Marjorie Main

Marjorie Main

US actress (1890–1975)

Mary Tomlinson, professionally known as Marjorie Main, was an American character actress and singer of the Classical Hollywood period, notable as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1940s and 1950s, and for her role as Ma Kettle in 10 Ma and Pa Kettle movies. Main started her career in vaudeville and theatre, and appeared in film classics, such as Dead End (1937), The Women (1939), Dark Command (1940), The Shepherd of the Hills (1941), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), and Friendly Persuasion (1956). Main, known for playing "raucous, rough, and cantankerous women" on-screen, was characterized as "soft-spoken, shy," and "dignified" off-screen.

Filmography in the catalog

Credited on 29 films (1932–1957) — matched by name in the Creator or Credits field. Also mentioned in 14 other records (descriptions, transcriptions, copyright notes).

Year ▲ Title CreatorLengthFormatColorSound
1932 Broken Lullaby Paramount Publix Corp. (Publisher) 76 16mm B&W sound
1937 Boy of the streets. Monogram Pictures Corp. 9 reels 16mm B&W Sound
1937 DEAD END. Samuel Goldwyn 10 reels B&W
1938 THREE COMRADES. Loew's Inc. 10 reels B&W
1940 Wyoming. Richard Thorpe 9 reels B&W
1941 A woman's face Loew's Inc. (Publisher) | Metro Goldwyn Mayer: Publisher 1:45:00 16mm B&W sound
1941 A Woman's Face. George Cukor 12 reels B&W sound
1941 Barnacle Bill. Richard Thorpe 10 reels B&W sound
1941 The Bugle Sounds. S. Sylvan Simon 10 reels B&W sound
1941 The Shepherd Of The Hills. Henry Hathaway 10 reels Color
1942 Jackass Mail. Norman Z. McLeod 8 reels B&W sound
1942 Tish. S. Sylvan Simon 8 reels B&W sound
1944 Gentle Annie. Andrew Marton 8 reels B&W sound
1944 Meet me in St. Louis Films inc. 113 mi 16mm Color sound
1944 Rationing. Willis Goldbeck 9 reels B&W sound
1946 Bad Bascomb. S. Sylvan Simon 11 reels. B&W sound
1946 Undercurrent. Vincente Minnelli 12 reels 35mm B&W sound
1949 Ma And Pa Kettle Go To Town. Universal Pictures Company Inc. 79 min. 35mm B&W sound
1950 Mrs. O’malley And Mr. Malone Loew's Inc. 69 min. 35mm B&W sound
1951 Ma And Pa Kettle At The Fair. Universal Pictures Co. Inc. 9 reels 35mm B&W sound
1951 Ma And Pa Kettle Back On The Farm. Universal Pictures Co. Inc. 81 min. 35mm B&W sound
1951 Mr. Imperium. Loew's Inc. 87 min. 35mm Color sound
1951 The Law And The Lady. Loew's Inc. 104 min 35mm B&W sound
1953 Ma And Pa Kettle On Vacation. Universal Pictures Co. Inc. 75 min. 35mm B&W sound
1954 Ricochet Romance. Universal Pictures Co. Inc. 80 min. 35mm B&W sound
1954 Rose Marie. Loew’s Incorporated 104 min 35mm Color sound
1955 Ma And Pa Kettle At Waikiki. Universal Pictures Co. Inc. 8 reels 35mm B&W sound
1955 The Kettles In The Ozarks. Universal Pictures Co. Inc. 8 reels 35mm B&W sound
1957 The Kettles On Old Macdonald’s Farm. Universal Pictures Co. Inc. 80 min. 35mm B&W sound