When Universal released THE EGG AND I in 1947, based on Betty MacDonald's bestselling memoir, it had a huge hit on its hands. In addition to becoming one of the year's highest grossing films, two supporting characters developed a cult following. These characters, Ma and Pa Kettle (played by Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride) were quickly groomed for a series of follow-up adventures, sans the original stars of the first picture (Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray). Helping Universal execs cinch the decision to spinoff the Kettles was the fact that Miss Main had earned an Oscar nomination.
It would take two years for the studio to premiere the first follow-up film. Part of the reason for the delay was the fact that MacDonald and the studio were hauled into court by her former neighbors who claimed they were the basis for the Kettles. During the ensuring litigation, the neighbors sought damages, feeling their reputation had been damaged by such disparaging portrayals of 'themselves.'
The studio, for its part, settled the case out of court; and in 1949, was able to release MA AND PA KETTLE. Like its predecessor, the film was a rip-roaring success; and more than a half dozen sequels in the series would be released between 1949 and 1956. Percy Kilbride left the series near the end and does not appear in the last two outings.
Main and Kilbride worked well together, and they were able to help make the Ma & Pa Kettle characters highly popular with audiences. Due to the Kettles' success at the box office, Ma and Pa became the ultimate in rural archetypes. These characterizations would pave the way for television sitcoms that sought to emulate this winning formula...most notable among these, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction which raised the hillbilly brand of comedy to an art form.
In the process, rural people were increasingly depicted as backwards and dimwitted. Their foibles were exploited for laughs-- reinforcing stereotypes that over time seemed to become acceptable. Miss MacDonald, the Washington-based author who created these characters, may have done more harm than good. On more than one occasion in her book, she made them the butt of the joke, pointing out their sloppiness and laziness.
Yes, it's comedy and yes, political correctness as we know it today did not exist in the 1940s and 1950s. But MacDonald could have written these characters more sensibly. And Universal International could have had its screenwriters show the Kettles with a bit more dignity.
It would take two years for the studio to premiere the first follow-up film. Part of the reason for the delay was the fact that MacDonald and the studio were hauled into court by her former neighbors who claimed they were the basis for the Kettles. During the ensuring litigation, the neighbors sought damages, feeling their reputation had been damaged by such disparaging portrayals of 'themselves.'
The studio, for its part, settled the case out of court; and in 1949, was able to release MA AND PA KETTLE. Like its predecessor, the film was a rip-roaring success; and more than a half dozen sequels in the series would be released between 1949 and 1956. Percy Kilbride left the series near the end and does not appear in the last two outings.
Main and Kilbride worked well together, and they were able to help make the Ma & Pa Kettle characters highly popular with audiences. Due to the Kettles' success at the box office, Ma and Pa became the ultimate in rural archetypes. These characterizations would pave the way for television sitcoms that sought to emulate this winning formula...most notable among these, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction which raised the hillbilly brand of comedy to an art form.
In the process, rural people were increasingly depicted as backwards and dimwitted. Their foibles were exploited for laughs-- reinforcing stereotypes that over time seemed to become acceptable. Miss MacDonald, the Washington-based author who created these characters, may have done more harm than good. On more than one occasion in her book, she made them the butt of the joke, pointing out their sloppiness and laziness.
Yes, it's comedy and yes, political correctness as we know it today did not exist in the 1940s and 1950s. But MacDonald could have written these characters more sensibly. And Universal International could have had its screenwriters show the Kettles with a bit more dignity.