Bud Abbott, George Cleveland, Lou Costello, and Marjorie Main in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
Lou Costello, Diane Florentine, Marjorie Main, and Pamela Wells in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
Bud Abbott, William Ching, Marjorie Main, Peter M. Thompson, and Audrey Young in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
William Ching, Bill Clauson, Lou Costello, Jack Curtis, Diane Florentine, Emmett Lynn, Marjorie Main, Pamela Wells, and Audrey Young in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, and Marjorie Main in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Gordon Jones, and Marjorie Main in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
William Ching, Lou Costello, Gordon Jones, Marjorie Main, and Audrey Young in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
Lou Costello and Marjorie Main in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
Lou Costello and Marjorie Main in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
Marjorie Main in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marjorie Main, and Audrey Young in Abbott ja Costello Villissä Lännessä (1947)

Known for:

Claudette Colbert, Percy Kilbride, Fred MacMurray, and Marjorie Main in Muna ja minä (1947)
Muna ja minä
6.9
  • Ma Kettle
  • 1947
Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm (1951)
Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm
6.8
  • Ma Kettle
  • 1951
Judy Garland, Tom Drake, and Margaret O'Brien in Tyttö ja kosija (1944)
Tyttö ja kosija
7.5
  • Katie (Maid)
  • 1944
Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in Naiset (1939)
Naiset
7.7
  • Lucy
  • 1939

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • John McIntire in Wagon Train (1957)
    Wagon Train
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Cassie Tanner
    • 1958
  • Parker Fennelly, Marjorie Main, John Smith, and Gloria Talbott in The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm (1957)
    The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm
    6.3
    • Ma Kettle
    • 1957
  • Gary Cooper, Anthony Perkins, Pat Boone, Richard Eyer, Dorothy McGuire, and Samantha the Goose in Onnellisen laakson kansa (1956)
    Onnellisen laakson kansa
    7.3
    • The Widow Hudspeth
    • 1956
  • Arthur Hunnicutt, Marjorie Main, and Una Merkel in The Kettles in the Ozarks (1956)
    The Kettles in the Ozarks
    6.4
    • Ma Kettle
    • 1956
  • Alfonso Bedoya, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, Ruth Hampton, Marjorie Main, Rudy Vallee, and Chill Wills in Ricochet Romance (1954)
    Ricochet Romance
    6.8
    • Pansy Jones
    • 1954
  • Brett Halsey, Alice Kelley, Percy Kilbride, and Marjorie Main in Ma and Pa Kettle at Home (1954)
    Ma and Pa Kettle at Home
    6.7
    • Ma Kettle
    • 1954
  • Ann Blyth and Howard Keel in Rose Marie (1954)
    Rose Marie
    5.8
    • Lady Jane Dunstock
    • 1954
  • Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball in Oma kyyhkyslakkamme (1954)
    Oma kyyhkyslakkamme
    6.9
    • Mrs. Hittaway
    • 1954
  • Polly Bergen, Nina Foch, Howard Keel, and Marjorie Main in Fast Company (1953)
    Fast Company
    5.2
    • Ma Parkson
    • 1953
  • 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
    • Ma Kettle
    • 1953
  • Percy Kilbride, Marjorie Main, and Bodil Miller in Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation (1952)
    Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation
    6.6
    • Ma Kettle
    • 1952
  • James Best, Oliver Blake, Zachary Charles, Percy Kilbride, Marjorie Main, Lori Nelson, and Emory Parnell in Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair (1952)
    Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair
    6.7
    • Ma Kettle
    • 1952
  • Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen in Malja morsiamelle (1952)
    Malja morsiamelle
    6.1
    • Mrs. Phineas Hill
    • 1952
  • A Letter from a Soldier
    6.8
    Short
    • Mrs. Wrenley
    • 1951
  • It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    It's a Big Country: An American Anthology
    6.0
    • Mrs. Wrenley
    • 1951

Soundtrack

  • Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing (2009)
    Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing
    7.8
    Video
    • performer: "The Train Must Be Fed" (uncredited)
    • 2009
  • Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical Treasure (2008)
    Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical Treasure
    7.4
    TV Movie
    • performer: "The Train Must Be Fed" (uncredited)
    • 2008
  • Viihteen kulta-aika (1974)
    Viihteen kulta-aika
    7.8
    • performer: "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe" (1946) (uncredited)
    • 1974
  • Ann Blyth and Howard Keel in Rose Marie (1954)
    Rose Marie
    5.8
    • performer: "Love and Kisses"
    • 1954
  • Sue Casey, Ann Dvorak, Phyllis Kirk, Marjorie Main, Dorothy Malone, Nancy Saunders, and James Whitmore in Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone (1950)
    Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone
    6.7
    • performer: "Possum Up a Gun Stump" (uncredited)
    • 1950
  • Judy Garland in Juna kulkee länteen (1946)
    Juna kulkee länteen
    7.0
    • performer: "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", "The Train Must Be Fed", "Swing Your Partner Round and Round" (uncredited)
    • 1946
  • Wallace Beery and Marjorie Main in Jackass Mail (1942)
    Jackass Mail
    6.1
    • performer: "The Girls of the Golden West" (1942), "When Our Day is Done" (uncredited), "A Rose in the Forest" (uncredited)
    • 1942
  • Wallace Beery, Lee Bowman, and Ann Rutherford in Kalliovuorten kostaja (1940)
    Kalliovuorten kostaja
    6.5
    • performer: "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" (1900), "There's a Home in Wyomin'" (1933) (uncredited)
    • 1940
  • Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in Naiset (1939)
    Naiset
    7.7
    • music: "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain When She Comes"
    • performer: "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain When She Comes", "On Top of Old Smokey" (uncredited)
    • 1939

Videos10

Official Trailer
Trailer 2:19
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:51
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:18
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:16
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:08
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:09
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:09
Trailer
Tish
Trailer 1:35
Tish
Mr. Imperium
Trailer 2:53
Mr. Imperium
Undercurrent
Trailer 2:33
Undercurrent

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 1.70 m
  • Born
    • February 24, 1890
    • Acton, Indiana, USA
  • Died
    • April 10, 1975
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(lung cancer)
  • Spouse
    • Stanley LeFevre KrebsDecember 2, 1921 - September 26, 1935 (his death)
  • Children
    • No Children
  • Other works
    Active on Broadway in the following productions:
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 5 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Her husband Stanley died in 1935, but until her death, she often had "conversations" with her late husband, occasionally interrupting a scene in a movie. She would then let the director know it was okay to continue the scene, which she did as if nothing happened. James Whitmore, her co-star in Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone (1950), talked about this in a TCM tribute to Main.
  • Quotes
    Most of the time I played mothers. That's acting!
  • Trademarks
      Bun hairstyle
  • Nicknames
    • Marjie
    • Ma Kettle

FAQ11

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