# Elizabeth Patterson (actress)

Mary Elizabeth Patterson (November 22, 1874 – January 31, 1966) was an American theatre, film, and television character actress who gained popular recognition late in her career playing the elderly neighbor Matilda Trumbull on the television comedy series I Love Lucy.

## Early years

Born in Savannah, Tennessee, she was the child of Mildred (née McDougal) and Edmund D. Patterson, a Confederate army veteran. Federal census records document that her father by 1880 was a lawyer and residing with his wife and children in the home of his father-in-law, Garrick Archibald McDougal, a widower, who was also a lawyer and farmer in Savannah. That same census lists Elizabeth as the second child of the Pattersons' four offspring. She had an older sister, Annie Belle, and two younger brothers, Edmund and Archie.

## Stage

She was educated at Tennessee colleges in Pulaski and Columbia, where her participation in campus theater groups fostered a growing passion for drama. Her parents soon sent her to Europe in hopes of diminishing her interest in theater; yet, Patterson's determination to become an actress was only reinforced during those travels, especially in Paris, where she attended productions of the Comédie Française.
After returning from Europe, Patterson used money from a small inheritance to move to Chicago. There she joined a theatrical troupe and subsequently toured with repertory companies. In 1913, she made her Broadway debut in the play Everyman. She remained active in New York City theatre through 1954.
Broadway theatre credits of Elizabeth Patterson :
| Title | Year | Role | Theatre | Notes |
| Everyman | 1913 | | Children's Theatre | A 15th Century morality play |
| The Family Exit | 1917 | | Comedy Theatre | |
| In the Zone | 1917 | | Comedy Theatre | |
| Jonathan Makes a Wish | 1918 | | Princess Theatre | |
| A Night in Avignon | 1919 | | Punch and Judy Theatre | |
| The Piper | 1920 | Old Ursula | Fulton Theatre | |
| The Intimate Strangers | 1921-1922 | Aunt Ellen | Henry Miller Theatre | Starring production for Billie Burke Produced by Florence Ziegfeld written by Booth Tarkington |
| The Lady Cristilinda | 1922-1923 | Froggy | Broadhurst Theatre | |
| Magnolia | 1923 | Madame Rumford | Liberty Theatre | |
| Gypsy Jim | 1924 | Mary Blake | 49th Street Theatre | |
| Lazybones | 1924 | Rebecca Fanning | Vanderbilt Theatre | |
| The Book of Charm | 1925 | Mrs. Harper | Comedy Theatre | |
| A Puppet-Play | 1926 | The Queen | Nora Bayes Theatre | |
| Spellbound | 1927 | Mrs. Underwood | Earl Carroll Theatre | |
| Paradise | 1927-1928 | Margaret, Mrs. Elder | 48th Street Theatre | |
| Carry On | 1928 | Aunt Mary Marston | Theatre Masque | |
| Rope | 1928 | Mrs. Roxie Biggers | Biltmore Theatre | |
| Box Seats | 1928 | Mrs. Slocum | Hayes Theater | |
| The Marriage Bed | 1929 | Caroline Reid | Booth Theatre | |
| Man's Estate | 1929 | Minnie Jordan | Biltmore Theatre | |
| Solid South | 1930 | Geneva | Lyceum Theatre | |
| Her Master's Voice | 1933-1934 | Mrs. Martin | Plymouth Theatre | |
| Spring Freshet | 1934 | Clementina Lynch | Plymouth Theatre | |
| Yankee Point | 1942 | Miz Bekins | Longacre Theatre | |
| But Not Goodbye | 1944 | Amy Griggs | 48th Street Theatre | |
| His and Hers | 1954 | Avis | 48th Street Theatre | |

