From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mary Elizabeth Patterson (November 22, 1874 – January 31, 1966) was an American theatre, film, and television character actress who gained popular recognition late in her career playing the elderly neighbor Matilda Trumbull on the television comedy series I Love Lucy. In 1926, at the age of 51, Patterson was cast in her first movie, a silent film, The Boy Friend. Transitioning successfully into the era of "talkies", she remained a very busy actress in Hollywood throughout the 1930s, averaging more than five films a year during that decade, usually in supporting roles. A few of her screen credits at that time include Tarnished Lady; Husband's Holiday; A Bill of Divorcement; So Big!; The Story of Temple Drake; Hold Your Man; Dinner at Eight; High, Wide, and Handsome; and No Man of Her Own. She also appeared in the role of Susan in two adaptations of John Willard's popular play The Cat and the Canary: The Cat Creeps in 1930 and The Cat and the Canary in 1939. Patterson continued to perform frequently in the 1940s, when she was cast in more than 30 additional films. Among her notable roles is her 1949 portrayal of the heroic character Eunice Habersham in the groundbreaking racial crime drama Intruder in the Dust, a film based on the William Faulkner novel of the same name and set in the Deep South. Although she would appear in a few more feature films in the 1950s, such as Washington Story and Pal Joey, Patterson by then began to focus her work increasingly on roles in the rapidly expanding medium of television. In 1952, at the age of 77, Patterson made her first appearance on the hit CBS-TV sitcom I Love Lucy in the episode "The Marriage License". Her character on I Love Lucy proved to be so popular among viewers, as well as useful to the writers of the series, that she continued in the role for three more years, often serving in episode storylines as a convenient babysitter for "Little Ricky". Prior to, during, and after her work on I Love Lucy, Patterson appeared in many other American television series during the 1950s and early 1960s. Her first credited performance on the "small screen" was in March 1950 in "The Walking Stick", a teleplay on the NBC anthology series The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre. During the 11 years after that initial televised performance to her final role on television in 1961, she portrayed characters in a variety of other series, including Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, Studio One in Hollywood, General Electric Theater, Stage 7, Lux Video Theatre, Crossroads, The Star and the Story, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Adventures of Superman, New York Confidential, 77 Sunset Strip, Johnny Stacatto, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Playhouse 90, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, and The New Breed. Patterson, who never married, lived at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel during her 35-year film and television career.. On January 31, 1966, she died at age 91 in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia. Her gravesite is in Savannah Cemetery in her hometown in Tennessee.
Movie | Sons of... | Annie Brereton | 1985-10-31 |
Series | New York Confidential | Unknown | 1959-01-01 |
Movie | The Oregon Trail | Maria Cooper | 1959-08-31 |
Series | Johnny Staccato | Unknown | 1959-09-10 |
Series | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | Unknown | 1958-10-06 |
Series | 77 Sunset Strip | Unknown | 1958-10-10 |
Movie | Pal Joey | Mrs. Casey | 1957-10-25 |
Series | The Adventures of Jim Bowie | Unknown | 1956-09-07 |
Movie | Las Vegas Shakedown | Mary Raff | 1955-05-15 |
Movie | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Aunt Polly | 1955-09-01 |
Series | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Unknown | 1955-10-02 |
Series | Playwrights '56 | Unknown | 1955-10-04 |
Series | Climax! | Unknown | 1954-10-07 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Series | Cavalcade of America | Unknown | 1952-10-01 |
Movie | Washington Story | Miss Dee | 1952-07-01 |
Series | Adventures of Superman | Unknown | 1952-09-19 |
Series | I Love Lucy | Unknown | 1951-10-15 |
Series | Lux Video Theatre | Unknown | 1950-10-02 |
Movie | Bright Leaf | Tabitha Singleton | 1950-06-16 |
Movie | Katie Did It | Aunt Priscilla Wakely | 1950-11-26 |
Movie | Little Women: Meg's Story | Aunt March | 1950-12-18 |
Movie | Little Women: Jo's Story | Aunt March | 1950-12-25 |
Movie | Little Women | Hannah | 1949-03-10 |
Movie | Song of Surrender | Mrs. Beecham | 1949-10-27 |
Movie | Intruder in the Dust | Miss Eunice Habersham | 1949-11-22 |
Movie | Miss Tatlock's Millions | Cora | 1948-11-19 |
Movie | The Shocking Miss Pilgrim | Catherine Dennison | 1947-01-04 |
Movie | Out of the Blue | Miss Spring | 1947-04-21 |
Movie | Welcome Stranger | Mrs. Gilley | 1947-06-13 |
Movie | Colonel Effingham's Raid | Cousin Emma | 1946-01-24 |
Movie | I've Always Loved You | Mrs. Sompter | 1946-12-02 |
Movie | The Secret Heart | Mrs. Stover | 1946-12-25 |
Movie | Lady on a Train | Aunt Charlotte Waring | 1945-08-03 |
Movie | Follow the Boys | Annie | 1944-05-05 |
Movie | Together Again | Jessie | 1944-12-23 |
Movie | Hail the Conquering Hero | Martha - Libby's Aunt | 1944-08-09 |
Movie | The Sky's the Limit | Mrs. Fisher | 1943-07-13 |
Movie | Almost Married | Aunt Matilda Manning | 1942-05-22 |
Movie | Her Cardboard Lover | Eva | 1942-07-16 |
Movie | The Vanishing Virginian | Grandma | 1942-02-01 |
Movie | Beyond the Blue Horizon | Mrs. Daly | 1942-06-25 |
Movie | I Married a Witch | Margaret | 1942-10-30 |
Movie | Lucky Legs | Annabelle Dinwiddie | 1942-10-01 |
Movie | My Sister Eileen | Grandma Sherwood | 1942-09-24 |
Movie | Tobacco Road | Ada Lester | 1941-02-20 |
Movie | Kiss the Boys Goodbye | Aunt Lily Lou Bethany | 1941-08-01 |
Movie | Belle Starr | Sarah | 1941-09-12 |
Movie | Adventure in Diamonds | Nellie | 1940-03-08 |
Movie | Remember the Night | Aunt Emma | 1940-01-19 |
Movie | Earthbound | Becky Tilden | 1940-06-06 |
Movie | Who Killed Aunt Maggie? | Maggie Ambler | 1940-11-01 |
Movie | Michael Shayne: Private Detective | Aunt Olivia | 1940-12-19 |
Movie | Anne of Windy Poplars | Rebecca | 1940-06-28 |
Movie | The Story of Alexander Graham Bell | Mrs. MacGregor | 1939-04-04 |
Movie | Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police | Aunt Blanche | 1939-03-29 |
Movie | Bulldog Drummond's Bride | Aunt Blanche | 1939-07-12 |
Movie | Bad Little Angel | Mrs. Perkins | 1939-10-27 |
Movie | Our Leading Citizen | Aunt Tillie | 1939-08-23 |
Movie | The Cat and the Canary | Aunt Susan | 1939-10-27 |
Movie | Bulldog Drummond's Peril | Aunt Blanche | 1938-03-18 |
Movie | Bluebeard's Eighth Wife | Aunt Hedwige | 1938-03-25 |
Movie | Scandal Street | Ada Smith | 1938-02-11 |
Movie | Sing, You Sinners | Mrs. Daisy Beebe aka Mother Beebe | 1938-09-02 |
Movie | Sons of the Legion | Grandmother Lee | 1938-09-18 |
Movie | High, Wide and Handsome | Grandma Cortlandt | 1937-07-21 |
Movie | Night of Mystery | Mrs. Tobias Greene | 1937-05-21 |
Movie | Hold 'Em Navy | Grandma Holland | 1937-11-04 |
Movie | Night Club Scandal | Mrs. Elvira Ward | 1937-11-11 |
Movie | Her Master's Voice | Mrs. Ellie Martin | 1936-01-17 |
Movie | Small Town Girl | Ma Brannan | 1936-04-10 |
Movie | Go West Young Man | Aunt Kate Barnaby | 1936-11-18 |
Movie | The Return of Sophie Lang | Araminta Sedley | 1936-06-18 |
Movie | Old Hutch | Sarah Hutchins | 1936-09-25 |
Movie | Men Without Names | Aunt Ella | 1935-06-29 |
Movie | Chasing Yesterday | Mlle. Prefere | 1935-05-03 |
Movie | So Red the Rose | Mary Cherry | 1935-12-20 |
Movie | Hide-Out | 'Ma' Miller | 1934-08-24 |
Movie | The Story of Temple Drake | Aunt Jennie | 1933-05-06 |
Movie | They Just Had to Get Married | Lizzie | 1933-01-05 |
Movie | Hold Your Man | Miss Tuttle | 1933-06-30 |
Movie | Infernal Machine | Elinor's Aunt | 1933-04-08 |
Movie | Secret of the Blue Room | Mary, Cook | 1933-07-20 |
Movie | Dinner at Eight | Miss Copeland | 1933-12-22 |
Movie | Doctor Bull | Aunt Patricia Banning | 1933-09-22 |
Movie | Golden Harvest | Lydia | 1933-09-21 |
Movie | New Morals for Old | Aunty Doe | 1932-06-04 |
Movie | Miss Pinkerton | Juliet Mitchell | 1932-05-27 |
Movie | The Expert | Miss Crackenwald | 1932-03-05 |
Movie | Guilty as Hell | Elvira Ward | 1932-08-05 |
Movie | So Big! | Mrs. Tebbit (uncredited) | 1932-04-30 |
Movie | Man Wanted | Miss Harper | 1932-04-23 |
Movie | Boo | Susan (edited from "The Cat Creeps") | 1932-12-01 |
Movie | No Man of Her Own | Mrs. Randall | 1932-12-30 |
Movie | Love Me Tonight | First Aunt | 1932-08-18 |
Movie | They Call It Sin | Mrs. Cullen | 1932-11-05 |
Movie | A Bill of Divorcement | Aunt Hester Fairfield | 1932-09-28 |
Movie | Life Begins | Mrs. Tubby (uncredited) | 1932-09-10 |
Movie | Daddy Long Legs | Mrs. Lippett | 1931-06-05 |
Movie | Tarnished Lady | Mrs. Courtney | 1931-05-01 |
Movie | The Smiling Lieutenant | Baroness Von Schwedel (uncredited) | 1931-08-01 |
Movie | Penrod and Sam | Schoolteacher (uncredited) | 1931-10-01 |
Movie | Husband's Holiday | Mrs. Caroline Reid | 1931-12-19 |
Movie | Heaven on Earth | Vergie | 1931-11-27 |
Movie | Harmony at Home | Emma Haller | 1930-01-12 |
Movie | The Lone Star Ranger | Sarah Martin | 1930-01-05 |
Movie | The Cat Creeps | Susan | 1930-11-10 |
Movie | Words and Music | Dean Crockett | 1929-08-18 |
Movie | South Sea Rose | Sarah | 1929-12-09 |
Movie | The Dancing Town | Ma Pepperall | 1928-10-26 |
Movie | The Boy Friend | Mrs. Harper | 1926-01-01 |
Movie | The Return of Peter Grimm | Mrs. Bartholomey | 1926-12-07 |