Elizabeth Patterson
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- November 21, 1874
- Died
- January 31, 1966 (aged 91)
- Birthplace
- Savannah, Tennessee, USA
Biography
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.
Known For
Filmography
Tall Story
Movie · as Connie
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
TV · as Mrs. Melvane · 1 ep
The Oregon Trail
Movie · as Maria Cooper
Johnny Staccato
TV · 1 ep
New York Confidential
TV · 1 ep
Portrait of a Murderer
Movie · as Mrs. Finch
77 Sunset Strip
TV · 1 ep
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
TV · as Mrs. Kale · 1 ep
Pal Joey
Movie · as Mrs. Casey
The Ninth Day
Movie · as Aunt Ida
Rendezvous in Black
Movie · as Mrs. Middleton
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
TV · 1 ep
Las Vegas Shakedown
Movie · as Mary Raff
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Movie · as Aunt Polly
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV · as Miss Bessie, Grandmother · 1 ep
Playwrights '56
TV · 1 ep
Climax!
TV · as Aunt Polly, Jane Connor, Nellie Eldredge, Mrs. Garr · 1 ep
Three Lives
Movie · as Mrs. Adams
General Electric Theater
TV · as Madame Elaine · 1 ep
Washington Story
Movie · as Miss Dee
Adventures of Superman
TV · 2 eps
Cavalcade of America
TV · as Mrs. Couche · 1 ep
Four Star Playhouse
TV · as Ma / Mother Baker · 1 ep
The Ford Television Theatre
TV · as Mrs. Matthews · 1 ep
I Love Lucy
TV · as Mrs. Willoughby, Mrs. Trumbull · 1 ep
Bright Leaf
Movie · as Tabitha Singleton
Katie Did It
Movie · as Aunt Priscilla Wakely
Little Women: Jo's Story
Movie · as Aunt March
Little Women: Meg's Story
Movie · as Aunt March
Lux Video Theatre
TV · as Dr. Gilley, Mrs. Sargent · 1 ep
Little Women
Movie · as Hannah
Intruder in the Dust
Movie · as Miss Eunice Habersham
Song of Surrender
Movie · as Mrs. Beecham
Miss Tatlock's Millions
Movie · as Cora
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
Movie · as Catherine Dennison
Welcome Stranger
Movie · as Mrs. Gilley
Out of the Blue
Movie · as Miss Spring
I've Always Loved You
Movie · as Mrs. Sompter
The Secret Heart
Movie · as Mrs. Stover
Colonel Effingham's Raid
Movie · as Cousin Emma
Lady on a Train
Movie · as Aunt Charlotte Waring
Together Again
Movie · as Jessie
Follow the Boys
Movie · as Annie
Hail the Conquering Hero
Movie · as Martha - Libby's Aunt
The Sky's the Limit
Movie · as Mrs. Fisher
My Sister Eileen
Movie · as Grandma Sherwood
Her Cardboard Lover
Movie · as Eva
Beyond the Blue Horizon
Movie · as Mrs. Daly
Almost Married
Movie · as Aunt Matilda Manning
I Married a Witch
Movie · as Margaret
Lucky Legs
Movie · as Annabelle Dinwiddie
The Vanishing Virginian
Movie · as Grandma
Tobacco Road
Movie · as Ada Lester
Belle Starr
Movie · as Sarah
Kiss the Boys Goodbye
Movie · as Aunt Lily Lou Bethany
Remember the Night
Movie · as Aunt Emma
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Movie · as Aunt Olivia
Anne of Windy Poplars
Movie · as Rebecca
Adventure in Diamonds
Movie · as Nellie
Who Killed Aunt Maggie?
Movie · as Maggie Ambler
Earthbound
Movie · as Becky Tilden
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
Movie · as Mrs. MacGregor
The Cat and the Canary
Movie · as Aunt Susan
Bad Little Angel
Movie · as Mrs. Perkins
Bulldog Drummond's Bride
Movie · as Aunt Blanche
Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
Movie · as Aunt Blanche
Our Leading Citizen
Movie · as Aunt Tillie
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Movie · as Aunt Hedwige
Sing, You Sinners
Movie · as Mrs. Daisy Beebe aka Mother Beebe
Bulldog Drummond's Peril
Movie · as Aunt Blanche
Sons of the Legion
Movie · as Grandmother Lee
Scandal Street
Movie · as Ada Smith
High, Wide and Handsome
Movie · as Grandma Cortlandt
Night of Mystery
Movie · as Mrs. Tobias Greene
Night Club Scandal
Movie · as Mrs. Elvira Ward
Hold 'Em Navy
Movie · as Grandma Holland
Go West Young Man
Movie · as Aunt Kate Barnaby
Small Town Girl
Movie · as Ma Brannan
The Return of Sophie Lang
Movie · as Araminta Sedley
Old Hutch
Movie · as Sarah Hutchins
Her Master's Voice
Movie · as Mrs. Ellie Martin
Timothy's Quest
Movie · as Vilda Cummins
Three Cheers for Love
Movie · as Wilma Chester
So Red the Rose
Movie · as Mary Cherry
Chasing Yesterday
Movie · as Mlle. Prefere
Men Without Names
Movie · as Ella Ferris
Hide-Out
Movie · as 'Ma' Miller
The Story of Temple Drake
Movie · as Aunt Jennie
Hold Your Man
Movie · as Miss Tuttle
Dinner at Eight
Movie · as Miss Copeland
Secret of the Blue Room
Movie · as Mary, Cook
Doctor Bull
Movie · as Aunt Patricia Banning
Infernal Machine
Movie · as Elinor's Aunt
Golden Harvest
Movie · as Lydia
They Just Had to Get Married
Movie · as Lizzie
Love Me Tonight
Movie · as First Aunt
No Man of Her Own
Movie · as Mrs. Randall
A Bill of Divorcement
Movie · as Aunt Hester Fairfield
Breach of Promise
Movie · as Cora Pugmire
Miss Pinkerton
Movie · as Juliet Mitchell
The Expert
Movie · as Miss Crackenwald
New Morals for Old
Movie · as Aunty Doe
They Call It Sin
Movie · as Mrs. Cullen
Guilty as Hell
Movie · as Elvira Ward
Boo
Movie · as Susan (edited from "The Cat Creeps")
Man Wanted
Movie · as Miss Harper
Life Begins
Movie · as Mrs. Tubby (uncredited)
So Big!
Movie · as Mrs. Tebbit (uncredited)
Husband's Holiday
Movie · as Mrs. Caroline Reid
Daddy Long Legs
Movie · as Mrs. Lippett
Tarnished Lady
Movie · as Mrs. Courtney
Penrod and Sam
Movie · as Schoolteacher (uncredited)
Heaven on Earth
Movie · as Vergie
The Smiling Lieutenant
Movie · as Baroness Von Schwedel (uncredited)
Harmony at Home
Movie · as Emma Haller
The Big Party
Movie · as Mrs. Goldfarb
The Lone Star Ranger
Movie · as Sarah Martin
The Cat Creeps
Movie · as Susan
Words and Music
Movie · as Dean Crockett
South Sea Rose
Movie · as Sarah
The Dancing Town
Movie · as Ma Pepperall
The Boy Friend
Movie · as Mrs. Harper
The Return of Peter Grimm
Movie · as Mrs. Bartholomey