Movie Review: The Egg and I

The Egg and I

Universal International Pictures, USA, 1947.

The movie is based on humorous memoir by Betty MacDonald.

Betty MacDonald's (Claudette Colbert) husband Bob (Fred MacMurray, who later played the original inventor of Flubber in "The Absent Minded Professor") buys a chicken farm. Of course it needs a bit furnishing first. Or maybe a bit more. The work is hard and the neighbours are eccentric. City girl Betty is clueless about the animals. The pig is stubborn and the chicks are too cute. Luckily scary and ferocious hunting dog Sport is really a coward. 

Betty and Bob

Farm needs some work

Cleopatra the Pig

The neighbouring family Kettle has smart son Tom (Richard Long) who helps them to get the chicken farm running. Ma and Pa Kettle (Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride) are lazy and loan items without ever returning them. They have over dozen kids and they do not remember everyone's name. However the MacDonalds find them nice and friendly.

The chicks

Ma and Pa Kettle

Tom Kettle

Harriet Putnam (Louise Allbritton) from Bella Vista Dairy Farm helps them get an egg contract from Mr. Henty (Donald MacBride). Miss Putham is a bit too friendly, thinks Betty. The farm life is stressful to Betty. There is a joke referencing Claudette Colbert's previous film career: while eating ham made from pig named Cleopatra, Betty remarks that she is not a cannibal (Claudette Colbert played Cleopatra in 1934 film).

Harriet Putnam

Bob being open minded

Pa Kettle's moonshine still causes a fire that threatens to burn their farm down. The friendly community helps them rebuild the farm. Bob is too enthustiastic about the farm and neglects Betty. Betty's nerves are tight and their marriage gets in crisis. How will it end?

A country comedy classic does not follow the original book very faithfully, but adds new characters and omits the fact that in real life Betty and Bob divorced. Also middle-aged Claudette and Fred look old for their roles, in the book they were about twenty. As a stand-alone film it has good old fashioned situation comedy and the Kettle family steals the scenes. The style of the comedy brings in mind the comedies of Lucille Ball, where the heroine gets into awkward situations. The film inspired many rural TV-comedies and it was followed by series of nine films focusing on the adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle.

Part of The 2016 Movie Watching Challenge (#2. Movie that is based on a book)

Rating: Good

Starring: Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray, Marjorie Main, Louise Allbritton, Percy Kilbride, Richard Long, Billy House, Ida Moore, Donald MacBride, Samuel S. Hinds, Esther Dale, Elisabeth Risdon, John Berkes, Victor Potel, Fuzzy Knight, Isabel O'Madigan, Dorothy Vaughan 

Director: Chester Erskine