Kitty Kelly (born Sue O'Neil; April 27, 1902 – June 29, 1968), was an American stage and film

character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

Biography

Born in New York City in 1902, Kelly was best known as a member of the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

and her radio hosting with Columbia Broadcasting. One of her best-remembered roles is that of Lt. Ethel Armstrong in the 1943

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

wartime drama ''

So Proudly We Hail! ''So Proudly We Hail!'' is a 1943 American war film directed and produced by Mark Sandrich and starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard – who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance – a ...

''. However, she is probably better remembered in the 1935 '' Our Gang'' comedy short ''

Beginner's Luck Beginner's luck refers to the supposed phenomenon of novices experiencing disproportionate frequency of success or succeeding against an expert in a given activity. One would expect experts to outperform novices - when the opposite happens it is co ...

''. After the war, she appeared in many TV series, including '' Bonanza'', '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', '' Batman'' and ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', on which she made four guest appearances, including the role of Millie Foster in the 1958 episode "The Case of the Rolling Bones." Kelly also performed in England.

Death

Kelly died from cancer on June 29, 1968, in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

Partial filmography

* '' A Kiss in the Dark'' (1925) - Chorus Girl * '' La Nuit est à nous'' (1930) - Maud Sarazin * ''Hot Bridge'' (1930, Short) * ''

Behind Office Doors ''Behind Office Doors'' is a 1931 pre-Code American drama film directed by Melville W. Brown, from a screenplay by Carey Wilson and J. Walter Ruben, based on Alan Schultz's 1929 novel, ''Private Secretary''. It starred Mary Astor, Robert Ame ...

'' (1931) - Delores Kogan * ''

Bachelor Apartment Bachelor Apartment is a 1931 American pre-Code romance film directed by and starring Lowell Sherman as a bachelor/playboy, Wayne Carter, who falls in love with Irene Dunne's honest working girl, Helene Andrews. The credits for the film, and a ...

'' (1931) - Miss Clark, First Girl in Ladies Room * ''

White Shoulders ''White Shoulders'' is a lost 1931 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring Mary Astor and Jack Holt, with major supporting roles by Ricardo Cortez and Sidney Toler. The film was produced and distributed b ...

'' (1931) - Maria Fontaine * ''

Men of Chance ''Men of Chance'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code Drama (genre), drama film directed by George Archainbaud, starring Ricardo Cortez, Mary Astor, and John Halliday (actor), John Halliday. Plot A destitute Marthe Preston is in dir ...

'' (1931) - Gertie Robbins * ''

Ladies of the Jury ''Ladies of the Jury'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Lowell Sherman and written by Marion Dix, Edward Salisbury Field and Eddie Welch based on the 1929 play of the same name by John Frederick Ballard. The film stars Edna M ...

'' (1932) - Mayme Mixter * ''

Girl Crazy ''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, ...

'' (1932) - Kate Foster * ''

The Girl in 419 ''The Girl in 419'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Alexander Hall and George Somnes and written by Allen Rivkin, Manuel Seff and P.J. Wolfson. The film stars James Dunn, Gloria Stuart, David Manners, William Harrigan, Shi ...

'' (1933) - Kitty - Telephone Girl * ''

Headline Shooter ''Headline Shooter'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama about the life of a newsreel photographer. Director Otto Brower intertwined the screenplay written by Agnes Christine Johnston, Allen Rivkin, and Arthur Kober, with actual newsreel footage ...

'' (1933) - Sue, Burnett's New Moll (uncredited) * ''

Too Much Harmony ''Too Much Harmony'' is a 1933 American black-and-white pre-Code musical film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and starring Bing Crosby, Jack Oakie, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Harry Green, and Judith Allen. It was released by Paramount Picture ...

'' (1933) - Patsy Dugan * '' All of Me'' (1934) - Lorraine * '' A Woman's Man'' (1934) - Molly Evans * ''

She Was a Lady ''She Was a Lady'' is the title of a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris featuring his creation, Simon Templar, alias The Saint. The novel was first published in serialized form in the magazine ''Thriller'' in February and March 1930, and after be ...

