The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle: Volume Two (At the Fair / On Vacation / At Home / At Waikiki)

The hilarity continues with a second hearty helping of Ma & Pa Kettle. Pa (a lazy, slow-minded fellow who looked like a cross between Stan Laurel & Ichabob Crane) and Ma (with her potato-sack figure & blustery personality) were memorable screen comedy figures who had perfect chemistry, thanks to the talented Percy Kilbride & Marjorie Main."..At the Fair" has Ma & Pa cooking up a scheme to finance their daughter Rosie's college education: Enter themselves in various contests at the County Fair. Naturally, gullible Pa buys a no-good nag for the harness race, and Ma gets opposition in the jam & bread baking contests from her old rival, the snooty, sharp-tongued Birdie Hicks."..On Vacation" once again gives Ma & Pa a break from their homestead & fifteen kids when in-laws Jonathon & Liz invite them along on a trip to Paris. Before the plane even touches down in the City of Lights, Pa is entrusted with a mysterious envelope by a kindly stranger. Once settled, it isn't long until the Kettles are embroiled in espionage, with Pa working (yep, you heard right!!) as a G-man to "smoke out the spies". Familiar character actor Sig Rumann (famous as a comic foil for the Marx Brothers) plays one of the bad spies. There are some memorable comic moments made mostly through the Kettles' confusion over French customs."..At Home" puts the Kettles back at the old place. After son Elwin enters an essay contest to qualify him for college funding through a popular magazine, it's up to the Kettles to whip their disaster of a property into a "model farm" before the judges arrive. With Pa "supervising" (from his hammock, natch!), there follows some hilarious gags with cardboard water towers, falling barn boards, paper walls & even a funny chase with "authentic Indians" (courtesy of Geoduck, Crowbar & friends). One of the judges, a spoiled, fussy man (Alan Mowbray) suffers one indignity after another with frogs, eggs, mud, etc. But when the Kettles invite friends & neighbors over for Christmas, he realizes what a big heart this family really has."..At Waikiki" opens with the Kettles suffering through a sweltering heat wave (Pa fixes the air conditioner..backwards!). They are rescued by an invitation to paradise: Relative Rodney Kettle asks Pa to run his fruit processing company (Pa just falls into some of the cushiest positions without even trying!). But opposition wants to seize the company for themselves, and they kidnap Pa, spiriting him away to another island on a "hidden treasure" rouse. So it's Ma to the rescue (aided by a parallel-universe Hawaiian Kettle-like brood) to get Pa out of danger (a rousing slapstick battle here). Russell Johnson (the Professor on "Gilligan's Island") has a small role as a thug, as well as Faye Roope (known as Mrs. Stevens on "Bewitched") as a wealthy woman who has disastrous encounters with the Kettles. This was Kilbride's last performance as Pa Kettle before retiring; Main continued the Ma Kettle role for two more films.I was disappointed Universal didn't take the time to at least put together a featurette about the Kettle movies & their two stars. However, just having & enjoying these last four comedies once again is reward enough!

good

Ma and Pa Kettle was wonderful in every way... the dvd was wrapped and sealed... but what really blew me away was the quality of the picture very clear and some were in color as color went tint... the only complaint if I had to give one is part 1 and part 3 was on one side and part 2 and 4 was on the other side...but the complaint would be that I had to walk 5 feet over to the dvd player and switch back in forth... but it all (4 shows) were on one dvd and I had a blast with my family laughing at how funny times were back in the day of Ma and Pa...oh yes I would recommend this to my family and friends in fact I will be buying some more for my family and friends...Thank you oh yeah it came way before the delievery date 3 days before... I love it...

The Kettles remind me of my farmer neighbors when I was a kid. Some of them drive school buses for extra income. Some had run-down farms and quirky personalities, like the Kettles. So funny. Those were the good old days.

These movies are some of the few good memories from my childhood. While not exactly of Academy Award quality, they were hilarious! My family had 12 kids and these did remind me of alot of aspects of growing up. No violence, cursing, or sexual references are not necessary in these type of films. The whole family can sit back with soda, popcorn and each other and enjoy these family classics. I also bought Volume 2. They are all very funny. I just ordered Vol. 1-4 of Abbott & Castello classic films. I expect them to be as good as The "Kettles" films. As Ma Kettle would shout "Come and get it"! Enjoy! Papa Larry

My father is 76 years old, almost blind and on dialysis. Even with all of that going on, he is a kick, alert and has the greatest memory out of all of us! We talk almost every night and he always complains about what is on TV and how good the old shows were. He says he wishes hee could watch Ma and Pa Kettle because he enjoyed them so much and he can never find them running on the TV. Well for Christmas this year we bought him a DVD player and boths sets of the Ma and Pa Kettle series. He is SO content now to sit at his table and watch these shows. Thanks for making them available and so easy to order! This was a wonderful gift for him!

