Ma and Pa Kettle
Encyclopedia
Ma and Pa Kettle are comic film characters of the successful film series of the same name, produced by Universal Studios
, in the late '40s and '50s. They are a hillbilly
couple with fifteen children whose lives turn upside-down when they win a model-home-of-the-future in a slogan-writing contest. At the verge of getting their farm condemned, the Kettles move into the prize home that is different from their country lifestyle. After that, they are subjected to more unusual situations.
Originally based on real-life farming neighbors in Washington state, United States
, Ma and Pa Kettle were created by Betty MacDonald
on whose 1945 best-selling novel, The Egg and I
, they appeared in. The success of the novel spawned the 1947 film The Egg and I
starring Claudette Colbert
and Fred MacMurray
, also co-starring Marjorie Main
and Percy Kilbride
as Ma and Pa Kettle. Main was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
for her role.
After the audiences' positive reaction to the Kettles in the film, Universal Studios produced seven more films with Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride reprising their roles. The films grossed an estimated $35 million altogether at the box office and are said to have saved Universal from bankruptcy.
In the first film of the series, Ma and Pa Kettle, the family moves into a modern home with numerous electronic gadgets that Pa has won in a tobacco slogan-writing contest. As the series continued, various reasons were devised to have the family relocate to the "old place", sometimes for extended periods of time.
Much of the comedy is cornball humor arising from preposterous situations, such as Pa being mistaken for a wealthy industrialist ("P.A. Kettle" in Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki, 1955) or being jailed after he accidentally causes racehorses to eat feed laced with concrete (Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair, 1952).
The Chickens: The Kettles keep a flock of nearly a hundred chickens on their broken-down farm, who provide them with hundreds of eggs each day. Sometimes, one or two of the hens would cause mischief towards the Kettles or other characters in the movies. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", Ma Kettle's prized speckled hen is seen a few times laying eggs on Mannering's head or in his bowler hat.
Pa Kettle's team: Pa Kettle's team is an old draft horse
named Emma and a white donkey
wearing a straw hat, who pull Pa's wagon around the county. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At The Fair", Pa bought Emma to win a horse race at the county fair.
Nick: Nick is the Kettles' prized black bull
. He spends most of his time living on the Kettles' farm, which is his main home, but in "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", he sneaks out of the farm and lumbers towards the Maddocks' farm to visit one of John Maddocks' prize cows Bessie. He is often seen wearing a derby hat on his head, similar to the same type of hat that Pa Kettle wears.
The Goats: A herd of four white Saanen goats that live on the Kettles' farm. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", they used to belong to John Maddocks, but he sold them to Pa Kettle for $100. The goats spend most of their time grazing around the farm, but the largest of them, a large buck with massive curved horns, often causes everyone trouble. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", he butts Ma, then Mannering, and lastly Pa after they turn their backs to him. In "Ma and Pa Kettle Back On The Farm", he starts chewing on several sticks of dynamite
that Pa bought to make a new well for Ma, but Pa keeps snatching them from him.
Agnes: Agnes is the Kettles' family Bluetick Coonhound
, who also lives on the farm. She is often seen wearing a sweater that Ma Kettle made for her. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", she produced a litter of puppies for the Kettles and their friends at their Christmas Eve party.
and Claudette Colbert
as a refined city couple who move to a rural chicken farm. Marjorie Main, a veteran character actress, played a hardy country woman in dozens of films, and so was a natural for the role of Ma Kettle. Main was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
. After the success of The Egg and I, she and Percy Kilbride starred in their own series of Ma and Pa Kettle movies, which became box-office bonanzas for Universal Pictures
, having earned an estimated $35 million for the entire series.
Kilbride retired after making Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki due to an automobile accident, and the Pa Kettle character did not appear in The Kettles in the Ozarks. Arthur Hunnicutt
played Pa's brother Sedgewick Kettle in that movie and in The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm, the last Kettle movie, Parker Fennelly
played Pa Kettle.
The ten Kettle films are:
, which aired on CBS (September 3, 1951-August 1, 1952). Each episode was only 15 minutes long. Ma Kettle was played by Doris Rich and Pa Kettle was played by Frank Twedell. Betty Lynn
(better known as Barney Fife
's girlfriend Thelma Lou from The Andy Griffith Show
) played Betty MacDonald in some episodes, including "Pa Turns Over A New Leaf" (which aired on May 21, 1952).
The 1980 satire film Loose Shoes
(which also starred Bill Murray
) included a sketch called "A Visit With Ma and Pa" where Ma Kettle was played by Ysabel MacCloskey and Pa Kettle was played by Walker Edmiston
.