'' (1934) - Daisy * ''

The Lemon Drop Kid ''The Lemon Drop Kid'' is a 1951 American comedy film based on the short story of the same name by Damon Runyon, starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. Although Sidney Lanfield is credited as the director, Frank Tashlin reportedly was hired, u ...

'' (1934) - Cora Jennings * ''

'' (1935, Short) - Spanky's mother * ''

Dizzy Dames ''Dizzy Dames'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by William Nigh and written by George Waggner. The film stars Marjorie Rambeau, Florine McKinney, Lawrence Gray, Inez Courtney, Berton Churchill and Fuzzy Knight. The film was released on ...

'' (1935) - La Vere * '' The Farmer Takes a Wife'' (1935) - Ivy * ''

The Private Secretary ''The Private Secretary'' is an 1883 farce in three acts, by Charles Hawtrey (actor born 1858), Charles Hawtrey. The play, adapted from a German original, depicts the vicissitudes of a mild young clergyman, innocently caught up in the machinatio ...

'' (1935) * ''

The Man Behind the Mask ''The Man Behind the Mask'' is a 1936 British mystery film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Jane Baxter, Ronald Ward, Maurice Schwartz, George Merritt, Henry Oscar and Peter Gawthorne. A man assaults and switches places wi ...

'' (1936) - Marian Weeks * ''

Rhythm in the Air ''Rhythm in the Air'' is a 1936 British comedy dance film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring husband and wife dance partnership American Jack Donohue and Norwegian Tutta Rolf. The film was a quota quickie production, written by Donohue ...

'' (1936) - Celia * ''

Blossoms on Broadway ''Blossoms on Broadway'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Richard Wallace and written by Theodore Reeves. The film stars Edward Arnold, Shirley Ross, John Trent, Rufe Davis, Joe Weber, and Lew Fields. The film was released on Novembe ...

'' (1937) - Death Valley Cora Keane * '' Men with Wings'' (1938) - Martha Ranson * ''

Grand Jury Secrets ''Grand Jury Secrets'' is a 1939 American mystery film directed by James P. Hogan and written by Irving Reis, Maxwell Shane and Robert Yost. The film stars John Howard, Gail Patrick, William Frawley, Jane Darwell, Porter Hall and Harvey Stephens ...

'' (1939) - Miss Clark * ''

Geronimo Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache ba ...

'' (1939) - Daisy Devine * ''

All Women Have Secrets ''All Women Have Secrets'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Kurt Neumann and written by Agnes Christine Johnston. The film stars Virginia Dale, Joseph Allen, Jeanne Cagney, Peter Lind Hayes, Betty Moran and John Arledge. Also appeari ...

'' (1939) - Flo * ''

Road to Singapore ''Road to Singapore'' is a 1940 American semi- musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope. Based on a story by Harry Hervey, the film is about two playboys trying to forget previo ...

'' (1940) - Sailor's Wife (uncredited) * ''

Women Without Names ''Women Without Names'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Robert Florey. Plot Cast * Ellen Drew as Joyce King * Robert Paige as Fred MacNeil * Judith Barrett as Peggy Athens * John Miljan as District Attorney John Marlin * ...

'' (1940) - Countess * '' Those Were the Days!'' (1940) - Mrs. Sanford (uncredited) * '' The Mad Doctor'' (1941) - Winnie * ''

Hold Back the Dawn ''Hold Back the Dawn'' is a 1941 American romantic drama film in which a Romanian gigolo marries an American woman in Mexico in order to gain entry to the United States, but winds up falling in love with her. It stars Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havi ...

'' (1941) - American Lady at Bullfight (uncredited) * '' The Lady Is Willing'' (1942) - Nellie Quigg * ''

Larceny, Inc. ''Larceny, Inc.'' is a 1942 American film. Originally released on May 2, 1942, by Warner Bros., the film is a cross between comedy and gangster genres. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the film stars Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, a ...

'' (1942) - Fourth customer (uncredited) * ''

They All Kissed the Bride ''They All Kissed the Bride'' is a 1942 American screwball comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas. The plot follows a trucking firm executive who falls in love. Crawford took over the title role a ...

