Guy Kibbee

Guy Bridges Kibbee (March 6, 1882[1] – May 24, 1956) was an American stage and film actor.

Guy Kibbee
Born
Guy Bridges Kibbee

(1882-03-06)March 6, 1882
DiedMay 24, 1956(1956-05-24) (aged 74)
Resting placeKensico Cemetery
OccupationActor
Years active1902–1950
Spouse(s)
Helen Shay
(m. 19181923)

Ethel Reed
(m. 19251956)
(his death)

Early years

Kibbee was born in El Paso, Texas. His father was editor of the El Paso Herald-Post newspaper, and Kibbee learned how to set type at age 7.[2][3] His younger brother was actor Milton Kibbee. At the age of 14 he ran away to join a traveling show.[2]

Career

Kibbee began his entertainment career on Mississippi riverboats. He became an actor in traveling stock companies. He began to lose his hair at 19, and in his early days on stage he was a romantic leading man.[4]

In 1930, he made his debut on Broadway in the play, Torch Song, which won acclaim in New York and attracted the interest of Hollywood.[3] Shortly afterwards, Paramount Pictures signed Kibbee and he moved to California. Later, he became part of Warner Bros.' stock company, contract actors who cycled through different productions in supporting roles. Kibbee's specialty was daft and jovial characters, and he is perhaps best remembered for the films 42nd Street (1933), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Captain Blood (1935), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), though he also played the expat inn owner in Joan Crawford's Rain (1932). One of his few starring performances during this period was in the title role of Babbit (1934), a much altered and compressed version of the Sinclair Lewis novel.

Guy Kibbee (left), Dr. Irving Leroy Ress (center back), Leo Carrillo (right), ca 1950.

He is also remembered for his performance as Mr. Webb, editor of the Grover's Corners, New Hampshire newspaper, and father of Emily Webb, played by Martha Scott, in the film version of the classic Thornton Wilder play Our Town.

Personal life

Kibbee was married for 31 years to Ethel "Brownie" Reed, and they had a daughter, Shirley Ann.[3] He was previously married to Helen Shay, raising a family in Staten Island until divorcing. One of their sons was Robert Kibbee, an academic who became the chancellor of the City University of New York.[5][6][7]

Death

Kibbee died of Parkinson's disease at the Percy Williams Home for actors in East Islip, New York on May 24, 1956.[4][6]

Guy Kibbee eggs is the name for a breakfast dish which consists of a hole cut out of the center of a slice of bread, and an egg cracked into it, all of which is fried in a skillet.[8] The actor prepared this dish in the 1935 Warner Bros. film Mary Jane's Pa, hence the eponym. This dish is also known by other names, such as "egg in a basket" and "egg in a frame".

Guy Kibbee is also mentioned in the iconic Hot August Night concert/album performed by Neil Diamond in 1972 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles:

