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| Marjorie Main and Brett Halsey |
Ma (Marjorie Main) and Pa (Percy Kilbride) Kettle learn that a New York magazine is offering a scholarship to college as a prize, and that their son, Elwin (Brett Halsey), entered the contest, but in his essay has made their farm sound much more ideal than it is. Complicating matters is that Elwin's girlfriend, Sally (Alice Kelley), has also entered the contest, even though her grumpy, penny-pinching father, John (Irving Bacon), could afford to send her on his own. Two judges (Alan Mowbray of Becky Sharp and Ross Elliott of Tarantula) come out to the farms to inspect each applicant and their way of life, and Ma and Pa hurry to fix up their old farm, although there's really no reason they couldn't have just used their new-fangled house. As usual Pa gets his Indian friends to do all of the work. Much of the humor in the film is centered around Alan Mowbray as a persnickety city fellow who has to use out-dated plumbing and finds a frog in his bath (courtesy of little Billy Kettle, played by Richard Eyer), among other atrocities.
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| Christmas with the Kettles |
There were two more Kettle films made without Kilbride in the fifties (who did not pass away until 1964). In one film, The Kettles in the Ozarks, Pa was left out and an uncle was substituted, and in the final Kettle movie, The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm, Pa was portrayed by Parker Fennelly.
Verdict: Can't keep those Kettles from coming! **3/4.
2 comments:
Wonder why Kilbride was not included in some of the series? Asked for too much money? Would tune in to this just for a glimpse of the glorious Mary Wickes, the ultimate journeyman actor...adored her, especially when she played a nun in Trouble w Angels in 1966 and then Sister Act more than 25 years later. Was watching Music Man for the very first time last weekend and was delighted when I saw Wickes as one of the townspeople. So many thankless roles, though!
-Chris
Yes, yes, yes! I also loved Wickes, one of those character actors who graced every production she was in. I would run out of fingers quickly counting the number of times she appeared in a movie and had only a scene or a few lines when her sharp delivery added a necessary punch to the proceedings. You're right that it's always a delight and perks me up when I spot her in something.
As for Kilbride, this was actually his last film. He lived another ten years until he was struck by a car and eventually died from his injuries. Don't know why he didn't do the last two films in the series. It usually comes down to money but, typecast, he never appeared in another movie. He gave a good serious performance in Fallen Angel" before he became Pa Kettle.
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