'' (1942) - Spotter (uncredited) * ''

Holiday Inn Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia. and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee that year. The chain was a division ...

'' (1942) - Drunk (uncredited) * ''

Lucky Jordan ''Lucky Jordan'' is a 1942 film directed by Frank Tuttle, starring Alan Ladd in his first leading role, Helen Walker in her film debut, and Sheldon Leonard. The screenplay concerns a self-centered gangster who tangles with Nazi spies. Plot Dur ...

'' (1942) - Vera Maggotti * ''

'' (1943) - Lt. Ethel Armstrong * ''

Swing Out the Blues ''Swing Out the Blues'' is a 1944 American romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and starring Bob Haymes, Lynn Merrick, and Janis Carter. It was released on May 22, 1938. Plot Cast * Bob Haymes as Rich Cleveland * Lynn Merrick as ...

'' (1943) - Queenie (uncredited) * ''

Practically Yours ''Practically Yours'' is a 1944 comedic film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Mitchell Leisen, written by Norman Krasna and starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. Plot When a young pilot, Daniel Bellamy, is presumed dead after cra ...

'' (1944) - Wife - newsreel theater (uncredited) * ''

Two Years Before the Mast ''Two Years Before the Mast'' is a memoir by the American author Richard Henry Dana Jr., published in 1840, having been written after a two-year sea voyage from Boston to California on a merchant ship starting in 1834. A film adaptation under the ...

'' (1946) - Girl in Pub (uncredited) * ''

The Birds and the Bees The talk about sex, often colloquially referred to as "the birds and the bees" or "the facts of life", is generally the occasion in most children's lives when their parents explain what sex is and how to do it. According to tradition, "the bird ...

'' (1956) - (uncredited) * ''

Gunsight Ridge ''Gunsight Ridge'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Francis D. Lyon and written by Talbot Jennings and Elisabeth Jennings. The film stars Joel McCrea, Mark Stevens, Joan Weldon, Addison Richards, Darlene Fields and Carolyn Craig. ...

'' (1957) - Mrs. Donahue * ''

Official Detective ''Official Detective'' is an American anthology television series which aired in syndication from 1957 to March 19, 1958. The series was hosted by veteran film actor Everett Sloane.McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television'' (4th ed.). New York: Pen ...

'' (1957, TV Series) - Mrs. Johnson (uncredited) * ''

The Lost Missile ''The Lost Missile'' is a 1958 American science fiction film written by John McPartland and science-fiction writer Jerome Bixby. It was to have been directed by William Berke, who was also the executive producer, but following Berke's sudden de ...

'' (1958) - Mama - Ella's Mother * ''

Twelve Hours to Kill ''Twelve Hours to Kill'' (also known as ''12 Hours to Kill'') is a 1960 American crime drama film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Nico Minardos and Barbara Eden. Plot Martin Filones (Nico Minardos), a young Greek man, witnesses the murde ...

'' (1960) - Train Passenger * '' Mary, Mary'' (1963) - Wife in Elevator (uncredited) * ''

The Lieutenant ''The Lieutenant'' is an American television series, the first created by Gene Roddenberry. It aired on NBC on Saturday evenings in the 1963–1964 television schedule. It was produced by Arena Productions, one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most ...

'' (1964, Episode: "Gone the Sun") - Housekeeper * ''

The Third Day ''The Third Day'' is a 1965 suspense thriller film directed by Jack Smight and starring George Peppard and Elizabeth Ashley. It was based on a novel by Joseph Hayes. Plot Steve Mallory has been involved in a car crash, and it appears he has k ...

'' (1965) - Secretary (uncredited) * ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...

'' (1965, Episode: "School Days") - The Woman''Get Smart'' "School Days" episode credits - air date 10/2/1965 * ''

Firecreek ''Firecreek'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Vincent McEveety and starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda in his second role as an antagonist that year alongside Sergio Leone's '' Once Upon a Time in the West''. The film is similar ...

'' (1968) - Mrs. Sawyer (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Kitty American musical theatre actresses American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from New York (state) Deaths from cancer in California Ziegfeld girls 1902 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers