Spring Dell Byington (October 17, 1886 – September 7, 1971) was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of '' December Bride''. She was an

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

contract player who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1960s. Byington received a nomination for an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

for her role as Penelope Sycamore in '' You Can't Take It with You'' (1938).

Early life

Byington was born in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

, the daughter of Edwin Lee Byington, an educator and superintendent of schools in Colorado, and his wife Helene Maud (Cleghorn) Byington, later, a doctor. She had a younger sister, Helene Kimball Byington. Her father died in 1891, and her mother sent her younger daughter to live with her grandparents in

Port Hope, Ontario Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, about east of Toronto and west of Kingston, Ontario, Kingston. It is at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County, Onta ...

, while Spring remained with relatives in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. Helene Maud Byington moved to Boston and enrolled in the

Boston University School of Medicine The Boston University School of Medicine (formally the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine) is the medical school of Boston University, a private university, private research university in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in ...

, where she graduated in 1896. She then returned to Denver and opened a practice with her classmate, Dr. Mary Ford. Byington performed occasionally in amateur shows as a student, graduating from North High School in 1904. She soon became a professional actress with the Elitch Garden Stock Company.Stumpf, Charles
"Spring Byington: Eternal Spring"
ClassicImages.com, June 2000. When their mother died in 1907, Spring and Helene were legally adopted by their aunt Margaret Eddy. Byington stated in a 1949 interview that she briefly tried newspaper reporting. However, since she was already of legal age, she decided to start her acting career in New York City, saying that she enjoyed it, and, "I can't do anything else very well."Heyn, Howard C. (1949)
"Motherly Spring Byington Says She Is Actress Solely Because She Likes It"
''St. Petersburg Times,'' July 24, 1949; retrieved July 16, 2013.

Career

Stage

In 1903, Byington joined a repertory company, Belasco De Mille Company of New York, that was touring

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Among the plays that she performed in Buenos Aires was ''Dr. Morris,'' written by Dr. Alberto del Solar. Between 1903 and 1916, the company performed American plays, translated into Spanish and Portuguese in Argentina and Brazil. Upon returning to New York, Byington divided her time between working in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

and staying with her daughters. Her daughters were living with friends J. Allen and Lois Babcock, in Leonardsville, New York, who were taking care of them while Byington worked in the city. She began touring in 1919 with a production of ''The Bird of Paradise'', which brought the Hawaiian culture to the mainland, and in 1921 began work with the Stuart Walker Company, for which she played roles in ''Mr. Pim Passes By'', ''The Ruined Lady'', and '' Rollo's Wild Oat'', among others. This connection landed her a role in her first Broadway performance in 1924, George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly's '' Beggar on Horseback'' which ran for six months. She renewed the role in March and April 1925, and continued on Broadway with an additional 18 productions from 1925 to 1935. These included roles in Kaufman and Moss Hart's '' Once in a Lifetime'', Rachel Crothers's ''When Ladies Meet'' (which had 173 performances on Broadway during the 1932-33 winter season, with Spring Byington playing the role of Bridget Drake), and Dawn Powell's '' Jig Saw''.

Films, radio and television

In her last years on Broadway, Byington began work in films. The first was a short film titled ''Papa's Slay Ride'' (1930), performing the role of Mama, and the second role, and better known, was in '' Little Women'' (1933) as Marmee, with

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

as her daughter Jo. For

, she played Midshipman Roger Byam's ( Franchot Tone) mother in ''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the ''Bounty'' occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship, , from their captain, Lieutenant (navy), Lieutenant William Bli ...

'' (1935). She became a household name during ''The Jones Family'' series of films, and continued as a character actress in Hollywood for several years. Byington was nominated for the

for '' You Can't Take it with You'' (1938), which was won by Fay Bainter for ''

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

'' (in which Byington also had a role as antebellum society matron, Mrs. Kendrick).. In 1941, she played “Mrs. Mitchell”, mother to Barbara Stanwyck’s star character, in '' Meet John Doe''. During World War II, Byington worked in radio, and decided to continue working in this medium, as her film career began to decline after the war. In 1951, she appeared in ''Food for Thought'', a 22-minute color film sponsored by Pressure Cooking Institute. In 1952, she joined CBS Radio to become the lead role of the widowed Lily Ruskin, in the

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' December Bride''. In 1954, the television company

Desilu Productions Desilu Productions, Inc. () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', '' The Lucy Show'', '' Mannix'', '' The ...

produced a pilot of the show for a sitcom, also starring Byington. The pilot was successful, and the new hit sitcom aired in its first two seasons immediately following ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

''. ''December Bride'' broadcast 156 episodes through 1959. Byington appeared with Tab Hunter in a 1960 episode of '' The Tab Hunter Show''. She also guest-starred as herself in the CBS sitcom '' Dennis the Menace'', starring Jay North, in the episode titled "Dennis' Birthday" (1961), with character actor Vaughn Taylor also appearing in the segment. From 1961 to 1963, Byington was cast as the wise, matronly housekeeper, Daisy Cooper, in the NBC

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series '' Laramie'', starring John Smith and Robert Fuller. On ''Laramie'', Daisy serves as a surrogate grandmother to orphaned Mike Williams, played by the child actor Dennis Holmes. After ''Laramie'', Byington guest-starred in "Oh, Those Hats!", a 1963 episode of '' Mister Ed'', playing Karen Dooley, an influential Beverly Hills columnist. She later appeared as Mrs. Jolly on Dennis Weaver's NBC

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

Kentucky Jones ''Kentucky Jones'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Dennis Weaver which centers around a widowed Southern California veterinarian and rancher raising an adopted Chinese boy. Original episodes aired from September 19, 1964, u ...

'', and as wealthy J. Pauline Spaghetti in two episodes of ''Batman'' in 1966. Her penultimate role before her death from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

was in 1967, as

Larry Hagman Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American actor, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera ''Dallas'', and the handsome astronaut Major Anthon ...

's mother on NBC's ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy sitcom television series created by Sidney Sheldon and starring Barbara Eden as a beautiful but guileless 2,000-year-old Jinn, genie and Larry Hagman as an astronaut with whom s ...

''. Her final role was in 1968 as Mother General on ABC's '' The Flying Nun'', starring Sally Field.

Personal life

Byington spoke some Spanish, which she learned during the time spent with her husband in

; and she studied

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (; ; also known as pt-BR) is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of Portuguese language native to Brazil. It is spoken by almost all of the 203 million inhabitants of Brazil and widely across the Brazilian diaspora ...

in her later years. In July 1958, she confided to reporter Hazel Johnson that she had acquired a "small coffee plantation" in Brazil the month before and was learning Portuguese. "Miss Byington explained that she first listens to a 'conditioning record' before she goes to sleep. An hour later, her Portuguese lessons automatically begin feeding into her pillow by means of a small speaker." Byington was fascinated by

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...

and

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

novels, including

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

's ''1984''. She surprised her co-stars in ''December Bride'' with her knowledge of the Earth's satellites and the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

s in the night sky, and read ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...

''. In August 1955, Byington began taking flying lessons in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

, but the studio made her stop because of insurance problems. In January 1957, she testified in the trial of the Sica brothers as a character witness on behalf of DaLonne Cooper, who was a "part-time script girl" for ''December Bride''.

Marriage and engagement

In 1909, Byington married Roy Chandler, the manager of the theater troupe with which she worked in Buenos Aires. They remained there until 1916, when Spring returned to New York to give birth to her first daughter, Phyllis Helene. Her second daughter, Lois Irene, was born in 1917. The couple divorced about 1920. Between then and the mid-1930s, she devoted her time to developing her career. In the late 1930s, Byington was engaged to be married to an Argentine industrialist. Following an engagement of a few years and several months, he died unexpectedly. She then devoted her life to her career and family. A number of Hollywood historians have claimed that Byington was a lesbian. Actress Marjorie Main's biographer Michelle Vogel has noted that Main and Byington were reported widely as having had a long-term relationship. When asked about Byington's sexual orientation, Main observed: "It's true, she didn't have much use for men."

Death

On September 7, 1971, Byington died of cancer at her home in the Hollywood Hills. At her request, her body was donated to medical research. For her contributions to the film and television industries, Byington has two stars on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

: a motion pictures star at 6507 Hollywood Boulevard, and a television star at 6231 Hollywood Boulevard.

Broadway credits

*'' Beggar on Horseback'' (1924, 1925 revival) – Mrs. Cady *''Weak Sisters'' (1925) *''Puppy Love'' (1926) *''The Great Adventure'' (1926–1927) *''Skin Deep'' (1927) *''The Merchant of Venice'' (1928) *''To-Night at 12'' (1928–1929) *''Be Your Age'' (1929) *''Jonesy'' (1929) *''Ladies Don't Lie'' (1929) *''I Want My Wife'' (1930) *'' Once in a Lifetime'' (1930) – Helen Hobart *''Ladies of Creation'' (1931) *''We Are No Longer Children'' (1932) *''When Ladies Meet'' (1932–1933) *''The First Apple'' (1933–1934) *''No Questions Asked'' (1934) *''Jig Saw'' (1934) *''Piper Paid'' (1934–1935)

Partial filmography

Films

*'' Little Women'' (1933) as Marmee March *''

Werewolf of London ''Werewolf of London'' is a 1935 horror film directed by Stuart Walker (director), Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull as the titular werewolf. The supporting cast includes Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, and Spring Byington. ...

'' (1935) as Miss Ettie Coombes *'' Love Me Forever'' (1935) as Clara Fields *'' Broadway Hostess'' (1935) as Mrs. Duncan-Griswald-Wembley-Smythe *'' The Great Impersonation'' (1935) as Duchess Caroline *'' Ah, Wilderness!'' (1935) as Mrs. Miller *''

'' (1935) as Mrs. Byam *'' Dodsworth'' (1936) as Matey Pearson *'' Stage Struck'' (1936) as Mrs. Randall *'' The Charge of the Light Brigade'' (1936) as Lady Octavia Warrenton *'' Theodora Goes Wild'' (1936) as Rebecca Parry *'' The Girl on the Front Page'' (1936) as Mrs. Langford *'' Palm Springs'' (1936) as Aunt Letty *'' Penrod and Sam'' (1937) as Mrs. Schofield *'' A Family Affair'' (1937) as Mrs. Hardy *''

Green Light Green Light, green light, green-light or greenlight may refer to: * Green-colored light, part of the visible spectrum * Greenlight, formal approval of a project to move forward Arts, entertainment, and media Films and television * Green Light ( ...

'' (1937) as Mrs. Dexter *'' It's Love I'm After'' (1937) as Aunt Ella Paisley *'' The Buccaneer'' (1938) as Dolly Madison *''

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (also simply known as ''Tom Sawyer'') is a novel by Mark Twain published on June 9, 1876, about a boy, Tom Sawyer, growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1830s-1840s in the town of St. Petersbu ...

'' (1938) as Widow Douglas (uncredited) *''

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

'' (1938) as Mrs. Kendrick *'' You Can't Take It with You'' (1938) as Penelope "Penny" Sycamore *'' Chicken Wagon Family'' (1939) as Josephine Fippany *'' Quick Millions'' (1939) as Mrs. Jones *'' The Blue Bird'' (1940) as Mummy Tyl *'' Laddie'' (1940) as Mrs. Stanton *'' Lucky Partners'' (1940) as Aunt Lucy *'' My Love Came Back'' (1940) as Clara Malette *'' The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) as Elizabeth Ellis *'' Meet John Doe'' (1941) as Mrs. Mitchell *'' When Ladies Meet'' (1941) as Bridget Drake *'' Roxie Hart'' (1942) as Mary Sunshine *'' Rings on Her Fingers'' (1942) as Mrs. Maybelle Worthington *'' The Vanishing Virginian'' (1942) as Rosa Yancey *'' The Affairs of Martha'' (1942) as Sophia Sommerfield *'' The War Against Mrs. Hadley'' (1942) as Cecilia Talbot *'' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943) as Bertha Van Cleve *'' Presenting Lily Mars'' (1943) as Mrs. Mars *'' The Heavenly Body'' (1944) as Nancy Porter *'' I'll Be Seeing You'' (1944) as Mrs. Marshall *'' Reward Unlimited'' (1944 short) as Peggy's Mother *'' The Enchanted Cottage'' (1945) as Violet Price *'' Salty O'Rourke (1945) as Mrs. Brooks *'' Thrill of a Romance'' (1945) as Grandma Glenn *'' Captain Eddie'' (1945) as Mrs. Frost *'' Dragonwyck'' (1946) as Magda *'' A Letter for Evie'' (1946) as Mrs. McPherson *'' Living in a Big Way'' (1947) as Mrs. Minerva Alsop Morgan *''

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

'' (1947) as Mrs. Bellows *'' It Had to Be You'' (1947) as Mrs. Martha Stafford *'' Cynthia'' (1947) as Carrie Jannings *'' B.F.'s Daughter'' (1948) as Gladys Fulton *'' In the Good Old Summertime'' (1949) as Nellie Burke *'' The Big Wheel'' (1949) as Mary Coy *'' The Reformer and the Redhead'' (1950) as Kathy's Mother (voice, uncredited) *'' Please Believe Me'' (1950) as Mrs. Milwright *'' Louisa'' (1950) as Louisa Norton *'' The Skipper Surprised His Wife'' (1950) as Agnes Thorndyke *'' Devil's Doorway'' (1950) as Mrs. Masters *'' Walk Softly, Stranger'' (1950) as Mrs. Brentman *'' According to Mrs. Hoyle'' (1951) as Mrs. Hoyle *'' Angels in the Outfield'' (1951) as Sister Edwitha *'' Bannerline'' (1951) as Mrs. Loomis *'' No Room for the Groom'' (1952) as Mama Kingshead *'' Because You're Mine'' (1952) as Mrs. Edna Montville *'' The Rocket Man'' (1954) as Justice Amelia Brown *'' Please Don't Eat the Daisies'' (1960) as Suzie Robinson

"Jones Family" films

*'' Every Saturday Night'' (1936) *'' Educating Father'' (1936) *''Back to Nature'' (1936) *'' Off to the Races'' (1937) * '' The Jones Family in Big Business'' (1937) *'' Hot Water'' (1937) *''Borrowing Trouble'' (1937) *'' Love on a Budget'' (1938) *'' A Trip to Paris'' (1938) *''Safety in Numbers'' (1938) *''Down on the Farm'' (1938) *''Everybody's Baby'' (1939) *'' The Jones Family in Hollywood'' (1939) *''The Jones Family in Quick Millions'' (1939) *''Too Busy to Work'' (1939) *'' Young as You Feel'' (1940) *''On Their Own'' (1940) *''I'll Be Seeing You'' (1944)

Television

*'' December Bride'' (1954–1959) (157 episodes) – Lily Ruskin *'' The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford'' (December 27, 1956) – Herself *'' What's My Line?'' (October 27, 1957) (Season 9 Episode 9 (#386 overall)) Mystery Guest. Was one of only a few Mystery Guests who disguised her voice well enough to fool the panel. *''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1960) (Season 6 Episode 11: "The Man with Two Faces") - Alice Wagner *'' The Tab Hunter Show'' (1960) (Season 1 Episode 6: "The Matchmaker") – Mollie Coburn *'' Dennis the Menace'' (1961) – Played herself on episode "Dennis' Birthday" that aired on 02/19/1961. *'' Laramie'' (1961–1963) (59 episodes) – Daisy Cooper / Aunt Daisy Cooper *'' Mister Ed'' (1963) (Season 4 Episode 8: "Oh, Those Hats!") - Karen Dooley *'' The Greatest Show on Earth'' (1964) (Season 1 Episode 28: "The Train Don't Stop Till It Gets There") - Louise *''

'' (1965) (Season 1 Episode 22: "Feminine Intrusion") – Mrs. Jolly *''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'' (1966) – J. Pauline Spaghetti **(Season 2 Episode 33: "The Sandman Cometh") **(Season 2 Episode 34: "The Catwoman Goeth") *''

'' (1967) (Season 3 Episode 9: "Meet My Master's Mother") – Mother *'' The Flying Nun'' (1968) (Season 2 Episode 11: "To Fly or Not to Fly") – Mother General

Awards

Nominations

*1933 Alexandrias: Best Supporting Actress, ''Little Women'' **Won by Mary Astor, ''The World Changes'' *1938 Oscars: Best Supporting Actress, ''You Can't Take It with You'' **Won by Fay Bainter, ''Jezebel'' *1950 Golden Globes: Best Actress – Comedy or Musical, ''Louisa'' **Won by Judy Holliday, ''Born Yesterday'' *1957 Emmys: Best Actress – Drama or Comedy Series, ''December Bride'' **Won by Jane Wyatt, ''Father Knows Best'' *1958 Emmys: Best Actress – Drama or Comedy Series, ''December Bride''"Past Awards Database: The Envelope, 1958–1959 Emmy Awards."
''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved: May 6, 2010. **Won by Jane Wyatt, ''Father Knows Best''

References

Notes Bibliography * Brooks, Tim and Earle Marsh. ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present''. New York: Ballantine Books, Ninth edition 2007, First edition 1979. . * Tucker, David C. ''Verna Felton''. Duncan, Oklahoma: BearManor Media, 2010. . * Tucker, David C. ''The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. 2007. .

External links

* * *
The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcomsyoung Spring Byington 1915 passport photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byington, Spring 1886 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Colorado American film actresses American radio actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Deaths from cancer in California American LGBTQ actresses LGBTQ people from Colorado Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Actresses from Colorado Springs, Colorado RKO Pictures contract players