In her last years on Broadway, Byington began work in films. The first was a short film titled "Papa's Slay Ride" (1930), where she played the role of Mama, and the second role, and better known, was in "Little Women" (1933) as Marmee, with Katharine Hepburn as her daughter Jo. For MGM, she played Midshipman Roger Byam's (Franchot Tone) mother in "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935). She became a household name during "The Jones Family" series of films, and continued as a character actress in Hollywood for several years. Byington was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for "You Can't Take it with You" (1938), which was won by Fay Bainter for "Jezebel" (in which Byington also had a role as antebellum society matron, Mrs. Kendrick).