Ma and Pa Kettle is a great family film about a very unique family. This was the second film appearance of the characters after their first unforgettable, incidental supporting character roles in the
The Egg And I (1947) starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. Released by Universal-International Pictures this film stars
Marjorie Main,
Percy Kilbride,
Richard Long, and
Meg Randall. It was directed by
Charles Lamont, produced by
Leonard Goldstein, and the music was arranged and directed by
Milton Schwartzwald. That first film appearance spawned a whole series of films featuring the Kettle family.
The story begins as the Cape Flattery city council tries to condemn the Kettle residence because it's an eyesore and has a yard "like the city dump". Ma (Main) already has her hands full taking care of Pa (Kilbride) and her fourteen "or was it fifteen" kids when they get a telegram notifying them that Pa has won a contest and that the grand prize is a new "prefabricated model house of the future", completely furnished. This is a lot more than they bargained for because all Pa was trying to do was to get a new tobacco pouch for entering the contest. For the duration of the film the Kettle's run into one snag after another trying to get accustomed to their new surroundings. Their son Tom (Long) is returning home from college and helps his folks try to settle in to their new accommodations. This fish-out-of-water scenario could very well have been an inspiration for the
Beverly Hillbillies television series.
In a little side story in the film Tom meets a young woman (Randall) on the train ride home from school who just happens to be writing a magazine article on "the importance of hygiene in the home" and decides to include the Kettle's change in lifestyle as part of her series of stories. Of course Tom doesn't tell her that he's related to the Kettle's because he's trying to impress her. But Kim shows up for the ceremony at the new house and discovers Tom's secret and ends up becoming very fond of him and his family and tries to help out.
The new home is a complete contrast to their plain and simple rustic lifestyle. Watching them trying to get used to using push-button "futuristic" gadgets, including a large flat-screen television which was quite a luxury at that time, is a riot. The Ma and Pa characters seem to compliment each other perfectly. Pa has a kind of lackadaisical approach to life. He's lazy but means well, and delivers his lines with slow deadpan perfection. Ma is loud, rambunctious and does pretty much all of the work around the house.
Of course this film has some controversy surrounding it. Rumor has it that Betty MacDonald, the writer and creator of the Kettle characters was sued at some point because people were upset that the characters were portrayed in a less than dignified and flattering fashion. There was also some controversy regarding having Caucasian actors portraying Pa's Native American buddies Crowbar and Geoduck in various films throughout the series.
Unfortunately Kilbride became ill while filming
Ma And Pa Kettle At Waikiki (1955) so he didn't appear in the last two films in the series. The Pa character was completely absent from the film
The Kettle's In The Ozarks (1956), and was replaced by Parker Fennelly in the final film
The Kettles On Old MacDonald's Farm (1957).
One of the good things about this film is that it brings back many of the townsfolk from
The Egg And I , like the eccentric widow who likes to take trips with her "husband" Albert, and the town busybody Birdie (Esther Dale) and her mother (Isabel O'Madigan), as well as traveling salesman Smilin' Billy Reed (Emery Parnell) who tends to speak in rhyme.
It's not one of the most sophisticated films you'll ever see, but good, solid, clean family entertainment. So take a seat, relax, and spend some time visiting with the Kettle clan. It's a visit you won't soon forget.
