A Hearty Helping of Kettle Corn

Universal's long-running series of movies featuring the Kettle clan represent the epitome of unpretentious, lighthearted comedy. A thorough account of this still-beloved series comes to us in Lon and Debra Davis' Ma and Pa Kettle on Film (BearManor Media). 

This is an attractive volume, running well over 300 pages, with numerous photos and a pleasing layout. Given the subject matter, there's inevitably some overlap between this book and Michelle Vogel's biography of Marjorie Main, published about 15 years ago. But there's certainly a lot of new information here, and on the whole I found it the better-written of the two books. This is the first book I've read by authors Lon and Debra Davis, who have written extensively on motion picture comedy, and it shows them to be knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Some readers may question the need for virtually blow-by-blow synopses of each film, as they might just prefer to watch them. But for anyone who can't get his hands on the movies, or wants to stimulate memories of funny moments via the printed page, the Davises do a good job of recounting the stories. They also provide quite a bit of behind-the-scenes information. I was interested to learn that, while the last two films (minus Percy Kilbride) aren't as well-regarded by fans, even they turned a respectable profit for the studio. The often-difficult life of author Betty MacDonald, who introduced us to the Kettles in her book The Egg and I, makes for fascinating reading as well.

The authors should be commended for taking the trouble to interview several actors who worked in the Kettle films, including Brett Halsey, who contributed the introduction. As I've mentioned before on this blog, the clock is ticking when it comes to capturing firsthand accounts of working in vintage films, and the memories of actors like Richard Eyer should be recorded for posterity.

I enjoyed the brief biographies of key players from the Kettle films, not just those who played recurring roles but "one-timers" as well. I do wish a gimlet-eyed editor had gone over these, as errors creep in occasionally, especially pertaining to television. The Dukes of Hazzard, for example, was not an ABC series (it aired on CBS), and the 1952-55 sitcom I Married Joan is misdated to 1958. But these are minor flaws in a book that, overall, is sure to please devotees of the Kettles and, perhaps, create some new ones.

NOTE: I was furnished a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.