Although THE EGG AND I, which came before, introduced Ma and Pa Kettle (Marjorie Main/Percy Kilbride) to film audiences, this is the second of their series as principals. While residing in the modern home that the pair had won in their first solo adventure, Pa wins a trip for both to New York City, with their apparent only problem the locating of a babysitter for the 15 Kettle children, solved when Shotgun Mike Munger (Charles McGraw), a bank robber in search of a hideout is willing to take on this formidable assignment. The Kettles agree to deliver an empty bag belonging to Munger to his "brother" Louie (Gregg Martell) in Gotham, not realizing it contains $100,000 in stolen cash and the fun begins with gangsters tailing Pa and the police keeping a watch on the thugs, all while Shotgun Mike discovers the tribulations of dealing with a surfeit of wild Kettle offspring on the homestead. Veteran Charles Lamont, who wears the director's hat for most of the Kettle titles, is also at the helm of other series efforts for Universal, including several Abbott and Costello larks, and shows a sure hand at briskly moving this type of material. The reactions of the pair to big city life, widely different from their Pacific Northwest roots, forms the core of the comic scenes which comprise the bulk of this feature. Despite the defined character of the scenario, a string of episodic set pieces is primary, some of which are wonderfully funny, while nearly all work well in vaudeville fashion, especially for Kilbride and Main, with their portrayals and timing often borrowing from Laurel and Hardy. Sight gags are in generous supply, frequently presented apace so that the viewer must be alert for them amid the general hilarity. Richard Long acts as Tom Kettle, eldest of the brood, and he and his fiancee Kim (Meg Randall), both regulars of the series, are of particular assistance to their elders in this affair. The cast is well stocked with excellent character performers, notable among them being Martell as the leader of Munger's henchmen, along with Jim Backus as another bandit, and also present are Ray Collins, Bert Freed, Ellen Corby, Emory Parnell and Olan Soule. Special photography by David Horsley adds impact to a comedy that is completely light-hearted, one of the best of the Kettle series.
10 Reviews
Best seen after viewing the previous movies.
stevehaynie10 April 2006
Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town seamlessly picks up where The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle leaves off. This is good and bad.
For someone familiar with the first two movie appearances of the Kettles the continuity is perfect. There are just enough recycled gags to reestablish the unique house the Kettles won in the prior film, but the majority of laughs come from the new situation of Ma and Pa unknowingly smuggling $100,000 in stolen money to New York. There is more development in the subplot of Tom Kettle and his efforts to develop a new incubator for chicken farmers, but it really takes a back burner in this movie.
I expected Jim Backus to be more comedic, but he played one of the crooks fairly straight. The situation was meant to be more funny than the actors.
There is still a fresh feeling to the Ma and Pa Kettle series in Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town. Had I not seen the previous movie I may not have been able to understand why Ma and Pa Kettle lived in their futuristic house or why the kids were such devils. Go To Town was obviously meant for the audiences that had seen Further Adventures. As much as I liked this movie I would not suggest it as the first movie to see in the Ma and Pa Kettle series.
For someone familiar with the first two movie appearances of the Kettles the continuity is perfect. There are just enough recycled gags to reestablish the unique house the Kettles won in the prior film, but the majority of laughs come from the new situation of Ma and Pa unknowingly smuggling $100,000 in stolen money to New York. There is more development in the subplot of Tom Kettle and his efforts to develop a new incubator for chicken farmers, but it really takes a back burner in this movie.
I expected Jim Backus to be more comedic, but he played one of the crooks fairly straight. The situation was meant to be more funny than the actors.
There is still a fresh feeling to the Ma and Pa Kettle series in Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town. Had I not seen the previous movie I may not have been able to understand why Ma and Pa Kettle lived in their futuristic house or why the kids were such devils. Go To Town was obviously meant for the audiences that had seen Further Adventures. As much as I liked this movie I would not suggest it as the first movie to see in the Ma and Pa Kettle series.
I Like It, I Really Like It
JasonLeeSmith13 June 2008
I purchased the DVD which contained "Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town" on deep discount. I have very fond memories of seeing the "Ma and Pa Kettle" movies on Television when I was a child. Of course, the things which make a seven year old laugh and the things which make a 37 year old laugh are often very different. When I watched this movie, though, I was surprised to see that I still found it quite enjoyable. In particular, I was quite impressed at Percy Kilbride's comic skills as Pa Kettle. He had a wonderful deadpan delivery. Marjorie Main gives the same robust performance which she brought to almost all her roles as a character actress, and, as always, it is fun.
