Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair (1952)

Ma and Pa are trying to raise enough money at the county fair to send their daughter Rosie to college. Ma competes in baking and Pa enters a trotter in a horse race, while Rosie takes up with handsome young Marvin Johnson.

Director:

Charles Barton

Writers:

John Grant, Jack Henley (story),

Stars:

Marjorie Main, Percy Kilbride, James Best

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marjorie Main	...	Phoebe 'Ma' Kettle
Percy Kilbride	...	Frank 'Pa' Kettle
James Best	...	Marvin Johnson
Lori Nelson	...	Rosie Kettle
Esther Dale	...	Birdie Hicks
Emory Parnell	...	Billy Reed
Oliver Blake	...	Geoduck
Russell Simpson	...	Clem Johnson
Rex Lease	...	Sheriff

Storyline

Ma and Pa are trying to raise enough money at the county fair to send their daughter Rosie to college. Ma competes in baking and Pa enters a trotter in a horse race, while Rosie takes up with handsome young Marvin Johnson.

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Plot Keywords:

horse race | county fair | church | rope | mother daughter relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ma and Pa Kettle at the County Fair

Filming Locations:

Courthouse Square, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An animated trailer was created for this film by Walter Lantz.

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Quotes

Ma Kettle: Graduate high school one week, go to work the next. Ain't you ever gonna take a vacation?
Rosie Kettle: Ma, what did I tell you about "ain't"? Now listen, I *am not* taking a vacation, you *are not* taking a vacation, we *are not* taking a vacation, get it?
Ma Kettle: Yep, ain't nobody taking a vacation.

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Connections

Followed by Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation (1953)

User Reviews

good, lightweight entertainment

I watched "Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair" again yesterday, as I do every year at fair time. Do not expect a profound masterpiece here; the humor is corny and some of the jokes are telegraphed, but you will laugh your head off anyway. Pa thinks up several ways to earn money to help his daughter, Rosie, with her college expenses. Probably the funniest is when he gets the bright idea to apply for unemployment. Rosie reminds her pa that one has to have worked before one can get unemployment. Apparently the only work Pa has ever done is to sire his brood of 14 children ha. The broken-down old mare that Pa has been tricked into "purchasing" has a secret that turns her into a real terror, and here we find one of those "telegraphed" jokes. "Emma" runs away with Ma at the reins, and they charge across a plowed field straight toward a scarecrow. You will just know what is going to happen, but I just about collapse in gales of laughter when it does--twice! The writers of this series used similar situations more than once, such as in one where the farm animals get into the moonshine, and, in this case, when a couple of crows pick at Ma's cement-baked loaves of bread and the obvious happens here, too! "Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair" is a worthy member in the series, so just settle back and enjoy the yuks!