Ma and Pa Kettle at Home

After seeing the Kettles traveling to big cities and living in their ultra-modern house, it was a nice to see them in their natural setting. Although they never totally abandoned their old farm, the family lived in the new house. This time all the kids and pets are back in the old farmhouse again.

Oldest son Elwin has written an essay about how wonderful the Kettle farm is. The essay is entered in a contest that potentially sets him up for a college scholarship, but there is a catch. The contest judges must see the farm. Not to worry, Pa takes care of fixing up the old farm-- with Crowbar and Geoduck's help. Using cardboard and borrowed equipment and livestock, Pa and the Indians make the old farm look almost believable. One sympathetic judge is smart enough to know what is going on while the other is so out of place on a farm that Pa's ruse is almost a success. In the opening scene a calendar shows the date as December 1, and the movie ends up as a wonderful Christmas story with a message.

A stunt double fills in for Marjorie Main as Ma goes through pratfalls more than once. There is a little bit of joke recycling. As with the other movies, almost all the kids are young except for the one that is about to go to college. Elwin appears in enough scenes, but he is hardly the center of attention.