In general, don't look at this film for great plot, or production values, but its got wonderful comic acting, and some genuine laughs.
In general, don't look at this film for great plot, or production values, but its got wonderful comic acting, and some genuine laughs.
Chapter two for ma & pa kettle
ksf-230 July 2009
Also released on April Fools Day, this next Ma & Pa Kettle flick has most of the same cast as the first. At the very end of first one, Pa had won a trip to the big city as part of a contest, and that's where this one picks up. It opens with Ma making breakfast, and there's a great joke with popcorn and pancakes... another funny is the Native American's plan to buy back Manhattan.... keep an eye out for Jim Backus as a thug in a smallish part, YEARS before he was Thurston Howell III, and Richard Long (Nanny & the Professor, died quite young). Dan Yowlachie, plays the neighbor "Crowbar" in this one as well; he was a Yakima Native American who was probably glad to do something other than Westerns, and was also an opera singer. In this picture, we flash back and forth between the Kettles chasing after those disappearing bags in NYC, then back to the crook babysitting the children back at the house. The plot is a little more complicated and disjointed than the first Kettle movie, but it all works out in the clothes-wringer! Good, clean cut fun with jokes and gags thrown into the cops and robbers story.
And the Waldorf will never forget them....
mark.waltz26 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Winning an advertising contest for a product he abhors, Pa (Percy Kilbride) takes Ma (Marjorie Main) to Manhattan and leaves a bank robber to babysit the kids. Don't worry about the kids; Feel sorry for the bank robber! Giving Ma and Pa a bag full of money he claims is empty, the robber has his men meet Ma and Pa at their Waldorf Astoria hotel, but every time Pa turns around, the bag he keeps replacing either gets stolen or disappears. The gang follows the Kettles all over Manhattan to get ahold of the bag of loot, but what they end up with is a bag of trouble.
Basically three episodes of a TV sitcom rolled into one (a la "I Love Lucy Goes to Hollywood"), this is one of the series funnier entries, with Main unknowingly inventing Kettle Corn Cakes and Pa milking a cow to the Blue Danube. He discovers how long it takes for water dropped off the top of the Rock to land, goes to jail for feeding a monkey in the Central Park Zoo and thrills taking Ma on a romantic buggy ride in Central Park.
She, on the other hand, gets a make-over that makes her the toast of the precinct, and later helps Pa lead a group of high society types into a square dance to foil the villains. That group includes a very serious Jim Backus. While the Kettles don't run into Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and a group of sailors while on the town, they certainly will return home singing "New York New York, A Wonderful Town", whether they ended uptown in the Bronx or downtown in the Battery.
Basically three episodes of a TV sitcom rolled into one (a la "I Love Lucy Goes to Hollywood"), this is one of the series funnier entries, with Main unknowingly inventing Kettle Corn Cakes and Pa milking a cow to the Blue Danube. He discovers how long it takes for water dropped off the top of the Rock to land, goes to jail for feeding a monkey in the Central Park Zoo and thrills taking Ma on a romantic buggy ride in Central Park.
She, on the other hand, gets a make-over that makes her the toast of the precinct, and later helps Pa lead a group of high society types into a square dance to foil the villains. That group includes a very serious Jim Backus. While the Kettles don't run into Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and a group of sailors while on the town, they certainly will return home singing "New York New York, A Wonderful Town", whether they ended uptown in the Bronx or downtown in the Battery.
"Everywhere you look there's more tall buildings!"
classicsoncall5 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Fresh off Pa Kettle's first winning jingle contest in "Ma and Pa Kettle", Pa (Percy Kilbride) is back at it with another prize entry for Bubble-Ola soft drink in this follow up feature which sees them off to the big city - New York that is, clear cross country from their home in Cape Flattery, Washington. It probably wouldn't have been too much of a stretch to combine this picture with the last one because the continuity is almost seamless. We get a few more gags at the expense of bank robber Shotgun Mike Munger (Charles McGraw) who has just as much trouble dealing with all the new fangled features of the Kettle's new home as they did when they first moved in.
Just prior to boarding the train heading East, Pa's Indian friends Crowbar (Chief Yowlachie) and Geoduck (Lester Allen) present him with a chest full of costume jewelry to buy back Manhattan for their tribe. If made today, this bit would have gone over about as well as the name Washington Redskins, which is a shame because all the political correctness stuff is being taken way too seriously by popular culture.
