Guy Kibbee
Encyclopedia
Guy Bridges Kibbee was an American stage and film actor.
Born in El Paso, Texas
, Kibbee began his entertainment career on Mississippi
riverboat
s and eventually became a successful Broadway
actor. In the 1930s, Kibbee moved to California
and became part of what became known as "Warner Bros.
' stock company", contracted actors who cycled through different productions in supporting roles. Kibbee's specialty was daft and jovial characters and he is best remembered for the films 42nd Street
(1933), The Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Captain Blood (1935), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939), though he gives a deftly subtle performance as the expat inn owner in Joan Crawford
's Rain
(1932).
Kibbee died from complications arising from Parkinson's disease
in Long Island, New York in 1956.
.
Born in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, Kibbee began his entertainment career on Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
riverboat
Riverboat
A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...
s and eventually became a successful Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
actor. In the 1930s, Kibbee moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and became part of what became known as "Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
' stock company", contracted actors who cycled through different productions in supporting roles. Kibbee's specialty was daft and jovial characters and he is best remembered for the films 42nd Street
42nd Street (film)
-Cast:*Warner Baxter as Julian Marsh, director*Bebe Daniels as Dorothy Brock, star*George Brent as Pat Denning, Dorothy's old vaudeville partner*Ruby Keeler as Peggy Sawyer, the newcomer*Guy Kibbee as Abner Dillon, the show's backer...
(1933), The Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Captain Blood (1935), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American drama film starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart about one man's effect on American politics. It was directed by Frank Capra and written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story. Mr...
(1939), though he gives a deftly subtle performance as the expat inn owner in Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
's Rain
Rain (1932 film)
Rain is a 1932 South Seas drama film directed by Lewis Milestone with portions filmed at Santa Catalina Island, California. The film stars Joan Crawford as prostitute Sadie Thompson and Walter Huston as a conflicted missionary who wants to reform Sadie, but whose own morals start decaying...
(1932).
Kibbee died from complications arising from Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in Long Island, New York in 1956.
Selected filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1931 | City Streets City Streets (film) City Streets is a 1931 Pre-Code crime film based upon a story written by Dashiell Hammett, directed by Rouben Mamoulian, and starring Gary Cooper, Sylvia Sidney, Paul Lukas and Guy Kibbee.-Plot:... |
Pop Cooley | |
| Side Show Side Show (film) Side Show is a 1931 all-talking musical comedy film starring Winnie Lightner and Charles Butterworth and released by Warner Bros.-Production:... |
Colonel Gowdy | ||
| New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford is a 1931 crime / romantic comedy film starring William Haines as a con artist and Jimmy Durante as his pickpocket buddy... |
Police Sergeant McGonigal | ||
| 1932 | Union Depot Union Depot (film) Union Depot is a Pre-Code film starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Joan Blondell, directed by Alfred E. Green for Warner Brothers, and based upon an unpublished play by Joe Laurie, Jr., Gene Fowler, and Douglas Durkin.... |
Scrap Iron Scratch | Alternative title: Gentleman for a Day |
| Play-Girl Play-Girl Play-Girl is a 1932 romantic drama film starring Winnie Lightner, Loretta Young, and Norman Foster. A young woman marries a professional gambler.-Cast:*Winnie Lightner as Georgine Hicks*Loretta Young as Buster Green Dennis... |
Finkelwald | ||
| The Crowd Roars | Pop Greer | ||
| Rain Rain (1932 film) Rain is a 1932 South Seas drama film directed by Lewis Milestone with portions filmed at Santa Catalina Island, California. The film stars Joan Crawford as prostitute Sadie Thompson and Walter Huston as a conflicted missionary who wants to reform Sadie, but whose own morals start decaying... |
