Customer Reviews

The Ma & Pa Kettle Collection: The Egg and I [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This film has always been a favourite of mine. Claudette Colbert, a superb commedianne always stated that the corn ball humour of this film was not really to her liking after appearing in such sophisticated fare as "Midnight", "The Palm Beach Story" and "Skylark". In reality Claudette has never been better than in this her last really successful film after a brilliant collection of both dramas and comedys during the 30's and 40's.
Some people might call the humour "corn ball" or "un sophisticated" but it is a lot of fun and the great cast carry it off wonderfully.
The film has many funny moments, Betty and Bob (Fred McMurray) meeting the unstoppable Ma and Pa Kettle (Marjorie Main, a superb and totally underated actress, in an Oscar nominated role...she should definately have won!) for the first time, Betty's hilarious "initiation" to Kettle table manners during her first visit to Ma and Pa's for lunch complete with children to numerous to count (even Ma doesn't know all their names!!). I also love the dance sequence when Claudette gets dumped with the oddest array of local yokels as dance partners. It still gets me laughing every time.
I strongly recommend this film to those of you who like old fashioned humour. I certainly have a soft spot for it, not only because of the excellent cast and the great acting by all but because my own mother was alot like Claudette Colbert in this film, she was a sophisticated city gal who moved to the country encountering many strange and funny instances along the way in her introduction to country life. Enjoy this film!! and to quote Ma, " sit back and don't stand on no ceremony!!"

Hop in the old truck with Bob (Fred MacMurray) and Betty (Claudette Colbert) and head for the hills of rural Washington State. Betty is unprepared for what awaits her--life on a chicken farm! Bob is gungho for the idea, but Betty has never gone near the kitchen to cook, much less to "put up all those canned goods" that Bob expects her to do! Down the road apiece live Ma and Pa Kettle and their hard-to-count-how-many children. Ma is an expert quilter and Pa is an expert borrower! You will experience life along with them going to the county fair, the weekly dances, planting a garden, everything right down to slopping the hogs. This movie is great fun to watch. I read the book, too. Try to get a copy, if you can. It is Betty's real life story. The movie is based on the book. I am sure you will be well entertained by them both.

Claudette Colbert always stated that the "Cornball humour" of this films was not something she liked after appearing in such sophisticated outings as "Midnight" and "The Palm Beach Story" but really Claudette has never been better than in this very funny, well written comedy about a well brought up girl learning (the hard way) to survive on a run down farm out west. What develops is a film with lots of laughs and good old fashioned humour with no need for bad language and crude humour for it to be entertaining like so many of today's comedies.

The film has many hilarious moments, Betty and Bob meeting the unstoppable Ma and Pa Kettle (Marjorie Main in an Oscar nominated role...she should have won!!) for the first time, Betty's visit for lunch with the Kettles and their hordes of children (even Ma can't remember all their names!!), complete with chickens in the pantry, Ma's highly original methods of cleaning off the table in one swish of her arm, the absolutely priceless country dance where Betty gets landed with all the local "odd balls" as dance partners and accuses Bob of being a "cannibal" for enjoying a pork sandwich made from there own pig "Cleopatra", to Pa's "borrowing" of all the farm equipment. A hearty time is guaranteed by all.

I strongly recommend this film and I have a soft spot for it as my own mother was a sophisticted city girl who married and moved to the country and encountered many funny people and situations as her "introduction" to country life. Enjoy!!!

"The Egg and I" is a humorous autobiographical look at Betty McDonald's experiences on an egg ranch in Washington State in the late 20's. The book was immensely popular with the public and a huge million-plus seller when it first came out in 1945. Although the movie version is a watered -down rewrite which fails to completely capture the earthy tang of the book, it's still a highly amusing diversion to watch on a rainy afternoon. Claudette Colbert exudes charm and warmth in her playing of Betty and she gives an excellent potrayal. Fred MacMurray is boyishly bland as Bob and the two have a genuine chemistry playing the "young" married couple. As in the book, the most memorable characters in the film are Ma and Pa Kettle -Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride simply steal the show as these lovable country bumpkins. Richard Long (Jarrod Barkley in "The Big Valley") plays the Kettle's bright oldest son Tom who's encouraged by Betty to go to college and make something of himself. Esther Dale is hilarious as the no-nonsense Birdie Hicks, a sour old beldame with the face of curds. Harmless old-fashioned fun!

The Egg and I is an amusing look at a city girl's adjustment to living life on a chicken farm. Claudette Colbert stars as Betty, whose new husband Bob, played by Fred MacMurray, gives up his corporate career to pursue his lifelong dream of raising chickens. Their "new" house is a disaster area, and they quickly discover that starting a farm isn't that easy. Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride star as their neighbours Ma and Pa Kettle, parents of more kids than they can remember the names of. Louise Allbritton plays another neighbour who has a mechanized farm and an eye for MacMurray. The performers are all good, with Colbert delivering another solid comedic performance and Main stealing every scene as the tired, down-to-earth wife of the lazy husband. This isn't one of those movies that will have you laughing till you cry. It's a good natured look at a typical "fish out of water" story. I did laugh out loud during the dance and a few other scenes, and with great comedy performers such as these, you're guaranteed to be entertained.