I got a kick out of the spilled water gag from the top of the Empire State Building. What could have made it just a bit better would have been for Pa to catch it back in his cup when he got out to the sidewalk. I wonder why the film makers didn't think of that.
The running bit with the bank robbers and the repeatedly stolen bags was a little over done for this viewer, but it did set up Pa for that nifty square dance number that snagged the bad guys to wrap up the story. Ma Kettle (Marjorie Main) came out of the trip with a nifty do-over at the Lucien et Louise de Paris Salon which surprised even Pa, but in the end, the story proves that you could take the Kettles out of the country, but you couldn't take the country out of the Kettles.
Just prior to boarding the train heading East, Pa's Indian friends Crowbar (Chief Yowlachie) and Geoduck (Lester Allen) present him with a chest full of costume jewelry to buy back Manhattan for their tribe. If made today, this bit would have gone over about as well as the name Washington Redskins, which is a shame because all the political correctness stuff is being taken way too seriously by popular culture.
I got a kick out of the spilled water gag from the top of the Empire State Building. What could have made it just a bit better would have been for Pa to catch it back in his cup when he got out to the sidewalk. I wonder why the film makers didn't think of that.
The running bit with the bank robbers and the repeatedly stolen bags was a little over done for this viewer, but it did set up Pa for that nifty square dance number that snagged the bad guys to wrap up the story. Ma Kettle (Marjorie Main) came out of the trip with a nifty do-over at the Lucien et Louise de Paris Salon which surprised even Pa, but in the end, the story proves that you could take the Kettles out of the country, but you couldn't take the country out of the Kettles.
Ma and Pa Kettle in New York City
wes-connors5 July 2010
Happily ensconced in their luxurious push-button home of the future, Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride (as Ma and Pa Kettle) receive further good fortune. Mr. Kilbride has won an all-expenses paid trip to New York City, courtesy of the "Bubble-Ola" soda pop company. Hoping to turn the trip into a "second honeymoon," the Kettles leave their fourteen youngest "childrun" in the care of crooked Charles McGraw (as Mike "Shotgun" Munger), mistaking him for a kindly stranger.
The Kettles promise to deliver Mr. McGraw's black bag to his Gotham City brother, unaware it contains $100,000 in stolen cash. In the big city, Pa lose the bag, but find eldest son Richard Long (as Tom) trying to finance his incubator.
"Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town" is not only one of the best of the series, but also a funny film on its own. Making pancake popcorn, and eagerly accepting her invitation to the "Beauty Saloon," Ms. Main is in her element. Milking the cow to music, and testing the height of an Empire State Building, Mr. Kilbride shows perfect timing. Credit must be shared with Martin Ragaway and Leonard Stern, who contribute a consistently funny and finely fashioned script.
******** Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (4/1/50) Charles Lamont ~ Marjorie Main, Percy Kilbride, Charles McGraw, Richard Long
The Kettles promise to deliver Mr. McGraw's black bag to his Gotham City brother, unaware it contains $100,000 in stolen cash. In the big city, Pa lose the bag, but find eldest son Richard Long (as Tom) trying to finance his incubator.
"Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town" is not only one of the best of the series, but also a funny film on its own. Making pancake popcorn, and eagerly accepting her invitation to the "Beauty Saloon," Ms. Main is in her element. Milking the cow to music, and testing the height of an Empire State Building, Mr. Kilbride shows perfect timing. Credit must be shared with Martin Ragaway and Leonard Stern, who contribute a consistently funny and finely fashioned script.
******** Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (4/1/50) Charles Lamont ~ Marjorie Main, Percy Kilbride, Charles McGraw, Richard Long
A curious addition to the DVD for "The Egg & I" and a genuinely odd film.
planktonrules19 September 2010
The first film in which the Ma & Pa Kettle characters appeared was the Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray film "The Egg & I". The popularity of these characters in the film led to Percy Kilbride and Marjorie Main repeating them in a series of amiable films. Oddly, however, the DVD for "The Egg & I" is accompanied by "Ma & Pa Kettle Go To Town" on the same side of the DVD--yet this other film is the third from the series, not the second! Because of this, you suddenly find the Kettles living in an ultra-modern suburban home instead of their dilapidated farm--and you only understand why as the story is explained through some exposition by the two leading characters! Why they decided not to put the second film ("Ma & Pa Kettle") following the first film is beyond me--especially since the third film picks up at the end of the second sequentially. And, by the way, on this double-sided disk, the ones on the other side are also NOT the second film!