Joe Horn | ||
| Scarlet Dawn Scarlet Dawn Scarlet Dawn is a 1932 romantic drama film starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Nancy Carroll as refugees from the Russian Revolution. It is based on the novel Revolt by Mary C. McCall, Jr.-Plot:... |
Mr. Murphy | ||
| High Pressure High Pressure (film) High Pressure is a 1932 American comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Evelyn Brent.- Cast :* William Powell as Gar Evans* Evelyn Brent as Francine Dale* George Sidney as Colonel Ginsburg* John Wray as Jimmy Moore... |
|||
| 1933 | 42nd Street 42nd Street (film) -Cast:*Warner Baxter as Julian Marsh, director*Bebe Daniels as Dorothy Brock, star*George Brent as Pat Denning, Dorothy's old vaudeville partner*Ruby Keeler as Peggy Sawyer, the newcomer*Guy Kibbee as Abner Dillon, the show's backer... |
Abner Dillon | |
| Lilly Turner Lilly Turner Lilly Turner is a 1933 melodrama about a woman who marries a bigamist, then a drunk, and falls in love with another man, all while working at a carnival... |
Doc McGill | ||
| Footlight Parade Footlight Parade -Cast:*James Cagney as Chester Kent, creator of musical prologues*Joan Blondell as Nan Prescott, his secretary*Ruby Keeler as Bea Thorn, dancer turned secretary turned dancer*Dick Powell as Scott 'Scotty' Blair, juvenile lead, former protege of Mrs... |
Si Gould | ||
| The Gold Diggers of 1933 | Faneul H. Peabody | ||
| The Life of Jimmy Dolan The Life of Jimmy Dolan The Life of Jimmy Dolan is a 1933 starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young. It features John Wayne in a small supporting role as a frightened boxer. It was remade in 1939 as They Made Me a Criminal.-Cast:* Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Jimmy Dolan* Loretta Young as Peggy* Aline MacMahon as... |
Phlaxer | Alternative title: The Kid's Last Fight | |
| Lady for a Day Lady for a Day Lady for a Day is a 1933 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra. The screenplay by Robert Riskin is based on the short story Madame La Gimp by Damon Runyon... |
Judge Henry G. Blake | ||
| 1934 | Convention City Convention City Convention City is a 1933 pre-Code comedy film produced by First National Pictures and released by Warner Brothers, which has become notorious as a lost film. - Plot :... |
George Ellerbe | Lost film Lost film A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons... |
| Dames Dames Dames is a 1934 Warner Bros. musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright with dance numbers created by Busby Berkeley. The film stars Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, ZaSu Pitts, and Hugh Herbert... |
Horace Peter Hemingway | ||
| Big Hearted Herbert | Herbert Kalness | ||
| Babbitt | George F. Babbitt | Title role | |
| 1935 | Don't Bet on Blondes | Colonel Jefferson Davis Youngblood | |
| Captain Blood | Hagthorpe | ||
| 1936 | Little Lord Fauntleroy Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936 film) Little Lord Fauntleroy is a 1936 drama film based on the 1886 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The film stars Freddie Bartholomew, Dolores Costello, , and C. Aubrey Smith... |
Mr. Silas Hobbs | |
| Captain January Captain January (1936 film) Captain January is a 1936 American comedy drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Sam Hellman, Gladys Lehman, and Harry Tugend is based on the story The Lighthouse at Cape Tempest by Laura E. Richards. The film stars Shirley Temple, Guy Kibbee, and Sara Haden in a story about a... |
Captain January | ||
| 1937 | The Bad Man of Brimstone The Bad Man of Brimstone The Bad Man of Brimstone is a 1937 Western film starring Wallace Beery and Virginia Bruce, and directed by J. Walter Ruben. Beery's brother Noah Beery, Sr... |
Francis X. "Eight Ball" Harrison | |
| Riding on Air | J. Rutherford "Doc" Waddington | ||
| 1938 | Of Human Hearts Of Human Hearts Of Human Hearts is a 1938 film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Walter Huston, James Stewart and Beulah Bondi. Bondi was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.... |
George Ames | |
| Three Loves Has Nancy Three Loves Has Nancy Three Loves Has Nancy is a romantic comedy film starring Janet Gaynor, Robert Montgomery and Franchot Tone. Set in New York City, it was directed by Richard Thorpe.-Cast:*Janet Gaynor as Nancy Briggs*Robert Montgomery as Mal Niles... |
Pa Briggs | ||
