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 a

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

contract player who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1960s. Byington received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Penelope Sycamore in '' You Can't Take It with You'' (1938).

Early life

Byington was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the daughter of Edwin Lee Byington, an educator and superintendent of schools in Colorado, and his wife Helene Maud (Cleghorn) Byington, 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, approximately east of Toronto and about west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County. ...

, while Spring remained with relatives in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Helene Maud Byington moved to Boston and enrolled in the Boston University School of Medicine, 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, Byington 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 ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. 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 (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and staying with her daughters. Her daughters were living with friends J. Allen and Lois Babcock, in

Leonardsville, New York Leonardsville is a hamlet on the Unadilla River in the Town of Brookfield in Madison County, New York, United States. A portion of it does also extend into the Town of Plainfield in Otsego County, New York, United States. The community started ...

, 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 ''Beggar on Horseback'' is a 1924 play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly. The play is a parody of the expressionistic parables that were popular at the time; its title derives from the proverb "Set a beggar on horseback, and he'll ride at a g ...

'' which ran for six months. She renewed the role in March and April 1925, and continued on Broadway with an additional 18 productions in the ten years from 1925 to 1935. These included roles in Kaufman and Moss Hart's '' Once in a Lifetime'', Rachel Crothers's ''When Ladies Meet,'' 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 as her daughter Jo. For

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

, she played Midshipman Roger Byam's (

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

) mother in ''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel 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 William Bligh, and set h ...

'' (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 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for '' You Can't Take it with You'' (1938), which was won by Fay Bainter for ''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'' (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 ''Meet John Doe'' is a 1941 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Frank Capra, written by Robert Riskin, and starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. The film is about a "grassroots" political campaign created unwittingly by ...

''. 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 1952, she joined

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

Radio to become the lead role of the widowed Lily Ruskin, in the

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

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

Desilu Productions Desilu Productions () 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 Untouchabl ...

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''. ''December Bride'' broadcast 111 episodes through 1959. Byington appeared with

Tab Hunter Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm; July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American actor, singer, film producer, and author. Known for his blond, clean-cut good looks, Hunter starred in more than forty films. He was a Hollywood heartthrob of t ...

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 Jay North (born August 3, 1951) is an American actor. His career as a child actor began in the late 1950s with roles in eight TV series, two variety shows and three feature films. At age 7 he became a household name for his role as the well-mean ...

, in the episode titled "Dennis' Birthday" (1961), with character actor

Vaughn Taylor Vaughn Joseph Taylor (born March 9, 1976) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Taylor was raised in Augusta, Georgia, from infancy. After attending Hephzibah High Sch ...

also appearing in the segment. From 1961 to 1963, Byington was cast as the wise, matronly housekeeper, Daisy Cooper, in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

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 ''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which orig ...

'', playing Karen Dooley, an influential Beverly Hills columnist. She later appeared as Mrs. Jolly on Dennis Weaver's NBC comedy drama ''

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, un ...

'', and as wealthy J. Pauline Spaghetti in an episode of ''Batman'' in 1966. Her

penultimate Penult is a linguistics term for the second to last syllable of a word. It is an abbreviation of ''penultimate'', which describes the next-to-last item in a series. The penult follows the antepenult and precedes the ultima. For example, the main ...

role before her death from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

was in 1967, as Larry Hagman's mother on NBC's '' I Dream of Jeannie''. Her final role was in 1968 as Mother General on ABC's ''

The Flying Nun ''The Flying Nun'' is an American sitcom about a community of nuns which included one who could fly when the wind caught her cornette. It was produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book '' The Fifteenth Pelican,'' written by Tere ...

'', 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 Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...

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 studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

and

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novels, including George Orwell's ''1984''. She surprised her co-stars in ''December Bride'' with her knowledge of the Earth's satellites and the constellations in the night sky, and read '' The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction''. In August 1955, Byington began taking flying lessons in Glendale, California, 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."Hollywood Star Walk: Spring Byington."
''Los Angeles Times,'' September 8, 1971. Retrieved: June 11, 2012. 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. Following this, she devoted her life to her career and family. A number of Hollywood historians have claimed that Byington was a lesbian. Actress

Marjorie Main Mary Tomlinson (February 24, 1890 – April 10, 1975), professionally known as Marjorie Main, was an American character actress and singer of the Classical Hollywood period, best known as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1940s and 1 ...

's biographer

Michelle Vogel Michelle Vogel (born 1972) is an Australian-born film historian, author and free-lance editor. Vogel has written biographies of Gene Tierney, Marjorie Main, Olive Thomas, Olive Borden, Lupe Vélez, Joan Crawford, and Marilyn Monroe, as well as ...

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

Broadway credits

*''

'' (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'' (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! ''Ah, Wilderness!'' is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on October 2, 1933. It differs from a typical O'Neill play in its happy ending for the central character, and depiction of a ...

'' (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 ''Theodora Goes Wild'' is a 1936 American screwball comedy film that tells the story of the residents in a small town who are incensed by a risqué novel, unaware that the book was written under a pseudonym by a member of the town's leading fami ...