Good ol' Ma & Pa Kettle - these silly movies are a low-stress way to spend an evening in front of your screen. The quality of the recording is really good and there are the trailers, which are interesting to watch. I have loved these movies since I saw a few of them in a "nostalgia theater" (one that plays old movies) and now it's good to have them for myself. If you can sit down after a stressful day and let your mind enjoy some silly entertainment, it's always good to spend that time with the Kettles. Heck, you might be much obliged for the smiles.

movies made in this era, that is what i call entertainment, i never understood why todays violent movies serve as entertainment....these are the movies parents should be showing their children, so they can be entertained, not de-sensitized to violence by what they view today.i enjoyed watching these films, not just for nostalgia, i was entertained, marjorie main and percy kilbride are a perfectly matched pair and great to watch, and with all the children, gives you a warm sense of family...i hope everyone who buys this disc enjoys it as much as i did..four movies, well worth the cost, ( compared to the price of a movie theater for a family )...this is a much better product, timeless, and can be viewed again from time to time....

Oh my,this is Volume Two of the Ma and Pa Kettle Franchise and I cannot state it often enough:they just do NOT make good family movies like this anymore....period.Ma with her voice who could strip wallpaper at 20 paces and Pa,who was two chickens short of a sleep walker!These were the adventures of two wonderful characters who you took directly to your heart and played beautifully by Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride.They lived in Cape Flattery,Washington and while not rich in the monetary sense,they had riches no others could touch;a deep devotion to themselves and their large brood of children....15 to be exact!These films find the Kettles continuing to live in their new house Pa won during in the first group of films.Let's take a look at the plots.Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair(released in April/52)finds the Kettles preparing for the upcoming fair in Cape Flattery.Bertie Hicks is,as always,determined to win the most prizes but circumstances gang up to foil her plans.Pa buys an old race horse who now is apparently no good for anything,to work around the farm.However when Ma enters a baking contest,she enters their horse in a race by mistake.When Ma wins the cooking prize she is disqualified because it was for the race not the baking contest.Bertie wins round one.Now the Kettles must get their horse into shape and through some very funny twists and turns the Kettles manage to win the race purse which goes to send their Rosie off to college.Watch for a young James Best as Rosie's romantic interest.Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation(released April/53) finds the Kettles invited on a trip to Paris by their son Tom's in laws the Parkers.On the plane Pa is asked to take possession of an envelope for a man,who wants it delivered to himself in a certain hotel in Paris.Pa naturally agrees but upon their arrival the mysterious man on the plane is murdered by someone else who wants the contents of the envelope.They have inadvertently gotten themselves involved in a crime ring who will stop at nothing to get said envelope.The gang however is being tracked by the authorities who let Ma and Pa in on the scheme and enlist their help.In the end the gang is busted and all are safe.Ma and Pa Kettle at Home(Released March/54)find their son Elwin and a local neighbour girl up for scholarships to college.Their son has exaggerated life on the farm as an idyllic one and the Kettles are at wits end as to what to do,as the judges are coming to stay at each of the applicants homes.The Kettles,with alot of help from neighbours property and alot of deceptive"fixing" up,manage to complete their tasks but the judges soon see through it all.The neighbours daughter's home has no such limitations but the father is a strict disciplinarian and the home lacks the love of the Kettles.Through alot of humurous circumstances the judges,at Christmas time,who were so cold to the Kettles at first,award the scholarships to both kids;its a win-win situation for all.Finally Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki(released April/55) finds Pa's brother Rodney in Hawaii in quite the mental state.Rodney has been a successful pineapple grower/canner for years now.His blood pressure of late has gotten unhealthy and his doctor has ordered him to rest or else.He enlists his brother Pa's help.Why Pa? Well he has written to Rodney over the years of what a big "success" HE has been in Washington and Rodney could think of now one better to run his company.Pa and Ma do indeed come over and soon Pa,through sheer accident,is starting to improve production.However a rival who wants the company to go bankrupt kidnaps Pa but the cops,and Ma with an Hawaiian equivalent of the Kettles in tow,manage to rescue Pa from the clutches of the bad guys.This /55 entry was to be Percy Kilbrides last appearance as Pa in the series as there would be two more entries with Main as Ma but with two different Pa's in Kilbrides place;neither with the spark Kilbride brought to the part.And as such I think it fitting Universal stopped the series release right where it did.Technically speaking these films are released in their original a/r of 1:33/37:1.The films are a bit grainy at times but generally clear and crisp.No extras.There have been many such family type pictures over the years like the Andy Hardy's and the Henry Aldridge's,but the Kettles for their overall wholesomeness and gentility,have a special place in this reviewers heart.Sure the situations can be corny and some of the gags you can see coming from miles away but they have a heart as big as the Kettle family.These films are highly recommended for the ENTIRE family.

I can still recall the anticipation that our family experienced before going to see the latest Ma and Pa Kettle movies. And Percy Kilbride as "Pa" and Marjorie Main as "Ma" did not disappoint. They were masterful comedy figures (hillbillies), based on true-life characters, who are guaranteed, along with their large family and associates, to make you laugh and laugh and laugh. Masters of comedy in the extreme!

Good old fashion laughs, with this DVD, love Ma and Pa Kettle and my Children enjoy the humor in the series!!

For anyone who remembers these characters... you won't be disappointed! Excellent back then and now!

Just like I remember Ma and Pa so many years ago. Funny and entertaining. Cd did not skip and played well.