| 1939 | It's a Wonderful World | "Cap" Streeter | |
| Babes in Arms Babes in Arms Babes in Arms is a 1937 musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a teen-age boy who puts on a show with his friends to avoid being sent to a work farm.- Production history:... |
Judge John Black | ||
| Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American drama film starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart about one man's effect on American politics. It was directed by Frank Capra and written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story. Mr... |
Governor Hubert 'Happy' Hopper | ||
| Bad Little Angel Bad Little Angel Bad Little Angel is a 1939 drama film starring Virginia Weidler as a little orphan who runs away from the orphanage. While spending her days on the streets, she meets a tough boy, who she befriends... |
Luther Marvin | ||
| 1940 | Our Town | Mr. Webb | |
| Chad Hanna | Huguenine | ||
| 1941 | It Started with Eve It Started with Eve It Started with Eve is a 1941 musical romantic comedy film. A man's dying father wants to meet his new fiancée, but she is unavailable, so he substitutes a hat-check girl. Then the father unexpectedly recovers.Charles Previn and Hans J... |
Bishop Maxwell | |
| Design for Scandal | Judge Graham | ||
| 1942 | Miss Annie Rooney Miss Annie Rooney Miss Annie Rooney is a 1942 American drama film directed by Edwin L. Marin. The screenplay by George Bruce was based on the silent film, Little Annie Rooney starring Mary Pickford. Miss Annie Rooney is about a teenager from a humble background who falls in love with a rich classmate... |
Grandpa Rooney | |
| There's One Born Every Minute | Lester Cadwalader, Sr. | ||
| Whistling in Dixie Whistling in Dixie Whistling in Dixie is a 1942 crime comedy film, the second of three starring Red Skelton as murder mystery writer and amateur crime solver Wally Benton and Ann Rutherford as his girlfriend... |
Judge George Lee | ||
| 1943 | Learn and Live | Angel | |
| Girl Crazy Girl Crazy (1943 film) Girl Crazy is a 1943 musical film produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Based on the stage musical of the same name, Girl Crazy stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in their ninth of ten pairings, partly filmed on location near Palm Springs, California... |
Dean Phineas Armour | ||
| 1944 | Dixie Jamboree | Captain Jackson of the Ellabella | |
| 1945 | The Horn Blows at Midnight The Horn Blows at Midnight The Horn Blows at Midnight is a comedy fantasy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Jack Benny. Its biggest claim to fame, apart from its star, is its failure at the box office, and this fact was exploited often for laughs in Benny's popular radio and television comedy series The Jack Benny... |
Radio Director/The Chief | |
| 1946 | Singing on the Trail | Dusty Wyatt | Alternative title: Lookin' for Someone |
| Lone Star Moonlight | Amos Norton | Alternative title: Amongst the Thieves | |
| 1947 | The Romance of Rosy Ridge The Romance of Rosy Ridge The Romance of Rosy Ridge is a 1947 drama film about a rural community still bitterly divided in the aftermath of the American Civil War. It stars Van Johnson, Thomas Mitchell, and Janet Leigh in her film debut... |
Cal Baggett | |
| The Red Stallion | Ed Thompson | ||
| 1948 | Fort Apache Fort Apache (film) Fort Apache is a 1948 Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda. The film was the first of the director's "cavalry trilogy" and was followed by She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande , both also starring Wayne... |
Captain Dr. Wilkens | Alternative title: War Party |
| 3 Godfathers | Judge | ||
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1948 | Kraft Television Theatre Kraft Television Theatre Kraft Television Theatre is an American drama/anthology television series that began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. In January 1948, it moved to 9pm on Wednesdays, continuing in that timeslot until 1958. Initially produced by the J... |
1 episode | |
| 1949–1950 | The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre | 4 episodes | |
| 1950 | The Billy Rose Show | 1 episode | |
In popular culture
"Guy Kibbee" is the name for a breakfast dish that 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. The actor prepared this dish in the film Mary Jane's Pa, hence the eponymEponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
.