Both were popular character actors. Main gained pop fame as "Ma Kettle" in the "Ma and Pa Kettle" films. Byington in the early sitcom "December Bride".
Byington was privately a lesbian. As is recently coming to light to the public, lesbianism was extremely common during the silver screen years of Hollywood. Interviewed by Boze Hadleigh for his book on Hollywood Lesbians, Byington's lesbian lover, actress Marjorie Main, with whom she had openly lived in Los Angeles, declared that "...it's true that Spring had no use for men", despite Byington's marriage(s) and children. Byington was also linked in an affair with actress/writer Maude Adams.