Thank you people in the audience! Tree people out there, God bless ya, I'm singin for you too! Are you still there tree people? (laughter) This is, this is the Greek Theatre. This is the place that God made for performers when they die, they go to a place called the Greek Theatre. And you're met there by an MC, wearing a long robe and smoking a cigar, looks like Guy Kibbee, and that's what it is. It's performers' paradise.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1931 For Sale Mr. Hart Short, Uncredited
Stolen Heaven Police Commissioner Film debut
Man of the World Harry Taylor
City Streets Pop Cooley
Laughing Sinners Cass Wheeler
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 6: 'The Big Irons' Short, Uncredited
Side Show Colonel Gowdy
New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford Police Sergeant McGonigal
Flying High Fred Smith
Blonde Crazy A. Rupert Johnson Jr.
1932 Union Depot Scrap Iron Scratch Alternative title: Gentleman for a Day
Taxi! Pop Riley
High Pressure Clifford Gray
Fireman, Save My Child Pop Devlin
Play Girl Finkelwald
The Crowd Roars Pop Greer
The Mouthpiece Bartender
Two Seconds Bookie
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain Pop
The Dark Horse Zachary Hicks
Winner Take All Pop Slavin
Crooner Mike
Big City Blues Hummell
Rain Joe Horn
Scarlet Dawn Mr. Murphy
The Conquerors Dr. Blake
Central Park Charlie Cabot
1933 42nd Street Abner Dillon
Girl Missing Kenneth Van Dusen
Lilly Turner Doc McGill
Gold Diggers of 1933 Faneul H. Peabody
The Life of Jimmy Dolan Phlaxer Alternative title: The Kid's Last Fight
The Silk Express Detective McDuff
How to Break 90 #2: Position and Back Swing Uncredited Short, Uncredited
Lady for a Day Judge Henry G. Blake
Footlight Parade Si Gould
Havana Widows Deacon R. Jones
The World Changes James Clafflin
Convention City George Ellerbe Lost film
1934 Easy to Love Justice of the Peace
Wonder Bar Simpson
Harold Teen Joe "Pa" Lovewell
Merry Wives of Reno Tom Fraser
The Merry Frinks Uncle Newt Frink
Dames Horace Peter Hemingway
Big Hearted Herbert Herbert [Kalness]
Babbitt George F. Babbitt Title role
1935 While the Patient Slept [Police Lieutenant] Lance O'Leary
Mary Jane's Pa Sam Preston
Going Highbrow Matt Upshaw
Don't Bet on Blondes Colonel Jefferson Davis Youngblood
I Live for Love Henderson
Captain Blood Hagthorpe
1936 Little Lord Fauntleroy Silas Hobbs
Captain January Captain January
I Married a Doctor Samuel Clark
The Big Noise Julius Trent
Earthworm Tractors Sam Johnson
M'Liss Washoe Smith
The Captain's Kid Asa Plunkett
Three Men on a Horse Carver
1937 Mama Steps Out Leonard "Len" Cuppy
Don't Tell the Wife Malcom J. "Dinky" Winthrop
Jim Hanvey, Detective James Woolford "Jim" Hanvey
Mountain Justice Doctor John Aloysius Barnard
Riding on Air J. Rutherford "Doc" Waddington
The Big Shot Dr. Bertram Simms
The Bad Man of Brimstone Francis X. "Eight Ball" Harrison
1938 Of Human Hearts George Ames
Joy of Living Dennis Garret
Three Comrades Alfons
Rich Man, Poor Girl Pa Thayer
Three Loves Has Nancy Pa Briggs
1939 Let Freedom Ring David Bronson
It's a Wonderful World Fred "Cap" Streeter
Babes in Arms Judge John Black
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Governor Hubert "Happy" Hopper
Bad Little Angel Luther Marvin
Henry Goes Arizona Judge Van Treece
1940 Our Town Mr. Webb
Street of Memories Harry Brent
Chad Hanna Huguenine
1941 Scattergood Baines Scattergood Baines
Scattergood Pulls the Strings
Scattergood Meets Broadway
It Started with Eve Bishop Maxwell
Design for Scandal Judge Graham
1942 This Time for Keeps Harry Bryant
Scattergood Rides High Scattergood Baines
Sunday Punch "Pops" Muller
Miss Annie Rooney Grandpa Rooney
There's One Born Every Minute Lester Cadwalader, Sr.
Tish Judge Horace Bowser
Scattergood Survives a Murder Scattergood Baines
Whistling in Dixie Judge George Lee
1943 Cinderella Swings It Scattergood Baines
Power of the Press Ulysses Bradford
Girl Crazy Dean Phineas Armour
Learn and Live Saint Peter
1944 Dixie Jamboree Captain Jackson of the Ellabella
1945 The Horn Blows at Midnight Radio Director/The Chief
1946 Cowboy Blues Dusty Nelson
Singing on the Trail Dusty Wyatt Alternative title: Lookin' for Someone
Gentleman Joe Palooka Uncle Charlie
Lone Star Moonlight Amos Norton Alternative title: Amongst the Thieves
1947 Over the Santa Fe Trail Biscuits
The Red Stallion Ed Thompson
The Romance of Rosy Ridge Cal Baggett
1948 Fort Apache Captain Dr. Wilkens Alternative title: War Party
3 Godfathers Judge Final film

Television appearances

Year Title Role Notes
1948 Kraft Television Theatre Ed 1 episode
1949–1950 The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre 4 episodes
1950 The Billy Rose Show 1 episode, (final appearance)

References

  1. Rainho, Manny (March 2015). "This Month in Movie History". Classic Images (477): 26.
  2. "Hometown star - Guy Kibbee". El Paso Times. March 21, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  3. Skolsky, Sidney (November 23, 1933). "Tintypes". New York Daily News. p. 208.
  4. "Guy Kibbee Dies; Film, Stage Actor". The New York Times. May 25, 1956.
  5. Maeroff, Gene I. (June 18, 1982). "Robert J. Kibbee, Chancellor of City University for More Than a Decade, Dies at 60". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  6. "Guy Kibbee Dies At 70". The Arizona Republic. May 25, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved July 14, 2018 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "'Demilitarizer' of the Campus: Robert Joseph Kibbee". The New York Times. July 28, 1971.
  8. "Guy Kibbee Eggs". seriouseats.com. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
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