This warm and funny account of a newly married couple trying to make a go of it on a backwoods chicken farm, based on Betty MacDonald's popular best seller, was a big hit with audiences during the 1940's and has lost none of its appeal today. This is a great film the entire family can watch together. Chester Erskine produced, directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Fred F. Finklehoffe in this hilarious and heartwarming film all will enjoy.

Claudettle Colbert is wonderful as the shocked but game Betty when on her honeymoon her husband Bob (Fred MacMurray) informs her he has quit his brokerage house job and bought a chicken farm in the country. She figures things could be worse, and they are, as their farm is a ramshackle old place that fights back! After all, there's not another place in the county like it; none of that streamlined stuff--no running water, no frigadare!

There are some laugh-out-loud moments as Betty and Bob fix one thing that leads to another, from a door that comes off its hinges to an old wood burning stove that seems to have it in for Betty! Bob's enthusiasm never wanes and Betty's moxy helps her trudge forward, making the farm their own.

As Betty gets attached to the chicks and a hunting dog who hides under the stove for safety she gets acquainted with her neighbors, Ma and Pa Kettle. Marlorie Main and Percy Kilbride are a hoot as the backwoods country folk with a bundle of young `uns whose names Ma is always mixing up. Pa is constantly "borrowing" tools and supplies from Bob yet can't build anything right! This was the first appearance of Ma and Pa Kettle, who would become a small franchise for Universal.

Betty has other things to contend with besides the farm, as the pretty Harriet Putnam (Louise Allbritton) has a fancy mechanized chicken farm just down the road and seems to have her sights set on Bob. There is a big dance and a country fair for distraction, and a side story involving the Kettle's son Tom (Richard Long---Jarrod from The Big Valley) who is different than the rest of the family and would like to go to college. If only that quilt Ma gave Betty could win first prize....

But the real fun and warmth here comes from Betty and Bob and their efforts to make a go of it. Colbert is particularly endearing and even the farm can't hide how great she looks in a flannel shirt and slacks. When Pa's still blows up and starts a fire which destroys part of Bob and Betty's place, all the neighbors come to chip in and help them rebuild. But some confusion caused by the backyard glamour girl, Bella Farms owner Harriet, sends Betty and her "little surprise" back to the city for a time.

There is a nice ending, warm and funny like the rest of this very enjoyable family film. Having not read the book prior to seeing the film, I certainly intend to do so now. This film is a hoot, with a warm feeling that will bring a smile to your face. A great film for everyone. Grab a big bowl of popcorn and have fun.

"The Egg & I", a movie based on the book of the same title, is entertaining, clean( you can let the kids watch this one), and funny. It's not quite as funny as the book, though.
Claudette Colbert is perfectly cast as Betty, the convenience-loving city girl who gets much more than she bargains for when she marries Bob, who is bent on pursuing his dream of owning a chicken ranch.
The ranch turns out to be isolated and primitive even by chicken ranch standards.
Poor Betty is forced to adjust quickly, and does so reluctantly and clumsily.
Those who read the book before seeing the movie may be a little puzzled by the appearance of "the other woman", who is absent from the book.
My suggestion: Read the book, then buy the movie, but don't expect the latter to be exactly like the former.
Both are VERY worthwhile buys, though.
If you have to choose between the movie and the book, I'd suggest going for the book.
The movie is very worthwhile, especially if you want a film that the whole family can enjoy.

I saw this movie when I was a little girl.I remember I laugh so
hard and now that I am much much older the movie is even funnier. They dont make good clean, fun movies like that anymore.

Okay, that doesn't make any sense. This is a movie, based on the book by the same name, I think. An amusing, story about two city folks who move to hicksville to start a farm. This is all the husband's brilliant idea. The wife would prefer the city life, but she goes along with hubby, who never mentioned any of this stuff until AFTER the wedding. Whoops!
So they get a dilapidated (what else) farm house and fix it up. They work the land, build a chicken coup, clean the giant wood burning stove, acquire a country hound dog and meet the local Indians.
To make things interesting, their neighbors are Ma and Pa Kettle and their umpteen wild kids. (If Ma's breasts hung any lower she'd be stepping on them, she occasionally nudges them upwards, as they get in the way of her quilt-makin' and stew slinging!)Pa is a scoundral and a borrower, and Ma turns out to be a good hearted friend to Claudette Colbert.
Then there's the fancy lady farmer who lures Fred MacMuuray with her high tech chicken farming equipment (I'm not kidding.) Well, Claudette gets jealous, as Fred is blindly manipulated by fancy chicken lady.
There's also a fire, a country fair, and Ma and Pa Kettle's eldest and amzingly educated and clean cut son.
A funny, and fun movie!

Hop in the old truck with newlyweds Bob (Fred MacMurray) and Betty (Claudette Colbert) and head for the hills of rural Washington State. Betty is unprepared for what awaits her--life on a chicken farm! Bob is gungho for the idea, but Betty has never been near the kitchen to cook, much less "put up all those canned goods" that Bob expects her to do! Down the road apiece live Ma and Pa Kettle and their hard-to-count-how-many children. Ma is an expert quilter and Pa is an expert borrower! You will experience life along with them going to the county fair, the weekly dances, planting a garden, everything right down to slopping the hogs. This movie is great fun to watch. I read the book, too. Try to get a copy, if you can. It is Betty's real life story. The movie is based on the book. I am sure you will be well entertained by them both.