## Film

In 1926, at the age of 51, Patterson was cast in her first movie, a silent film, The Boy Friend. Transitioning successfully into the era of "talkies", she remained a very busy actress in Hollywood throughout the 1930s, averaging more than five films a year during that decade, usually in supporting roles. A few of her screen credits at that time include Tarnished Lady; Husband's Holiday; A Bill of Divorcement; So Big!; The Story of Temple Drake; Hold Your Man; Remember the Night; Dinner at Eight; High, Wide, and Handsome; and No Man of Her Own. She also appeared in the role of Susan in two adaptations of John Willard's popular play The Cat and the Canary: The Cat Creeps in 1930 and The Cat and the Canary in 1939.
Patterson continued to perform frequently in the 1940s, when she was cast in more than 30 additional films. Among her notable roles is her 1949 portrayal of the heroic character Eunice Habersham in the groundbreaking racial crime drama Intruder in the Dust, a film based on the William Faulkner novel of the same name and set in the Deep South. Although she would appear in a few more feature films in the 1950s, such as Washington Story and Pal Joey, Patterson by then began to focus her work increasingly on roles in the rapidly expanding medium of television.
Feature-length films of Elizabeth Patterson :
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| The Boy Friend | 1926 | Mrs. Harper | MGM |
| The Return of Peter Grimm | 1926 | Mrs. Bartholomey | Fox Film |
| The Dancing Town | 1928 | Ma Pepperall 20-minute short significant as the film debut of Humphrey Bogart | Paramount Pictures Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
| The Gay Nineties, or, The Unfaithful Husband | 1929 | Town Gossip | Vitaphone short |
| Words and Music | 1929 | Dean Crockett | Fox Film |
| South Sea Rose | 1929 | Sarah | Fox Film |
| The Lone Star Ranger | 1930 | Sarah Martin | Fox Film Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
| The Cat Creeps | 1930 | Susan | Universal Pictures |
| The Big Party | 1930 | Goldfarb | Fox Film |
| Harmony at Home | 1930 | Haller | Fox Film |
| The Smiling Lieutenant | 1931 | Baroness von Schwedel (uncredited) | Paramount Pictures Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
| Penrod and Sam | 1931 | Teacher (uncredited) | Warner Bros. |
| Husband's Holiday | 1931 | Mrs. Caroline Reid | Paramount Pictures |
| Daddy Long Legs | 1931 | Mrs. Lippett | Fox Film |
| Tarnished Lady | 1931 | Mrs. Courtney | Paramount Pictures |
| Heaven on Earth | 1931 | Aunt Vergie | Universal Pictures |
| New Morals for Old | 1932 | Aunty Doe | MGM |
| They Call It Sin | 1932 | Mrs. Cullen | First National Pictures |
| Guilty as Hell | 1932 | Elvira Ward | Paramount Pictures |
| A Bill of Divorcement | 1932 | Hester | RKO Radio Pictures |
| The Expert | 1932 | Miss Crackenwald | Warner Bros. |
| Man Wanted | 1932 | Harper, Lois' secretary | Warner Bros. |
| Love Me Tonight | 1932 | First Aunt | Paramount Pictures Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
| No Man of Her Own | 1932 | Mrs. Randall | Paramount Pictures |
| So Big | 1932 | Mrs. Tebbit (uncredited) | Warner Bros. |
| Breach of Promise | 1932 | Cora Pugmire | Sono Art-World Wide Pictures |
| Miss Pinkerton | 1932 | Juliet Mitchell | First National Pictures |
| Life Begins | 1932 | Mrs. Tubby (uncredited) | First National Pictures |
| The Conquerors | 1932 | Roger's Landlady (uncredited) | RKO Radio Pictures |
| They Just Had to Get Married | 1932 | Aunt Lizzie | Universal Pictures |
| Infernal Machine | 1933 | Elinor's Aunt | Fox Film Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
| The Story of Temple Drake | 1933 | Aunt Jennie | Paramount Pictures |
| Hold Your Man | 1933 | Miss Tuttle | MGM |
| Secret of the Blue Room | 1933 | Mary, the cook | Universal Pictures |
| Dinner at Eight | 1933 | Miss Copeland | MGM |
| Doctor Bull | 1933 | Aunt Patricia Banning | Fox Film |
| Golden Harvest | 1933 | Lydia | Paramount Pictures |
| Ever in My Heart | 1933 | Clara Tuttle, Canteen Worker (uncredited) | Warner Bros. |
| Hide-Out | 1934 | 'Ma' Miller | MGM |
| Chasing Yesterday | 1935 | Mlle. Prefere | RKO Radio Pictures |
