The Kettle films alternated between two main plots – the Kettles at home or the Kettles on a trip. This one sees them back at home and introduces a third heart-throb Kettle child – Elwin (Brett Halsey), a senior in high school. The plot has him in competition with a neighbour school girl over best farm – first prize is a college scholarship. That’s not a bad little plot, if contrived – I wondered when they were going to get around to a Hatfield and McCoy type story, and actually this could have been developed a little more.
But to compensate, Percy Kilbridge as Pa is in very strong form. It really gives him a chance to shine, watching lazy, shiftless Pa try to con and bludge his way into having a good farm. It’s also great to see the whole family back in their ramshackle house again – they belong there a lot more naturally than in their new-fangled home. (It’s a shame they couldn’t have moved back in long before, but I guess they felt they couldn’t after all the points they made about hygiene in Ma and Pa Kettle.)
There are two visiting journalists, a snobby guy and a younger journo who perhaps is supposed to be a leading man, but he looks kind of goofy. There’s a surprisingly schmaltzy Christmas finale – they real pour it on with fellowship, good cheer and hugs, a real throwback to The Egg and I.
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