The Egg and I (1947)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Chester Erskine

Writers:

Betty MacDonald (novel)
Chester Erskine (writer) ...

Release Date:

May 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

On their wedding night Bob informs his new bride Betty that he has bought a chicken farm. An abandoned chicken farm...

Plot Keywords:

Chicken | Farm | Rural | Mattress | Poultry

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Claudette Colbert	...	Betty MacDonald
Fred MacMurray	...	Bob MacDonald
Marjorie Main	...	Ma Kettle
Louise Allbritton	...	Harriet Putnam
Percy Kilbride	...	Pa Kettle
Richard Long	...	Tom Kettle
Billy House	...	Billy Reed
Ida Moore	...	Emily (the old lady)
Donald MacBride	...	Mr. Henty
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Sheriff
Esther Dale	...	Birdie Hicks
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Betty's Mother
John Berkes	...	Geoduck
Victor Potel	...	Crowbar (as Vic Potel)
Fuzzy Knight	...	Cab Driver

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #12222, General Audience)

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

This comedy was such a hit with audiences, it spawned the Ma and Pa Kettle film series.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Married with Children: The Egg and I (#6.17)" (1992)

A delightful if not rollicking rural comedy

The book on which this film was based upon was a phenomenal best-seller in the mid-forties: readers loved the earthy tang and hilariously funny situations of Betty Smith's novel of the same name. Although this film version is rather a tame adaptation of the wonderful book, it definitely provides enough warmth, charm & chuckles to please viewers who aren't too discriminating. Claudette Colbert - in her last great film role - plays Betty with her particular warmth & charm: she and Fred MacMurray have an undeniable chemistry. Although they weren't youngsters here, they make you believe them youthful (Claudette was 44 & Fred was 39 here). For reasons which are unclear, Colbert never cared for this film, but the movie-going public just loved it! The film is perhaps most notable in introducing the characters of Ma & Pa Kettle as played by Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride respectively. The public howled at the personalities and antics of this loveable country bumpkins, and they were on the road to a hugely popular series of their own which spanned from 1949-1957. It is really Main's AA-nominated performance of Ma which lingers in the memory: she was born to play the no-nonsense, down-to-earth but loveable Ms Kettle! Note that the Kettle's oldest son, Tom is played by none other than Richard Long, who would star as Jarrod Barkley in the beloved TV western series THE BIG VALLEY eighteen years later. Birdie Hicks is played to hilarious perfection by the acid- tongued Esther Dale.