| So Red the Rose | 1935 | Mary Cherry | Paramount Pictures |
| Men Without Names | 1935 | Aunt Ella | Paramount Pictures |
| Her Master's Voice | 1936 | Mrs. Ellie Martin | Walter Wanger Productions |
| Timothy's Quest | 1936 | Vilda Cummins | Paramount Pictures |
| Small Town Girl | 1936 | Ma Brannan | MGM |
| The Return of Sophie Lang | 1936 | Araminta Sedley | Paramount Pictures |
| Three Cheers for Love | 1936 | Wilma Chester | Paramount Pictures |
| Old Hutch | 1936 | Mrs. Sarah Hutchins | MGM |
| Go West, Young Man | 1936 | Aunt Kate Barnaby | Paramount Pictures |
| Night of Mystery | 1937 | Mrs. Tobias Greene | Paramount Pictures |
| High, Wide, and Handsome | 1937 | Grandma Cortlandt | Paramount Pictures |
| Hold 'em Navy! | 1937 | Grandma Stackpole | Paramount Pictures |
| Night Club Scandal | 1937 | Mrs. Elvira Ward | Paramount Pictures |
| Scandal Street | 1938 | Ada Smith | Paramount Pictures |
| Bulldog Drummond's Peril | 1938 | Aunt Blanche Clavering | Paramount Pictures |
| Bluebeard's Eighth Wife | 1938 | Aunt Hedwige | Paramount Pictures |
| Sing, You Sinners | 1938 | Mrs. Daisy Beebe aka Mother Beebe | Paramount Pictures |
| Sons of the Legion | 1938 | Grandmother Lee | Paramount Pictures |
| Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police | 1939 | Aunt Blanche Clavering | Paramount Pictures |
| The Story of Alexander Graham Bell | 1939 | Mrs. Mac Gregor | 20th Century Fox |
| Bulldog Drummond's Bride | 1939 | Aunt Blanche Clavering | Paramount Pictures |
| Our Leading Citizen | 1939 | Aunt Tillie | Paramount Pictures |
| The Cat and the Canary | 1939 | Aunt Susan | Paramount Pictures |
| Bad Little Angel | 1939 | Mrs. Perkins | MGM |
| Remember the Night | 1940 | Aunt Emma | Paramount Pictures Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
| Adventure in Diamonds | 1940 | Nellie | Paramount Pictures |
| Earthbound | 1940 | Becky Tilden | 20th Century Fox |
| Anne of Windy Poplars | 1940 | Rebecca | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Who Killed Aunt Maggie? | 1940 | Aunt Maggie Ambler | Republic Pictures |
| Michael Shayne, Private Detective | 1940 | Aunt Olivia | 20th Century Fox |
| Tobacco Road | 1941 | Ada Lester | 20th Century Fox |
| Kiss the Boys Goodbye | 1941 | Aunt Lily Lou Bethany | Paramount Pictures |
| Belle Starr | 1941 | Sarah | 20th Century Fox |
| The Vanishing Virginian | 1942 | Grandma | MGM |
| Almost Married | 1942 | Aunt Matilda Manning | Universal Pictures |
| Beyond the Blue Horizon | 1942 | Mrs. Daly | Paramount Pictures |
| Her Cardboard Lover | 1942 | Eva | MGM |
| My Sister Eileen | 1942 | Grandma Sherwood | Columbia Pictures |
| Lucky Legs | 1942 | Annabelle Dinwiddie | Columbia Pictures |
| I Married a Witch | 1942 | Margaret | Paramount Pictures |
| The Sky's the Limit | 1943 | Mrs. Fisher | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Follow the Boys | 1944 | Annie | Universal Pictures |
| Hail the Conquering Hero | 1944 | Aunt Martha | Paramount Pictures |
| Together Again | 1944 | Jessie | Columbia Pictures |
| Lady on a Train | 1945 | Aunt Charlotte Waring | Universal Pictures |
| Colonel Effingham's Raid | 1946 | Cousin Emma | 20th Century Fox |
| The Secret Heart | 1946 | Mrs. Stover | MGM |
| I've Always Loved You | 1946 | Mrs. Sompter | Republic Pictures Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
| Welcome Stranger | 1947 | Mrs. Gilley | Paramount Pictures |
| Out of the Blue | 1947 | Miss Spring | Eagle-Lion Films |
| The Shocking Miss Pilgrim | 1947 | Catherine Dennison | 20th Century Fox |
| Miss Tatlock's Millions | 1948 | Cora | Paramount Pictures |
| Song of Surrender | 1949 | Mrs. Beecham | Paramount Pictures |
| Little Women | 1949 | Hannah | MGM |
| Intruder in the Dust | 1949 | Miss Eunice Habersham | 1949 premiere-1950 general release MGM |
| Bright Leaf | 1950 | Tabitha Singleton | Warner Bros. |
| Katie Did It | 1951 | Aunt Priscilla Wakely | Universal Pictures |
| Washington Story | 1952 | Miss Dee | MGM |
| Las Vegas Shakedown | 1955 | Mary Raff | William F. Broidy Pictures |
| Pal Joey | 1957 | Mrs. Casey | Columbia Pictures |
| The Oregon Trail | 1959 | Maria Cooper | 20th Century Fox |
| Tall Story | 1960 | Connie | Warner Bros. |

