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THE EGG AND I
For those of you who have spent sleepless nights wondering which came first, the chicken or the egg, you will not find any answers in a delicious 1947 comedy called The Egg and I, but what you will find is a richly entertaining comedy that offers a pair of terrific lead performances, a surprisingly adult screenplay, and a pair of supporting characters who would find their own life after this film.
The story opens on the wedding night of Bob McDonald (Fred MacMurray) who has just returned from the service and announces to his bride, Betty (Claudette Colbert) that he has purchased a chicken farm and that he has planned for them to spend their lives raising chickens and selling eggs, without discussion or consideration of Betty's feelings about the way her husband has mapped out the rest of their lives. The episodic comedy finds the McDonalds restoriing the run down farm, learning the ins and outs of the farming industry, and dealing with neighbors, which include a hillbilly couple with 12 kids and the glamorous owner of a modernized farm who sets her sights on Bob.
Writer/director Chester Erskine's screenplay is based on a novel by the real Betty McDonald, which takes a humorous look at city slickers taking a crack at country living for the first time. The story is rich with slapstick comedy which had me in stitches for the majority of the running time, which made the surprising dark turn the story takes during its final third a little unsettling, but never taking me out of the warm atmosphere the film had already established.
I was especially tickled by Betty's initial reaction to the run down house, superbly played by Colbert with minimal dialogue, including her initial encounter with an antique stove and a "Home Sweet Home" sampler barely dangling from the wall. Colbert proves to be very adept at physical comedy here and even though you wonder why she never expresses her discontent with this new life, you can't help but be touched by her all-consuming loyalty to making her husband happy, which might be hard to accept in 2017, but it didn't make this character any less lovable.
This film is probably most acclaimed for introducing a pair of supporting character named Ma and Pa Kettle, hilariously created by Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride, respectively. Pa likes to borrow things and never return them and Ma can't remember the names of her children, but the couple proved so popular that they were spun off into their own franchise which produced nine more films starring the Kettles. The film also offers a brief glimpse at future television star Richard Long playing the eldest Kettle son, Tom. He would find TV fame a couple of decades later on The Big Valley and Nanny and the Professor.
Claudette Colbert is completely enchanting as Betty and Fred MacMurray's wide-eyed exuberance as Bob is quite endearing. Must also give a shout out to Louise Allbritton as the wealthy farm owner after Bob. Erskine's direction is energetic and Frank Skinner's music score perfectly accentuates the hilarious goings-on. A delightful, if slightly dated comedy that holds up quite well. Fans of the sitcom Green Acres will have a head start here.
For those of you who have spent sleepless nights wondering which came first, the chicken or the egg, you will not find any answers in a delicious 1947 comedy called The Egg and I, but what you will find is a richly entertaining comedy that offers a pair of terrific lead performances, a surprisingly adult screenplay, and a pair of supporting characters who would find their own life after this film.
The story opens on the wedding night of Bob McDonald (Fred MacMurray) who has just returned from the service and announces to his bride, Betty (Claudette Colbert) that he has purchased a chicken farm and that he has planned for them to spend their lives raising chickens and selling eggs, without discussion or consideration of Betty's feelings about the way her husband has mapped out the rest of their lives. The episodic comedy finds the McDonalds restoriing the run down farm, learning the ins and outs of the farming industry, and dealing with neighbors, which include a hillbilly couple with 12 kids and the glamorous owner of a modernized farm who sets her sights on Bob.
Writer/director Chester Erskine's screenplay is based on a novel by the real Betty McDonald, which takes a humorous look at city slickers taking a crack at country living for the first time. The story is rich with slapstick comedy which had me in stitches for the majority of the running time, which made the surprising dark turn the story takes during its final third a little unsettling, but never taking me out of the warm atmosphere the film had already established.
I was especially tickled by Betty's initial reaction to the run down house, superbly played by Colbert with minimal dialogue, including her initial encounter with an antique stove and a "Home Sweet Home" sampler barely dangling from the wall. Colbert proves to be very adept at physical comedy here and even though you wonder why she never expresses her discontent with this new life, you can't help but be touched by her all-consuming loyalty to making her husband happy, which might be hard to accept in 2017, but it didn't make this character any less lovable.
This film is probably most acclaimed for introducing a pair of supporting character named Ma and Pa Kettle, hilariously created by Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride, respectively. Pa likes to borrow things and never return them and Ma can't remember the names of her children, but the couple proved so popular that they were spun off into their own franchise which produced nine more films starring the Kettles. The film also offers a brief glimpse at future television star Richard Long playing the eldest Kettle son, Tom. He would find TV fame a couple of decades later on The Big Valley and Nanny and the Professor.
Claudette Colbert is completely enchanting as Betty and Fred MacMurray's wide-eyed exuberance as Bob is quite endearing. Must also give a shout out to Louise Allbritton as the wealthy farm owner after Bob. Erskine's direction is energetic and Frank Skinner's music score perfectly accentuates the hilarious goings-on. A delightful, if slightly dated comedy that holds up quite well. Fans of the sitcom Green Acres will have a head start here.