Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle, Vol. 1 (The Egg and I / Ma and Pa Kettle / Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town / Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm)

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

In 1946 Author Betty MacDonald wrote a Best Seller "The Egg and I". In 1947 Universal Pictures made it into one of the most popular movies starring Claudette Colbert & Fred MacMurrary as newly wed city folk gone chicken farmers. And Majorie Main & Percy Kilbride as "Ma & Pa Kettle" the madcap country neighbors with 15 kids. The Egg and I and the Kettles were so popular that Universal Pictures made a sequel starring the Kettles in "The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle" in 1949. Again so successful the Kettles became a series of hilarious films. Main & Kilbride were the perfect blend for Beverly HillBillies comedy.

Summary: All 4 films are Standard Format and Black/White remastered picture & sound (excellent quality). "The Egg & I (1947) Has newly weds Bob & Betty MacDonald (Colbert & MacMurray) giving up the city life for the life of a chicken farmer "EGGS" in the state of Washington. Their 40 acre run down farm becomes a real challenge along with their scatter brain / madcap neighbors the destitute Kettles (w/ 15 kids). A great story, outstanding ensemble cast and hilarious antics fill this movie. "The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle" (1949) The procrastinating Pa Kettle obsession to enter contests proves to be a winner. The fun begins when the Kettle prize is a brand new house of the future. "Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town" (1949) Pa wins another contest a trip to New York. Who will baby sit their 15 helluns so they can go? "Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm" (1950) Ma & Pa are to become grand parents and the rich society in-laws are coming to stay with the Kettles to visit their grandson.

This is Volume One and it loaded with pure fun and laughter. If you want to see 1940's & 1950's comedy at its best jump on board the Kettle DVD Series!!! Enjoy

I will never get tired of Ma and Pa and the kids. These are great family movies you will enjoy watching again and again. I loved watching these as a kid and was THRILLED when they came out on DVD.

In the Egg and I we first meet up with Ma and Pa Kettle as they "borry" from the neighbors.

In the Further Adventures, what will happen when Pa writes in to get a new tobbaco pouch and end up winning a model home?

In Ma and Pa Kettle go to town they venture out to New York after Pa wins another contest and they have a mess of trouble trying to deliver a black bag.

Back on the Farm is my favorite, where they think they have uranium growing in their backyard after being forced back to the old house by their son's pushy mother-in-law.

You will love the wholesome down home humor of these movies with Pa's ever borrowing and saying "he has to fix that one of these days" and Ma with a heart as big as all outdoors always there to keep him and the "kids" in line.

The real gem of this package is "The Egg and I", and to get it along with the first three "Ma and Pa" movies is even better. The three M&P movies represented here are somewhat of a mixed bag as far as the humor is concerned.

However, in all cases, the transfers are nicely done by Universal and the bonus of theatrical trailers makes this a set well worth the investment.

Amazon has this set as having four discs. That is incorrect - there is only one.

There are a total of four movies on the disc. On one side are, "The Egg & I" and "Ma & Pa Kettle Go to Town". The other side has "The Further Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle" and "Ma & Pa Kettle Back on the Farm".

Each movie has a Trailer, Scene Choice, Subtitles and Languages. (English, French and Spanish). The trailer quality was ok. As for the movies themselves, I've seen only one so far ("Go to Town") and the picture is not bad at all. Yes, I've seen "crisper" pictures on other DVDs but the pic here was better than I expected for the price.

I'm happy with it and would definitely buy it again. I'm so thankful the Ma & Pa Kettle movies are finally out on DVD!

BTW, according to amazon, there is a Vol 2 set that will be released on May 4, 2004 for only $13.99. Vol 1 is 108 mins. long and Vol. II will be 326 minutes. I wonder if Vol 2 will have four discs.

p.s. I'm writing to amazon to correct the "4 disc" wording on Vol 1 so it might have been corrected by the time you read this.

Good news first- if you love the Ma & Pa Kettle movies, buy these immediately. They are very enjoyable little movies- corny, unsophisticated,formulaic, but good clean fun. The prints and sound are as good as one might hope for fifty year old films.