## Television

In 1952, at the age of 77, Patterson made her first appearance on the hit CBS-TV sitcom I Love Lucy in the episode "The Marriage License". In that installment, Patterson's character, Mrs. Willoughby, is the wife of the Greenwich, Connecticut, justice of the peace (played by character actor Irving Bacon) who remarries Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. In that role, she most notably sings an off-key version of "I Love You Truly" during the wedding ceremony. The following year she was cast in a featured guest role as Mrs. Matilda Trumbull in the episode "No Children Allowed". Patterson's character of Mrs. Trumbull was initially an ornery curmudgeon who resided in the same New York apartment building as the Ricardos. In that installment, she threatened to make trouble for the Ricardos since the building did not allow children. At the end of the episode, however, her character softens as she holds for the first time the Ricardos' baby, "Little Ricky"; and, as a result, Mrs. Trumbull becomes friends with both the Ricardos and the building's owners, Fred and Ethel Mertz.
Patterson's character on I Love Lucy proved to be so popular among viewers, as well as useful to the writers of the series, that she continued in the role for three more years, often serving in episode storylines as a convenient babysitter for "Little Ricky". In the fall of 1956, with I Love Lucy in its final season, Patterson made her last appearance as Mrs. Trumbull in "Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums". Her character was mentioned one last time in the 1957 episode "Lucy Raises Chickens". In that installment, Fred and Ethel decide to follow the Ricardos and move to Connecticut to be near them, and Mrs. Trumbull's sister moves into 623 East 68th Street to manage the apartment building for the Mertzes.
I Love Lucy credits of Elizabeth Patterson :
| Episode | Date | Role |
| "Marriage License" | April 7, 1952 | Mrs. Willoughby |
| "No Children Allowed" | April 20, 1953 | Mrs. Matilda Trumbull |
| "Lucy's Last Birthday" | May 11, 1953 | Mrs. Trumbull |
| "Never Do Business with Friends" | June 29, 1953 | Mrs. Trumbull |
| "Too Many Crooks" | November 30, 1953 | Mrs. Trumbull |
| "Business Manager" | October 4, 1954 | Mrs. Trumbull |
| "Ricky's Movie Offer" | November 8, 1954 | Mrs. Trumbull |
| "California, Here We Come" | January 10, 1955 | Mrs. Trumbull |
| "Homecoming" | November 7, 1955 | Mrs. Trumbull |
| "Bon Voyage" | January 16, 1956 | Mrs. Trumbull |
| "Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums" | October 8, 1956 | Mrs. Trumbull |
Elizabeth Patterson television credits excluding I Love Lucy :
| Program | Date | Notes |
| The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre | March 20, 1950 | Episode: "The Walking Stick" |
| Pulitzer Prize Playhouse | December 1, 1950 | Episode: "Our Town" |
| Studio One in Hollywood | December 25, 1950 | Aunt March Episode: "Little Women" |
| Three Lives (Short) | 1953 | United Jewish Appeal |
| General Electric Theater | November 29, 1953 | Madame Elaine Episode: "The Marriage Fix" |
| Lux Video Theatre | September 2 1954 | Dr. Gilley Episode: "Welcome Stranger" |
| Stage 7 | February 13, 1955 | Grandmother Episode: The Legacy |
| The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | 1955 | TV movie Aunt Polly |
| Adventures of Superman | 1955-1956 | Episodes: Mrs. Peabody "Olsen's Millions" (June 4, 1955); Mrs. Clara Exbrook "The Unlucky Number" (February 25, 1956) |
| The Star and the Story | January 21, 1956 | Amy Carey Episode: "The Unforgivable" |
| Crossroads | December 14, 1956 | Episode:"Tenement saint" |
| The Adventures of Jim Bowie | October 18, 1957 | Episode "Fortune for Madame" |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | March 30, 1958 November 15, 1959 | Season 3 Episode 26: "Bull in a China Shop" (1958) as Miss Bessie Season 5 Episode 8: "The Blessington Method" (1959) as Grandmother |
| Johnny Stacatto | October 29, 1951 | Episode: Evil |
| Playhouse 90 | January 10, 1957, May 7, 1959, July 18, 1961 | Episodes: "The Ninth Day", "Diary of a Nurse", "Tomorrow" |
| The Barbara Stanwyck Show | February 13, 1961 | Millicent Melvane Episode: "Big Career" |

## Personal life and death

Patterson, who never married, lived at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel during her 35-year film and television career. On January 31, 1966, she died at age 91 in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia. Her gravesite is in Savannah Cemetery in her hometown in Tennessee.