Animator Walter Lantz
produced a short-lived cartoon series for Universal Pictures
called "Maw and Paw
," though only four cartoons were released between 1953 and 1955. The characters Maw and Paw (voiced by Grace Stafford
and Dal McKennon) were based on the characters of Ma and Pa Kettle. The spellings of Maw and Paw Kettle appeared in the 1945 book The Egg and I.
In The Munsters
episode "Family Portrait", a magazine writer makes a reference to the Kettles when he sees the Munster home, he says: "Let's see if Ma and Pa Kettle are home," implying that the Munsters' home resembled the Kettle farmhouse.
as the first part of Universal
's Franchise Collection series.
The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle Volume 2
as the second part of Universal
's Franchise Collection series.
The Further Adventures of the Kettles
as a TCM
Vault Collection presented by Universal Studios
.
The Ma and Pa Kettle Complete Comedy Collection
as a TCM
Vault Collection presented by Universal Studios
.
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, in the late '40s and '50s. They are a hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
couple with fifteen children whose lives turn upside-down when they win a model-home-of-the-future in a slogan-writing contest. At the verge of getting their farm condemned, the Kettles move into the prize home that is different from their country lifestyle. After that, they are subjected to more unusual situations.
Originally based on real-life farming neighbors in Washington state, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Ma and Pa Kettle were created by Betty MacDonald
Betty MacDonald
Betty MacDonald was an American author who specialized in humorous autobiographical tales, and is best known for her book The Egg and I. She also wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series of children's books...
on whose 1945 best-selling novel, The Egg and I
The Egg and I
The Egg and I, first published in 1945, is a humorous memoir by American author Betty MacDonald about her adventures and travels as a young wife on a chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state...
, they appeared in. The success of the novel spawned the 1947 film The Egg and I
The Egg and I (film)
The Egg and I is a 1947 film directed by Chester Erskine, who co-wrote screenplay with Fred F. Finklehoffe, based on the book by Betty MacDonald.This comedy was such a hit with audiences, it spawned the Ma and Pa Kettle film series...
starring Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
and Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
, also co-starring Marjorie Main
Marjorie Main
Marjorie Main was an American character actress, mainly at MGM, perhaps best known for her role as Ma Kettle in a series of ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies.-Early life and career:...
and Percy Kilbride
Percy Kilbride
Percy W. Kilbride was an American character actor. The son of Irish immigrants, he made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the Ma and Pa Kettle series of feature films.-Career:...
as Ma and Pa Kettle. Main was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for her role.
After the audiences' positive reaction to the Kettles in the film, Universal Studios produced seven more films with Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride reprising their roles. The films grossed an estimated $35 million altogether at the box office and are said to have saved Universal from bankruptcy.
Premise
- Ma (Phoebe Kettle, played by Marjorie MainMarjorie MainMarjorie Main was an American character actress, mainly at MGM, perhaps best known for her role as Ma Kettle in a series of ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies.-Early life and career:...
) is a robust and raucous country woman with a potato sack figure. She is more ambitious and smarter than Pa, but not by much, and can easily be fooled. Ma is content with her role as mother to fifteen rambunctious, mischievous children on their ramshackle farmKettle FarmThe Kettle Farm was a movie ranch in Universal Studios. It is best-known for its use in the ten installments of the Ma and Pa Kettle film series. The set was redressed several times to resemble a broken-down shack with dilapidating farm buildings...
in rural Cape Flattery, WashingtonCape Flattery (Ma and Pa Kettle)Cape Flattery is the fictional town in the rural-comedy film series, Ma and Pa Kettle . The town makes reference to the Cape Flattery as the most remote, rural, and northernmost point in the West Coast....
. Because she has so many children, Ma sometimes gets their names confused. A misspelled sign "Be-ware of childrun" is posted in front of the farmhouse to warn unwanted visitors of hurled rocks, projectiles from slingshots and pea shooters, and other missiles launched by the rowdy and unpredictable Kettle brood. - Pa (Franklin Kettle, played by Percy KilbridePercy KilbridePercy W. Kilbride was an American character actor. The son of Irish immigrants, he made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the Ma and Pa Kettle series of feature films.-Career:...
) is a gentle, slow-speaking, slow-thinking and lazy man. His only talents appear to be avoiding work and winning contests.
In the first film of the series, Ma and Pa Kettle, the family moves into a modern home with numerous electronic gadgets that Pa has won in a tobacco slogan-writing contest. As the series continued, various reasons were devised to have the family relocate to the "old place", sometimes for extended periods of time.
