The Corner Penthouse

Universal Pictures recently released the Ma and Pa Kettle: Complete Comedy Collection Blu-ray. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

Get ready for some good old-fashioned fun with the Kettle family. After their scene-stealing roles in The Egg and I, Ma and Pa Kettle (Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride) earned their own starring turn and a wildly popular franchise was born. The hillbilly duo have their hands full with a ramshackle farm and a brood of rambunctious children. When the future comes a-callin' in the form of modern houses, exotic locales and newfangled ideas, Ma and Pa must learn how to make the best of it with luck, pluck and a little country charm!

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

Includes all 10 films featuring the Kettles: The Egg and I (1947) (1:47:50), Ma and Pa Kettle (1949) (1:15:35), Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950) (1:19:21), Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm (1951) (1:20:37), Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair (1952) (1:18:23), Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation (1952) (1:15:08), Ma and Pa Kettle at Home (1954) (1:21:12), Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1955) (1:19:00), The Kettles in the Ozarks (1956) (1:20:45), and The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm (1957) (1:20:14).

The movies are presented in a variety of aspect ratios: 1.33:1 for the first seven films, 1.85:1 for Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki and The Kettles in the Ozarks, and 2.00:1 for The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm. The movies are Not Rated. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages include English SDH.

Having both DVD and Blu-ray sets gives me the opportunity to compare the two. Aside from the Blu-ray missing trailers and having no embossment on the slipcover, there isn't any real difference between the two EXCEPT for one thing: Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki is in a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio on Blu-ray, and in a 1.33:1 fullscreen aspect ratio on DVD. IMDb claims that the intended aspect ratio of the film is 2.00:1, but I don't believe it. The Blu-ray cropping the picture to 1.85:1 already feels cramped and "not right", as seen in the few quick comparisons below. Click on images for full size 1920x1080 (Blu-ray) and 720x540 (DVD) framegrabs.









[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the content listed below can be found on Disc 1. Trailers for The Egg and I, Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town, Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair, Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation, and Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki are included on the DVD set, but were not ported over to the Blu-ray. Making things more perplexing is that the individual The Egg and I "70th Anniversary Restored Edition" Blu-ray has that film's trailer, as well as the "Queen of the Silver Screen" featurette. So why wasn't (at least) that film's trailer ported over to this Blu-ray set?

• Claudette Colbert: Queen of the Silver Screen (9:16) - A 2008 piece about the actress. It can also be found on the Cleopatra (1934) Blu-ray.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

No digital copy code voucher is included inside the standard five-disc blue Blu-ray case (each disc on its own page, no overlapping). A slipcover is included, though it is not embossed like the DVD slipcover, even though the artwork is near identical.

[ NOTES ]

Ma and Pa Kettle: Complete Comedy Collection is available on Blu-ray and DVD. RECOMMENDED, though I wish the Blu-ray ported over the DVD's five trailers (and added the five missing ones), as well as adding embossment to the slipcover. At least those are minor grievances :-)

This item has been provided by Universal Pictures for review on this site.