Now the bad news- and this is really more annoying than anything-the packaging is very sloppy: 1)the films are not in the right order, 2)the second film is called "The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle" on the box although the correct title is simply "Ma and Pa Kettle" and 3)The plot description given for "Ma and Pa Kettle" is completely wrong. These are merely quibbles, though. Overall, fans of the Kettles will be pleased.

After watching my first Ma and Pa Kettle Movie last year, I have fallen in love with the Kettles. The humour is still as funny today as it was 50 years ago. The four movies are fantastic, very entertaining, And at this price the DVD is well worth buying. If your a Ma and Pa Kettle fan, or a classic comedy fan then you'll love this DVD. I'm even buying myself a derby hat "one of these days".

While the quality is decent I dont see why they just dont release this as a complet box set in the order these movies came out.

1. The Egg and I (1947)
2. Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1948)
3. Ma and Pa Kettle (1949)
aka "The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle"
4. Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950)
5. Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm (1951)
6. Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair (1952)
aka "Ma and Pa Kettle at the County Fair"
7. Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation (1953)
aka "Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Paris"
aka "Ma and Pa Kettle Hit the Road"
8. Ma and Pa Kettle at Home (1954)
9. Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1955)
10.The Kettles in The Ozarks (1956)
(Without Percy Kilbride, Arthur Hunnicutt as Pa's brother - Sedge Kettle)
11. The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm (1957)
(Without Percy Kilbride)

Now if they released it like this I would be happy, as it is now it is a far cry from being a good set.

It's great to have Ma & Pa on DVD, but can anyone explain why Universal put them on the discs out of order??? Side one contains Egg and I and Go To Town, although Go To Town was the third in the series. Anyone who happens to watch them in the order that they are on the DVD will become slightly confused. Here is the correct order:

Egg and I- Side One
Further Adventures- Side Two
Go To Town- Side One
Back On The Farm- Side Two

Hope that helps!

I love Ma and Pa Kettle!! I am 35 years old and loved watching the Kettle's when I was a little girl, and now I am so thrilled that my kids (ages 1 & 1/2 to 12 years) love 'em too! We received our dvd this afternoon and by bedtime we had watched all four of the movies. So much fun!! I rated this dvd 5 stars because I did not want anyone to assume that the movies themselves were somehow lacking. Not at all!! The movies are FAB!! The only couple of complaints I have are of the dvd itself. It was so tightly attached to the plastic tab (that holds it in place), I was afraid to try to remove the dvd for fear I would crack the DVD. It was quite a trick finally getting it pried loose. Also, the fact that the movies are out of order on the disc and crammed onto one disc was a little bit of a disappointment, but you could look at it as a blessing if you are sick in bed... you don't have to run to the telly everytime you want to watch a different movie. On the plus side, the outer case is charming. It looks like old barn wood with the words Ma and Pa Kettle embossed. The movies are in BLACK & WHITE, not color as the description stated. Whew! What a relief! To colorize Ma & Pa Kettle, or any old B&W movie for that matter, is a shame. Let us experience the wonderful warm feelings old movies bring in their original cozy black and white, not cheesy artificial coloring. The picture as well as the sound quality is wonderful and crisp. Looks as if it was filmed yesterday. Marjorie Main is my absolute hero! Whether she's flipping popcorn pancakes, forgetting all her young-uns names, or hollerin' for everybody to "COME & GIT IT!!"... she is still funny, an inspiration watching her patience with Pa and her love for her family, and boy... I sure wish she was my Ma!

How strange, there were already reviews (including one from me) for this item but now they're all gone.

I'm still trying to figure why this is listed as a "box set". There is only 1 DVD. There are four movies on the DVD - two on each side.

SIDE ONE: The Egg & I and The Further Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle.

SIDE TWO: Ma & Pa Kettle Go to Town and Ma & Pa Kettle on the Farm.

Each movie has Subtitles, Languages (English, Spanish & French) and a Trailer. The Trailers are a bit scratchier than the movies but are still in good condition.

Viewing of the movies themselves are pretty crisp. Much better than I expected especially for this price. I'd definitely buy it again.

Note - Volume 2 will be released in May.