Much of the comedy is cornball humor arising from preposterous situations, such as Pa being mistaken for a wealthy industrialist ("P.A. Kettle" in Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki, 1955) or being jailed after he accidentally causes racehorses to eat feed laced with concrete (Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair, 1952).
Recurring characters in the series
- Thomas "Tom" Kettle is the eldest of the Kettle children and is portrayed by Richard LongRichard Long (actor)Richard Long was an American actor better known for his leading roles in several ABC television series, including The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor and Bourbon Street Beat.-Early life:...
in the first four films. Tom works hard and goes to college at Washington State University, studying Animal Husbandry. He designs an improved chicken incubator. He meets his future wife, Kim, in a train ride back to Cape Flattery, but due to work issues, the two relocate to New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
- Kimberly "Kim" Kettle (néeNEENEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Parker) is the wife of Tom Kettle and is portrayed by Meg RandallMeg RandallMeg Randall was a film actress. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Randall signed a movie contract with Universal Pictures in 1949 and, that same year, appeared in the film noir classic Criss Cross and played Babs Riley in the comedy film The Life of Riley. Randall was credited as Gene...
in three films. She was the reporter for a popular Seattle magazine and came to Cape Flattery to write a series of articles on the Kettles and their new model home. Kim is very fond of the Kettles.
- Birdie Hicks is the Kettles' aging arch-nemesis and is portrayed by Esther DaleEsther DaleEsther Dale was an American actress, best known perhaps for her role as Aunt Genevieve in the 1935 Shirley Temple vehicle, Curly Top....
in four films. Birdie usually rides around in either her Model T car or her horse-drawn buggy with her elderly mother, lamenting Pa's laziness and the family's lack of organization. Apparently her mother, Mrs. Hicks or Mother Hicks sympathizes with the Kettles.
- Billy Reed is the town's efficacious salesman portrayed by Billy HouseBilly HouseBilly House was an US vaudevillian, Broadway performer and feature film actor. After devoting most of his career to live performance, he moved to Hollywood where he became a supporting actor during the 1940s and 1950s...
in the first film (1947), and then by Emory ParnellEmory ParnellEmory Parnell was an American vaudevillian and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36 year career...
in four films (1949–1954). Billy has a store in downtown Cape Flattery where his motto is written: "If there's anything you need, just come in and see Billy Reed." He often stops at the Kettle place to sell or to pay a visit to them.
- Rosie Kettle is the Kettles' second-eldest daughter portrayed by Lori NelsonLori NelsonLori Nelson is an American actress born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on August 15, 1933. She began as a performer, dancing at the young age of 4, as well as winning a Little Miss America title. Many of her early auditions were unsuccessful. However, in 1952, she made it into her first role as Marjie...
in two films. She desires to go to Sheraton College, but is unable to do so because of the family's economic stability. It is later learned that she works in Seattle. Rosie travels to WaikikiWaikikiWaikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
with Ma and Pa to help with cousin Rodney's pineapple enterprise.
- Jonathan and Elizabeth Parker are Kim Kettle's parents portrayed by Ray CollinsRay CollinsRay Collins may refer to:*Ray Collins , American actor*Ray Collins , pitcher in Major League Baseball*Ray Collins , American football defensive tackle*Ray Collins , cartoonist...
and Barbara BrownBarbara BrownBarbara Brown may refer to:* Barbara Brown , researcher and popularizer of biofeedback and neurofeedback* Barbara Brown * Barbara Brown, lead singer of vocal group Barbara and the Browns...
in two films. They travel from BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to see Tom's and Kim's newborn baby in the fourth film. Elizabeth doesn't get along with the Kettles at first, but over time realizes her mistake; Jonathan enjoys being with them from the start. The Parkers invite Ma and Pa to a trip to ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in the sixth film.
- Geoduck and Crowbar (Oliver Blake and Teddy Hart, respectively) are Pa's Native American friends and usually act as his handymen, doing various tasks around the house under Pa's "supervision." Geoduck is the chief of their tribe.
Animals on the Kettles' farm
Bossie: Bossie is the Kettles' red and white milk cow, who provides Ma, Pa, and their family of fifteen children with plenty of milk. Most of the time, it is the older Kettle boys or even Pa's Indian friends, Geoduck and Crowbar who milk her. In "Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town", Pa is seen milking Bossie while listening to the music playing on the radio.The Chickens: The Kettles keep a flock of nearly a hundred chickens on their broken-down farm, who provide them with hundreds of eggs each day. Sometimes, one or two of the hens would cause mischief towards the Kettles or other characters in the movies. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", Ma Kettle's prized speckled hen is seen a few times laying eggs on Mannering's head or in his bowler hat.
