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Percy Kilbride

Percy Kilbride

Actor · Died December 11, 1964, aged 76 · San Francisco, California, USA

He had a long career in theater before making movies, playing hundreds of roles, mostly rustic bumpkins, in stage and stock. His film career included two isolated early films: White Woman (1933) and Soak the Rich (1936). It began in earnest with the part of Orion Peabody in the Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn wartime drama Keeper of the Flame (1942); Kilbride was already fifty-four by then. The movie public really came to recognize him when he played the part of Pa Kettle (against Marjorie Main's Ma) in The Egg and I (1947), a role he reprised for seven more "Ma and Pa Kettle" movies, the last of which, and the last of his career, was in 1955.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
July 16, 1888
Died
December 11, 1964 (aged 76)
From
San Francisco, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 33% in 30 days

What are Percy Kilbride's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
40%
Morality
21%
Self
14%
Society
11%
Power
6%
Survival
5%
Ideas
4%
Romantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 13 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 11 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 1

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 11 · Charged 8 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 13 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 8

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

13 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 5 of 13 analyzed roles.

Ally
5 of 13
Trickster
4 of 13
Hero
3 of 13
Mentor
1 of 13
Show the 13 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
11
Joyful
8
Tense
7
Romantic
7
Melancholic
4
Other
16

How their films linger

Feel-good13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Percy Kilbride's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on MGM+ (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Percy Kilbride's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

33 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.

  • Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Pa Kettle

  • Ma and Pa Kettle at Home(1954)

    as Pa Kettle

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Pa Kettle

  • Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair(1952)

    as Pa Kettle

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Ellis in Freedomland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as The Dehumidifier (voice)

  • Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Pa Kettle

  • Riding High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Pop Jones

  • Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town(1950)

    as Pa Kettle

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Free For All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Henry J. Abbott

  • Mr. Soft Touch(1949)

    as Rickle

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Sun Comes Up(1949)

    as Mr. Willie B. Williegood

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Ma and Pa Kettle(1949)

    as Frank 'Pa' Kettle

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • You Gotta Stay Happy(1948)

    as Mr. Racknell

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'(1948)

    as Billy Caswell

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Black Bart(1948)

    as Jersey Brady

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • You Were Meant for Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Andrew Mayhew

  • Riffraff(1947)

    as Pop

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Welcome Stranger(1947)

    as Nat Dorkas

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Egg and I(1947)

    as Frank 'Pa' Kettle

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Well Groomed Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Mr. Dawson

  • She Wouldn't Say Yes(1945)

    as Judge Whittaker

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Fallen Angel(1945)

    as Pop

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • State Fair(1945)

    as Dave Miller

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Southerner(1945)

    as W. Harmie

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Guest in the House(1944)

    as John

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • She's a Soldier Too (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Jonathan Kittredge

  • Knickerbocker Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Schermerhorn

  • The Woman of the Town(1943)

    as Rev. Samuel Small

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Crazy House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Col. Cornelius Merriweather

  • Keeper of the Flame(1942)

    as Orion Peabody

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • George Washington Slept Here(1942)

    as Mr. Kimber

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Soak the Rich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Everett, 2nd Detective

  • White Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Jakey

Career shape

Star power in the 79th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 33 titles from 1933 to 1955.

Biggest box office

Keeper of the Flame (1942)

$15K worldwide

Highest rated

The Southerner (1945)

Midcredits 83rd

Most popular right now

Fallen Angel (1945)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting33 of 33: 33 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score71st

By decade

1930s2 · acting1940s23 · acting1950s8 · acting

Billing

usually 8th · top billed in 0% of 5 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Percy Kilbride's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 20; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser16
  • Broadly Agreed4

Most divisive · actor

Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1948)

55th percentile spread · 16% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Southerner (1945)

Midcredits 83rd · 72% liked

Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Percy Kilbride work with?

People who share at least 2 of Percy Kilbride's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Marjorie Main shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers