Esther Dale (November 10, 1885 – July 23, 1961) was an American actress of the stage and screen.

Early years

Dale was born in

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , a different pronunciation from that used by the city with the same name in North Carolina) is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in Sou ...

. She attended Leland and Gray Seminary in Townshend, Vermont. In

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, she studied music and enjoyed a successful career as a singer of ''

lieder In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

'' on the concert stage. Her singing career included appearances with the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

and the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 18 ...

. At one point, Dale was head of Smith College's vocal department.

Stage

In America, Dale transferred to the acting stage and cultivated a career as an actress in

Summer stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...

. She starred in ''Carrie Nation'' on Broadway in 1933. Her other Broadway credits include ''Harvest of Years'' (1947), ''And Be My Love'' (1944), and ''Another Language'' (1932).

Film

Dale's first film was ''

Crime Without Passion ''Crime Without Passion'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur and starring Claude Rains. It is the first of four pictures written, produced and directed by Hecht and MacArthur for Paramount Pictures. Sixty to ...

'' (1934) in an uncredited role. She played Birdie Hicks in the Ma and Pa Kettle films '' The Egg and I'' (1947), '' Ma and Pa Kettle'' (1949), '' Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair'' (1952), and ''

Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki ''Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki'' is a 1955 American comedy film directed by Lee Sholem. It is the seventh installment of Universal-International's ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series starring Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride in his final starring role. P ...

'' (1955).

Television

Dale played many roles in television over the years. In 1957, she appeared in the 1957 ''

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bure ...

'' episode " According to Hoyle" opposite James Garner. That same year, she guest-starred in the TV Western series ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'', playing Grandma Birch, in the episode “The Julie Gage Story”. In the 1958-1959 season of ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary ...

'', Dale played a job-seeking housekeeper who is frightened from the Stone home by Jeff Stone's pet mouse.

Death

Dale died in the summer of 1961 following surgery in Queen of Angels Hospital in Hollywood. Her husband, writer-director Arthur J. Beckhard, had died four months earlier.

Partial filmography

* ''

'' (1934) as Miss Keeley (uncredited) * '' The Wedding Night'' (1935) as Mrs. Kaise Novak * ''

Private Worlds ''Private Worlds'' is a 1935 dramatic film which tells the story of the staff and patients at a mental hospital and the chief of the hospital, who has problems dealing with a female psychiatrist. The film stars Claudette Colbert, Charles Boyer, ...

'' (1935) as Matron * ''

Curly Top Curly Top is a 1935 American musical romantic comedy film starring Shirley Temple, John Boles and Rochelle Hudson. Plot A bachelor wants to adopt an orphan, but she refuses to leave behind her older sister, so he adopts them both. The man eventu ...

'' (1935) as Aunt Genevieve Graham * '' I Live My Life'' (1935) as Brumbaugh, Mrs. Gage's Housekeeper * '' Mary Burns, Fugitive'' (1935) as Kate * '' In Old Kentucky'' (1935) as Dolly Breckenridge * '' I Dream Too Much'' (1935) as Mrs. Dilley (uncredited) * '' The Great Impersonation'' (1935) as Mrs. Unthank * '' Timothy's Quest'' (1936) as Hitty Tarbox * ''

Lady of Secrets ''Lady of Secrets'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Marion Gering and starring Ruth Chatterton, Otto Kruger and Lionel Atwill.Monaco p.111 Plot Celia Whittaker, a reclusive socialite who has long eschewed romantic opportunities, lear ...

'' (1936) as Miss Eccles * '' The Farmer in the Dell'' (1936) as Louella 'Ma' Boyer * '' The Case Against Mrs. Ames'' (1936) as Matilda * '' Fury'' (1936) as Mrs. Whipple * ''

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

'' (1936) as Martha * '' The Magnificent Brute'' (1936) as Mrs. Randolph (uncredited) * '' Outcast'' (1937) as Hattie Simmerson * '' Damaged Goods'' (1937) as Mrs. Dupont * '' Easy Living'' (1937) as Lillian * '' Wild Money'' (1937) as Jenny Hawkins * '' Dead End'' (1937) as Mrs. Fenner * '' On Such a Night'' (1937) as Miss Belinda Fentridge * '' The Awful Truth'' (1937) as Mrs. Leeson * ''

Of Human Hearts ''Of Human Hearts'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Walter Huston, James Stewart and Beulah Bondi. Stewart plays a proud and ungrateful son who rebels against his preacher father and (after his father's dea ...

'' (1938) as Mrs. Cantwell (uncredited) * ''

Condemned Women ''Condemned Women'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and written by Lionel Houser. The film stars Sally Eilers, Louis Hayward, Anne Shirley, Esther Dale and Lee Patrick. The film was released on March 18, 1938. Plot Linda W ...

'' (1938) as Mrs. Clara Glover, Head Matron * '' Stolen Heaven'' (1938) as Lieschen * ''

Prison Farm A prison farm (also known as a penal farm) is a large correctional facility where penal labor convicts are forced to work on a farm legally and illegally (in the wide sense of a productive unit), usually for manual labor, largely in the open ai ...

'' (1938) as Cora Waxley * '' Girls on Probation'' (1938) as Nrs, Engstrom (uncredited) * '' Dramatic School'' (1938) as Forewoman in Factory (uncredited) * ''

The Great Man Votes ''The Great Man Votes'' is a 1939 American drama film starring John Barrymore as a widowed professor turned drunkard who has the deciding vote in an election for mayor. It was based on the short story of the same name by Gordon Malherbe Hillman ...

'' (1939) as Ms. Markham (uncredited) * '' Made for Each Other'' (1939) as Annie, Cook #1 (uncredited) * ''

Sergeant Madden ''Sergeant Madden'' is a 1939 film noir forerunner directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Wallace Beery. The supporting cast in this dark police crime drama, noted for its imaginative and evocative cinematography, includes Tom Brown, Larain ...

'' (1939) as Mrs. McGillivray (uncredited) * ''

Broadway Serenade ''Broadway Serenade'' (also known as ''Serenade'') is a 1939 musical drama film distributed by MGM, produced and directed by Robert Z. Leonard. The screenplay was written by Charles Lederer, based on a story by Lew Lipton, John Taintor Foote and ...

'' (1939) as Mrs. Olsen * ''

Big Town Czar ''Big Town Czar'' is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Arthur Lubin starring Barton MacLane and Tom Brown. Plot New York City newspaper columnist Ed Sullivan relates the story of crime boss Phil Daley's rise and fall. To the disappointm ...

'' (1939) as Ma Daley * ''

Tell No Tales ''Tell No Tales'' is the third studio album by the Norwegian hard rock band TNT. It was the best-selling TNT album in the U.S., according to their bass guitarist Morty Black. This album diverted from the power metal style of '' Knights of the N ...

'' (1939) as Mrs. Haskins * ''

6,000 Enemies ''6,000 Enemies'' is a 1939 American drama film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Walter Pidgeon as a successful District Attorney who is framed on charge of bribery. Although innocent, he is sent to prison where he fights to clear his n ...

'' (1939) as Matron * '' The Women'' (1939) as Ingrid (uncredited) * ''

Blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

'' (1939) as Sarah * '' Bad Little Angel'' (1939) as Miss Brown, Orphanage Secretary (uncredited) * '' A Child Is Born'' (1939) as Prison Matron (uncredited) * '' Swanee River'' (1939) as Temperance Woman * '' Laddie'' (1940) as Sarah, the Housekeeper * '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940) as Lincoln's Cook (uncredited) * '' Village Barn Dance'' (1940) as Minerva Withers * ''

Convicted Woman ''Convicted Woman'' is a 1940 crime film starring Rochelle Hudson and directed by Nick Grinde Nick Grinde (January 12, 1893 – June 19, 1979) was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed 57 films between 1928 and 1945. Bio ...

'' (1940) as Chief Matron Brackett * '' Women Without Names'' (1940) as Head Matron Ingles * '' And One Was Beautiful'' (1940) as Margaret * '' Forty Little Mothers'' (1940) as Mrs. Mason, Landlady (uncredited) * ''

Opened by Mistake ''Opened by Mistake'' is a 1940 film starring Charlie Ruggles and Janice Logan. Plot Journalist buddies Jimmie Daniels and Buzz Nelson have decided to spend their vacation together at the Latonia horse race track on Yucatán, Mexico. Their plan ...

'' (1940) as Mrs. Anthony DeBorest * '' The Mortal Storm'' (1940) as Marta * '' Untamed'' (1940) as Mrs. Smith * ''

Cross-Country Romance ''Cross-Country Romance'' is a 1940 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Woodruff and starring Gene Raymond and Wendy Barrie. With the huge success of ''It Happened One Night'', the 1934 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank ...

'' (1940) as Mrs. McGillicuddy (uncredited) * ''

Blondie Has Servant Trouble ''Blondie Has Servant Trouble'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake. It is sixth of the series of 28 Blondie movies. Plot summary Blondie proves to be a real nuisance to he ...

'' (1940) as Anna Vaughn * '' Arise, My Love'' (1940) as Susie * '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (1941) as Mrs. Krausheimer * '' Back Street'' (1941) as Mrs. Smith * ''

The Hard-Boiled Canary ''The Hard-Boiled Canary'' is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Andrew L. Stone and written by Robert Lively and Andrew L. Stone. It was later reissued as ''There's Magic in Music''. The film stars Allan Jones, Susanna Foster, ...