Pa Kettle's team: Pa Kettle's team is an old draft horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
named Emma and a white donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
wearing a straw hat, who pull Pa's wagon around the county. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At The Fair", Pa bought Emma to win a horse race at the county fair.
Nick: Nick is the Kettles' prized black bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
. He spends most of his time living on the Kettles' farm, which is his main home, but in "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", he sneaks out of the farm and lumbers towards the Maddocks' farm to visit one of John Maddocks' prize cows Bessie. He is often seen wearing a derby hat on his head, similar to the same type of hat that Pa Kettle wears.
The Goats: A herd of four white Saanen goats that live on the Kettles' farm. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", they used to belong to John Maddocks, but he sold them to Pa Kettle for $100. The goats spend most of their time grazing around the farm, but the largest of them, a large buck with massive curved horns, often causes everyone trouble. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", he butts Ma, then Mannering, and lastly Pa after they turn their backs to him. In "Ma and Pa Kettle Back On The Farm", he starts chewing on several sticks of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
that Pa bought to make a new well for Ma, but Pa keeps snatching them from him.
Agnes: Agnes is the Kettles' family Bluetick Coonhound
Bluetick Coonhound
The Bluetick Coonhound is a breed of dog. It is a type of coonhound and typically bred in the southern United States.- Appearance :The overall body style of the Bluetick Coonhound is muscular and speedy, not chunky or clumsily built. The head is carried well up and the tail carried over the back,...
, who also lives on the farm. She is often seen wearing a sweater that Ma Kettle made for her. In "Ma and Pa Kettle At Home", she produced a litter of puppies for the Kettles and their friends at their Christmas Eve party.
Films
Ma and Pa Kettle first appeared in supporting roles as neighbors in The Egg and I, starring Fred MacMurrayFred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
and Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
as a refined city couple who move to a rural chicken farm. Marjorie Main, a veteran character actress, played a hardy country woman in dozens of films, and so was a natural for the role of Ma Kettle. Main was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. After the success of The Egg and I, she and Percy Kilbride starred in their own series of Ma and Pa Kettle movies, which became box-office bonanzas for Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
, having earned an estimated $35 million for the entire series.
Arthur Hunnicutt
Arthur Lee Hunnicutt was an American actor known for his portrayal of wise, grizzled, old rural characters...
played Pa's brother Sedgewick Kettle in that movie and in The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm, the last Kettle movie, Parker Fennelly
Parker Fennelly
Parker Fennelly was an American actor who appeared in ten films, numerous television episodes and hundreds of radio programs.-Allen's Alley:...
played Pa Kettle.
The ten Kettle films are:
- The Egg and IThe Egg and I (film)The Egg and I is a 1947 film directed by Chester Erskine, who co-wrote screenplay with Fred F. Finklehoffe, based on the book by Betty MacDonald.This comedy was such a hit with audiences, it spawned the Ma and Pa Kettle film series...
- 1947 - Ma and Pa KettleMa and Pa Kettle (film)Ma and Pa Kettle is a 1949 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont, and is the sequel of The Egg and I, centering on the supporting characters in The Egg and I, Ma and Pa Kettle.-Plot:...
- 1949 - Ma and Pa Kettle Go to TownMa and Pa Kettle Go to TownMa and Pa Kettle Go to Town is a 1950 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont, it is the third of the ten films and revolves around Ma and Pa Kettle's trip to New York City.-Plot:After winning the house-of-the-future Ma and Pa are content...
- 1950 - Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the FarmMa and Pa Kettle Back on the FarmMa and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm is a 1951 comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick, the fourth of the ten films where Ma and Pa Kettle are surprised with their first grandson and their son's in-laws.-Synopsis:...
- 1951 - Ma and Pa Kettle at the FairMa and Pa Kettle at the FairMa and Pa Kettle at the Fair is a 1952 comedy film directed by Charles Barton.The Cape Flattery County Fairis coming up, and Ma and Pa Kettle are ready to compete with Birdie Hicks on the contests.-Synopsis:...
- 1952 - Ma and Pa Kettle on VacationMa and Pa Kettle on VacationMa and Pa Kettle on Vacation is a 1953 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont. Ma and Pa Kettle reunite with their in-law counterparts, Jonathan and Elizabeth Parker, in a trip to Paris - in the sixth of the series.-Plot:...
- 1953 - Ma and Pa Kettle at HomeMa and Pa Kettle at HomeMa and Pa Kettle at Home is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride as "Ma and Pa Kettle".-Synopsis:...
