After five years on the San Francisco stage, he played light-comedy roles for stock companies in Boston, Albany, Syracuse, Trenton, and Philadelphia,[3] and eventually left to become an actor on Broadway.

[5] According to Benny, Percy Kilbride was the same character offscreen and on: quiet and friendly but principled, refusing to be paid more or less than what he considered a fair salary.

In 1947, he and Marjorie Main appeared in The Egg and I, starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert as a sophisticated couple taking on farm life.

He was picked for Return of the Texan only to be shelved for Walter Brennan because the front office thought it would be too tough a job getting that shiftless Kettle out of the public mind.

"[7] In a 1953 interview, Kilbride discussed the monotony of his career due to his portrayal of Pa Kettle: I had my training on the stage, where I did a variety of roles.

The one exception was a 1952 industrial film promoting home appliances; Kilbride's dry delivery provided, appropriately enough, a voice for a dehumidifier.

[11] A veteran of World War I, Kilbride was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.