I gotta admit... when Universal released the Ma & Pa Kettle franchise of movies on dvd ( Volumes 1 and 2 ) I wasn't the first in line. I wasn't the last in line. In fact, I wasn't even in line. Not at all.

Yeah, I remember having watched these movies as a kid, and I remember enjoying them quite a bit. But, you know, these films haven't exactly had a lot of airplay in the past 30 years ( at least, not that I'm aware of ) and you tend to forget. "Out of sight, out of mind" as they say. Anyway, I wasn't about to shell out the full retail price ( $15.00 - $20.00 ) for these DVD's. So far as I was concerned, they just weren't 'must have' movies - I could live without 'em.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was browsing through Walmart's $4.88 dvd bin and discovered both volumes 1 & 2 ! Hmmm.... at that price I'd be spending just a bit more than $1.00 per movie! And so, I ended up getting them afterall.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised! Getting reacquainted with Ma & Pa Kettle has been a heart warming and delightful experience! And, what really caught me by surprise, was realizing just how much these films inspired - I mean quite obviously - Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies!

It all began with Betty MacDonald's 1945 best selling novel The Egg and I, which Universal turned it into a motion picture starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray in 1947. Colbert played the part of the author, Betty MacDonald, who discovers on her wedding night that her newlywed husband, Bob, has quit his Big City job and purchased a run-down chicken farm in rural Cape Flattery, Washington!

Ma & Pa Kettle occupied the dilapidated hovel down the road from Betty and Bob, which was easily identifiable by the sign on the fence which read: Beware of Childrun. The Kettles have 15 children in all, the oldest of whom is Tom, portrayed by Richard Long ( remember him from Nanny and the Professor? ) and the second eldest is Rosie, played by Lori Nelson ( Revenge of the Creature ). The rest of the kids are pretty non-descript - Even Ma can't keep their names straight!

If you can equate Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert with Oliver and Lisa Douglas, then Percy Kilbride and Marjorie Main are the equivilant of Fred and Doris Ziffell!

Then there's the brash Billy Reed; salesman extraordinaire! He has a line of snappy patter and rhyming sales pitches. Even though his business dealings are above board and without reproach, he is undeniably the prototype for Mr. Haney! In the later episodes, Billy Reed is portrayed by a different actor and is considerably more mellow. Instead of being a door-to-door salesman, he is the proprietor of the local General Store - sort of a portly Sam Drucker. The only surviving vestige of his former character is the sign outside his establishment which declares: For what you need, See Billy Reed!

Then, of course, there are other assorted eccentric characters; Geoduck and Crowbar ( Pa Kettle's Indian pals ), Birdie Hicks ( the Town Busy Body ) and etc...

Even though Ma & Pa Kettle were merely supporting characters in this initial film outing, they made a BIG impression on theater goers. In fact, Marjorie Main's portrayal of Ma Kettle earned her an Academy Award nomination! In the next movie, Ma & Pa not only take center stage but, Betty and Bob MacDonald are nowhere to be seen!

Ma & Pa never struck it rich like The Beverly Hillbillies but, they did have their share of good fortune. In the 2nd movie, The Further Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle, Pa enters a slogan contest and wins the family a new home! It's not just any home but, a thoroughly modern push-button home with every conceivable space-age convenience!

Before long, the bucolic couple are out of their element in such diverse places as New York City, and Waikiki! And, as always, their down-home humor and innate goodness sees them through the wild predicaments in which they find themselves!

No, the Ma & Pa Kettle films are not on a par with Abbott & Costello or the Marx Bros. but, these films have an easy going charm and humor all their own. In the late 1940's and throughout the 1950's these 'Ma & Pa' movies cost Universal between $200,000 - $400,000 to make, and usually grossed about $3 million each, making the top ten earning film list of each year. That's pretty impressive and deserves some consideration!

In retrospect, I'm beginning to realize just what a Bargain I got for my money.

- GJS

I bought tthem when they first came out. Don't remember the price but it was more than what you paid. I always wait until an entire series is released until I begin watching them. Still waiting for the last couple Ma & Pas to get released. Same with Francis, not all have been released.

I bought the kettles AND Blondie. I had never seen them before. VERY clever.

I bought tthem when they first came out. Don't remember the price but it was more than what you paid. I always wait until an entire series is released until I begin watching them. Still waiting for the last couple Ma & Pas to get released. Same with Francis, not all have been released.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Universal to release the last two entries in the Ma & Pa Kettle series. Percy Kilbride left the series after filming the movies that have been released to dvd. Thus, Marjorie Main goes it alone in In The Ozarks and Parker Fennelly substitutes as Pa for On Old MacDonald's Farm.

Parker Fennelly was best known for his portrayal of Titus Moody ( "Howdy Bub" ) an Allen's Alley character from the Fred Allen radio show. He seemed like a natural to replace Percy Kilbride in the role of Pa Kettle but, it just didn't work. The Ma & Pa series was thus allowed to make a dismal demise...
( Incidentally, Parker Fennelly later in life became well known to television viewers as the proprietor of an old fashioned New England General Store in a series of commercials for Pepperidge Farms. )

I think if Universal had any intention of releasing these last two films, they would have managed to fit 5 movies on each disc instead of 4. I really doubt that we'll be seeing them.

I bought the kettles AND Blondie. I had never seen them before. VERY clever.

My kids LOVE the Blondie series - and so do I! Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton really brought Chic Young's cartoon strip to life! But Larry Simms ( Baby Dumpling/Alexander ) and Daisy and her pups always steal the show!

- GJS

With an Indian named "Crowbar", what's not to like? :lol:

I have fond memories of the Kettles. If I find them at a similar price, it will no doubt be an impulse buy.

I remember not liking the films without the original Pa when I was a kid. So is the replacement "Pa" the one with the famous tagline, "...because Pepp'ridge Farm remembuhs."

have they released any of the Fransis movies?

Yeah, I also picked up FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE volume 1 in the same $4.88 bargain bin. There are four Francis films on the set. I haven't seen other volumes so, I don't know whether they have been released yet or not.

- GJS

I always liked the Bowery Boys too. Slip Mahoney, Louie's Sweet Shop and all.

Yeah, I also picked up FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE volume 1 in the same $4.88 bargain bin. There are four Francis films on the set. I haven't seen other volumes so, I don't know whether they have been released yet or not.

- GJS
There's still a couple Francis movies left to be released too. All films from both series were released by Universal on tape as a series. It seems that the dvd series just got dropped unless they are still coming. I remember whole pallet displays in Best Buy when the series were released on vhs.