- 1954 - Ma and Pa Kettle at WaikikiMa and Pa Kettle at WaikikiMa and Pa Kettle at Waikiki is a 1955 American comedy film directed by Lee Sholem.-Synopsis:The Kettles help out cousin Rodney Kettle in Hawaii with his Pineapple industry. Ma and Pa get acquainted with blue-blooded Mrs...
- 1955 - The Kettles in the OzarksThe Kettles in the OzarksThe Kettles in the Ozarks is a 1956 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Marjorie Main as Ma Kettle and Arthur Hunnicutt as Pa Kettle's replacement, Sedgewick Kettle.-Synopsis:...
- 1956 - The Kettles on Old MacDonald's FarmThe Kettles on Old MacDonald's FarmThe Kettles in Old MacDonald's Farm is a 1957 American comedy film directed Virgil Vogel and starring Marjorie Main as Ma Kettle and Parker Fennelly as Pa.-Cast:*Marjorie Main as Ma Kettle*Parker Fennelly as Pa Kettle*Gloria Talbott as Sally Flemming...
- 1957
Later revivals
Betty MacDonald's characters Ma and Pa Kettle also appeared in television's first comedy serial, The Egg and IThe Egg and I
The Egg and I, first published in 1945, is a humorous memoir by American author Betty MacDonald about her adventures and travels as a young wife on a chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state...
, which aired on CBS (September 3, 1951-August 1, 1952). Each episode was only 15 minutes long. Ma Kettle was played by Doris Rich and Pa Kettle was played by Frank Twedell. Betty Lynn
Betty Lynn
Betty Lynn is an American actress. She is best known for playing Thelma Lou in The Andy Griffith Show.-Career:...
(better known as Barney Fife
Barney Fife
Bernard "Barney" Fife is a fictional character in the American television program The Andy Griffith Show, portrayed by comic actor Don Knotts. Barney Fife is a deputy sheriff in the slow paced, sleepy southern community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
's girlfriend Thelma Lou from The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
) played Betty MacDonald in some episodes, including "Pa Turns Over A New Leaf" (which aired on May 21, 1952).
The 1980 satire film Loose Shoes
Loose Shoes
Loose Shoes is a 1980 comedy film directed by Ira Miller and featuring Bill Murray. The film is presented as a series of movie trailers with titles such as The Howard Huge Story, Skate-boarders from Hell and The Invasion of the Penis Snatchers...
(which also starred Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
) included a sketch called "A Visit With Ma and Pa" where Ma Kettle was played by Ysabel MacCloskey and Pa Kettle was played by Walker Edmiston
Walker Edmiston
-Career:Walker Edmiston was an American character actor and voice-over artist who was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Edmiston appeared on various television programs in character roles during the 1950s – 1970s, such as Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Knots Landing, and The Dukes of Hazzard, all...
.
Animator Walter Lantz
Walter Lantz
Walter Benjamin Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, film producer, and director, best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.-Early years and start in animation:...
produced a short-lived cartoon series for Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
called "Maw and Paw
Maw & Paw
Maw and Paw are Walter Lantz characters, who made their first appearance in the cartoon "Maw and Paw", in 1953. Their final appearance was in 1968, in "Feudin Fightin-N-Fussin"...
," though only four cartoons were released between 1953 and 1955. The characters Maw and Paw (voiced by Grace Stafford
Grace Stafford
Gracie Lantz , also known by her stage name Grace Stafford, was an American actress and the wife of animation producer Walter Lantz. Stafford is best known for providing the voice of Woody Woodpecker from 1950 until 1972.-Career:Grace appeared in feature live action films from 1935, Dr...
and Dal McKennon) were based on the characters of Ma and Pa Kettle. The spellings of Maw and Paw Kettle appeared in the 1945 book The Egg and I.
In The Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
episode "Family Portrait", a magazine writer makes a reference to the Kettles when he sees the Munster home, he says: "Let's see if Ma and Pa Kettle are home," implying that the Munsters' home resembled the Kettle farmhouse.
DVD releases
The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle Volume 1as the first part of Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
's Franchise Collection series.
- The Egg and I
- Ma and Pa Kettle
- Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
- Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm.
The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle Volume 2
as the second part of Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
's Franchise Collection series.
- Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair
- Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation
- Ma and Pa Kettle at Home
- Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
The Further Adventures of the Kettles
as a TCM
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
Vault Collection presented by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
- The Kettles in the Ozarks
- The Kettles in Old MacDonald's Farm
The Ma and Pa Kettle Complete Comedy Collection
as a TCM
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
Vault Collection presented by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
- The Egg and I
- Ma and Pa Kettle
- Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
- Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm
- Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair
- Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation
- Ma and Pa Kettle at Home
- Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
- The Kettles in the Ozarks
- The Kettles in Old MacDonald's Farm