'' (1936) as Rebecca Parry *'' The Girl on the Front Page'' (1936) as Mrs. Langford *''

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

'' (1936) as Aunt Letty *'' Penrod and Sam'' (1937) as Mrs. Schofield *'' A Family Affair'' (1937) as Mrs. Hardy *'' Green Light'' (1937) as Mrs. Dexter *''

It's Love I'm After ''It's Love I'm After'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, and Olivia de Havilland. Based on the story "Gentlemen After Midnight" by Maurice Hanline, with a screenplay by Casey ...

'' (1937) as Aunt Ella Paisley *'' The Buccaneer'' (1938) as

Dolly Madison Dolly Madison is an American bakery brand owned by Hostess Brands, selling packaged baked snack foods. It is best known for its long marketing association with the ''Peanuts'' animated TV specials. History In 1937, Ralph Leroy Nafziger start ...

*''

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the no ...

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

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'' (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 ''Lucky Partners'' is a 1940 American comedy romance drama film directed by Lewis Milestone for RKO Radio Pictures. The film is based on the 1935 Sacha Guitry film '' Good Luck'', and stars Ronald Colman and Ginger Rogers in their only film toget ...

'' (1940) as Aunt Lucy *'' My Love Came Back'' (1940) as Clara Malette *''

The Devil and Miss Jones ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' is a 1941 comedy film starring Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, and Charles Coburn. Directed by Sam Wood from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, the film was the product of an independent collaboration between Krasna and p ...

'' (1941) as Elizabeth Ellis *''

'' (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 ''The War Against Mrs. Hadley'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and starring Fay Bainter and Edward Arnold. The plot depicts how wealthy society matron Stella Hadley selfishly refuses to sacrifice her family or materi ...

'' (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 *'' Thrill of a Romance'' (1945) as Grandma Glenn *''

Captain Eddie ''Captain Eddie'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Lloyd Bacon, based on ''Seven Were Saved'' by "Eddie" Rickenbacker and Lt. James Whittaker's ''We Thought We Heard the Angels Sing''. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Lynn Bari and Char ...

'' (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 a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

'' (1947) as Mrs. Bellows *'' It Had to Be You'' (1947) as Mrs. Martha Stafford *''

Cynthia Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, ...

'' (1947) as Carrie Jannings *'' B.F.'s Daughter'' (1948) as Gladys Fulton *''

In the Good Old Summertime ''In the Good Old Summertime'' is a 1949 American Technicolor musical film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. It stars Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall, Spring Byington, Clinton Sundberg, and Buster Keaton in his first featured film role at M ...

'' (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 ''Devil's Doorway'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Robert Taylor as an Indian who returns home from the American Civil War a hero awarded the Medal of Honor. However, his hopes for a peaceful life are sha ...

'' (1950) as Mrs. Masters *''

Walk Softly, Stranger ''Walk Softly, Stranger'' is a 1950 American romantic drama film starring Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli and directed by Robert Stevenson. Also regarded by some as either or both a film noir and crime film, it tells the story of a small-time crook ...

'' (1950) as Mrs. Brentman *''

According to Mrs. Hoyle ''According to Mrs. Hoyle'' is a 1951 American crime film directed by Jean Yarbrough and written by Scott Darling and Barney Gerard. The film stars Spring Byington, Anthony Caruso, Tanis Chandler, Brett King, Stephen Chase and Robert Karnes. T ...

'' (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 ''Love on a Budget'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and starring Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane and Spring Byington. It was part of Twentieth Century Fox's Jones Family series of films. The Jones' eldest daughter Bonnie ...

'' (1938) *''

A Trip to Paris ''A Trip to Paris'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair (filmmaker), Malcolm St. Clair and starring Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane and Spring Byington.Drew p.180 It was part of the Jones Family series of films. In the film, the ...

'' (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) – Lily Ruskin *'' The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford'' (December 27, 1956) – Herself *''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'' (October 27, 1957) (Episode #386, Season 9 EP.9) Mystery Guest. Was one of only a few Mystery Guests who disguised her voice well enough to fool the panel. *'' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' (1960) – Alice Wagner, episode "The Man with Two Faces" *'' The Tab Hunter Show'' (1960) – Mollie Coburn, episode "The Matchmaker" *'' Dennis the Menace'' (1961) – Played herself on episode "Dennis' Birthday" aired on 02/19/1961. *'' Laramie'' (1961–1963) – Daisy Cooper *''

'' (1963) - Karen Dooley, episode "Oh, Those Hats!" (Season 4, Episode 8) *'' The Greatest Show on Earth'' (1964) – episode"The Train Don't Stop Till It Gets There" *''

'' (1965) – Mrs. Jolly, episode "Feminine Intrusion" *'' Batman'' (1966) – J. Pauline Spaghetti, episodes "The Catwoman Goeth" and "The Sandman Cometh" *'' I Dream of Jeannie'' (1967) – Mother, episode "Meet My Master's Mother" *''

'' (1968) – Mother General, episode "To Fly or Not to Fly"

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 LGBT actors LGBT people from Colorado Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Actresses from Colorado Springs, Colorado RKO Pictures contract players