'' (1941) as Miss Clark * '' Unfinished Business'' (1941) as Aunt Mathilda * '' Aloma of the South Seas'' (1941) as Tarusa * '' All-American Co-Ed'' (1941) as Aunt Matilda Collinge * '' Dangerously They Live'' (1941) as Dawson * '' Blondie Goes to College'' (1942) as Mrs. Carrie Dill, the Landlady (uncredited) * '' What's Cookin'?'' (1942) as Mrs. Murphy (uncredited) * '' You're Asking Me'' (1942) as Aunt Fannie Handley * ''

Ten Gentlemen from West Point ''Ten Gentlemen from West Point'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring George Montgomery, Maureen O'Hara and John Sutton. Its cinematography was nominated for an Academy Award in 1943. George Montgomery replac ...

'' (1942) as Mrs. Thompson * '' Maisie Gets Her Man'' (1942) as Mrs. Myra McIntyre, Elsie's Mother (uncredited) * '' I Married an Angel'' (1942) as Mrs. Gherkin (uncredited) * '' Wrecking Crew'' (1942) as Mike O'Glendy * ''

The Amazing Mrs. Holliday ''The Amazing Mrs. Holliday'' is a 1943 American comedy drama film produced and directed by Bruce Manning and starring Deanna Durbin, Edmond O'Brien, and Barry Fitzgerald. Based on a story by Sonya Levien, the film is about a young idealistic mi ...

'' (1943) as Lucy * '' Hello, Frisco, Hello'' (1943) as Aunt Harriet (uncredited) * ''

Murder in Times Square ''Murder in Times Square'' is a 1943 American mystery film directed by Lew Landers and starring Edmund Lowe, Marguerite Chapman and John Litel.Morton & Adamson p.181-82 The film's sets were designed by the art director Lionel Banks. Plot A Broa ...

'' (1943) as Longacre Lil * '' Swing Your Partner'' (1943) as Caroline Bird, aka Anna Robbins * '' The North Star'' (1943) as Anna Kurin * '' Old Acquaintance'' (1943) as Harriet * '' Out of This World'' (1945) as Abbie Pringle (uncredited) * '' Bedside Manner'' (1945) as Martha Gravitt * ''

On Stage Everybody ''On Stage Everybody'' is a 1945 film starring Jack Oakie, Peggy Ryan, and Johnny Coy. Also appearing are Otto Kruger, Esther Dale, Milburn Stone, Wallace Ford, Julie London, and The King Sisters, who sang " Stuff Like That There", written by ...

'' (1945) as Ma Cassidy * ''

Behind City Lights ''Behind City Lights'' is a 1945 American crime film directed by John English and written by Richard Weil and Gertrude Walker. The film stars Lynne Roberts, Peter Cookson, Jerome Cowan, Esther Dale, William Terry and Victor Kilian. The fil ...

'' (1945) as Sarah Lowell * ''

My Reputation ''My Reputation'' is a 1946 American romantic drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt. Barbara Stanwyck portrays an upper-class widow whose romance with an army officer causes trouble for her gossiping friends, domineering mother and young sons. ...

'' (1946) as Anna * '' A Stolen Life'' (1946) as Mrs. Johnson * '' Smoky'' (1946) as Mrs. 'Gram' Richards * '' Margie'' (1946) as Grandma McSweeney * '' The Egg and I'' (1947) as Birdie Hicks * '' The Unfinished Dance'' (1947) as Olga * '' A Song Is Born'' (1948) as Miss Bragg * '' Ma and Pa Kettle'' (1949) as Mrs. Birdie Hicks * '' Anna Lucasta'' (1949) as Mrs. Polaski (uncredited) * '' Holiday Affair'' (1949) as Mrs. Ennis * '' No Man of Her Own'' (1950) as Josie * ''

Surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

'' (1950) as Aunt May * '' Walk Softly, Stranger'' (1950) as Miss Thompson * '' On Moonlight Bay'' (1951) as Aunt Martha Robertson (uncredited) * '' Too Young to Kiss'' (1951) as Mrs. Boykin * '' Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair'' (1952) as Birdie Hicks * '' Monkey Business'' (1952) as Mrs. Rhinelander * ''

'' (1955) as Birdie Hicks * '' Betrayed Women'' (1955) as Head Matron Ballard * ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th large ...

'' (1957) as Mrs. Fitzgerald * ''

The Sound and the Fury ''The Sound and the Fury'' is a novel by the American author William Faulkner. It employs several narrative styles, including stream of consciousness. Published in 1929, ''The Sound and the Fury'' was Faulkner's fourth novel, and was not immedi ...

'' (1959) as Mrs. Maud Mansfield (uncredited) * '' North to Alaska'' (1960) as Woman at Picnic (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dale, Esther) 1885 births 1961 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from South Carolina People from Beaufort, South Carolina Smith College faculty American women academics