The Kettles have won a trip to New York. It seems that Pa has once again entered a contest and this time his essay about Bubble-ola(a fictional soft drink) has been picked. However, how can Ma and
Pa go when they have a bazillion kids that need to someone to watch them--and the kids are wild! Now here is where the plot gets really contrived--a criminal (Charles McGraw) meets the Kettles and soon agrees to stay and care for the brood. Considering he's a swarthy looking mug, their believing he's a poet is ridiculous--as is Pa's agreeing to take a black bag with him to New York to give to the stranger's 'brother'.
Once in the city, the black bag is naturally lost and the criminals are quite worried. The Kettles have no idea that it isn't just some empty bag and just buy a new one--and plan on giving it to the supposed brother. However, every time they buy a bag, one of the crooks steals it--and so the Kettles keep buying more.
This is film reasonably funny but also a bit ridiculous. In fact, this and McGraw watching the kids all seem very hard to believe--like the writers were running low on ideas--and this is only the third film in the series! Because of the bizarre plot, the film just seems forced and the charm of some of their other films seems lacking here. The acting isn't bad--the the plot is just odd to say the least! And, the square dance ending is the epitome of weird! Overall, it's watchable but a disappointment.
The Kettles have won a trip to New York. It seems that Pa has once again entered a contest and this time his essay about Bubble-ola(a fictional soft drink) has been picked. However, how can Ma and
Pa go when they have a bazillion kids that need to someone to watch them--and the kids are wild! Now here is where the plot gets really contrived--a criminal (Charles McGraw) meets the Kettles and soon agrees to stay and care for the brood. Considering he's a swarthy looking mug, their believing he's a poet is ridiculous--as is Pa's agreeing to take a black bag with him to New York to give to the stranger's 'brother'.
Once in the city, the black bag is naturally lost and the criminals are quite worried. The Kettles have no idea that it isn't just some empty bag and just buy a new one--and plan on giving it to the supposed brother. However, every time they buy a bag, one of the crooks steals it--and so the Kettles keep buying more.
This is film reasonably funny but also a bit ridiculous. In fact, this and McGraw watching the kids all seem very hard to believe--like the writers were running low on ideas--and this is only the third film in the series! Because of the bizarre plot, the film just seems forced and the charm of some of their other films seems lacking here. The acting isn't bad--the the plot is just odd to say the least! And, the square dance ending is the epitome of weird! Overall, it's watchable but a disappointment.
I thought you might be a traveling salesman. A lot of them visit farms, you know.
Sylviastel20 July 2019
Ma and Pa Kettle take New York City by storm when they visit their son and daughter-in-law and get mixed up. Ma and Pa Kettle were a popular film series. Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride are ideal as Ma and Pa Kettle. They have fun in the big city from the their small Washington State farm. It's a family, fun and light-hearted film.
The Kettles are really rubes here
bkoganbing13 April 2014
I'm in agreement with the other reviewer who said it's best seeing this film after seeing the previous Ma and Pa Kettle films. The one immediately before has Percy Kilbride winning another jingle contest, this time a trip to New York is the prize.
But only for the adult Kettles, not for the 14 kids still at home. But that problem is solved when they leave the kids in charge of fleeing bank robber Charles McGraw who says he's a poet to Kilbride. I would have thought Marjorie Main had better sense. All they have to do is deliver a black bag from McGraw to one of his friends in New York. A bag that contains the stolen loot from his last job.
I found it hard to believe these people could be such rubes. When rural folks complain about their treatment on the big screen, it's films like Ma And Pa Kettle Go To Town they have in mind. Even Marjorie Main comes off stupid here. One wonders where their adult son Richard Long came from. Either it was the milkman or somebody was left on the Kettle door step.
It's all a comedy of errors about the black bag and of course all ends well. But the writers went overboard making the Kettles out to be so dumb.
But only for the adult Kettles, not for the 14 kids still at home. But that problem is solved when they leave the kids in charge of fleeing bank robber Charles McGraw who says he's a poet to Kilbride. I would have thought Marjorie Main had better sense. All they have to do is deliver a black bag from McGraw to one of his friends in New York. A bag that contains the stolen loot from his last job.
I found it hard to believe these people could be such rubes. When rural folks complain about their treatment on the big screen, it's films like Ma And Pa Kettle Go To Town they have in mind. Even Marjorie Main comes off stupid here. One wonders where their adult son Richard Long came from. Either it was the milkman or somebody was left on the Kettle door step.
It's all a comedy of errors about the black bag and of course all ends well. But the writers went overboard making the Kettles out to be so dumb.
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