Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair

  • 1952
  • G
  • 1h 18m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
728
YOUR RATING
James Best, Oliver Blake, Zachary Charles, Percy Kilbride, Marjorie Main, Lori Nelson, and Emory Parnell in Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair (1952)
SlapstickAdventureComedyRomance

Ma and Pa are trying to raise enough money at the county fair to send their daughter Rosie to college. Ma competes in baking and Pa enters a trotter in a horse race, while Rosie takes up wit... Read allMa and Pa are trying to raise enough money at the county fair to send their daughter Rosie to college. Ma competes in baking and Pa enters a trotter in a horse race, while Rosie takes up with handsome young Marvin Johnson.Ma and Pa are trying to raise enough money at the county fair to send their daughter Rosie to college. Ma competes in baking and Pa enters a trotter in a horse race, while Rosie takes up with handsome young Marvin Johnson.

  • Director
    • Charles Barton
  • Writers
    • Martin Ragaway
    • Leonard Stern
    • Jack Henley
  • Stars
    • Marjorie Main
    • Percy Kilbride
    • James Best
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    728
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Charles Barton
    • Writers
      • Martin Ragaway
      • Leonard Stern
      • Jack Henley
    • Stars
      • Marjorie Main
      • Percy Kilbride
      • James Best
    • 10User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos3

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top Cast78

    Marjorie Main
    Marjorie Main
    • Ma Kettle
    Percy Kilbride
    Percy Kilbride
    • Pa Kettle
    James Best
    James Best
    • Marvin Johnson
    Lori Nelson
    Lori Nelson
    • Rosie Kettle
    Esther Dale
    Esther Dale
    • Birdie Hicks
    Emory Parnell
    Emory Parnell
    • Billy Reed
    Oliver Blake
    Oliver Blake
    • Geoduck
    Russell Simpson
    Russell Simpson
    • Clem Johnson
    Rex Lease
    Rex Lease
    • Sheriff
    George Arglen
    • Willie Kettle
    • (uncredited)
    Lois Austin
      Elsie Baker
      Elsie Baker
        Frank Baker
        Frank Baker
        • Jam Judge
        • (uncredited)
        John Barton
        • Vendor
        • (uncredited)
        Margaret Bert
          John Breen
          • Fair Worker
          • (uncredited)
          Margaret Brown
          • Ruth Kettle
          • (uncredited)
          Roy Butler
            • Director
              • Charles Barton
            • Writers
              • Martin Ragaway
              • Leonard Stern
              • Jack Henley
            • All cast & crew
            • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

            User reviews10

            6.7728
            1
            2
            3
            4
            5
            6
            7
            8
            9
            10

            More like this

            Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm
            6.8
            Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm
            Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
            6.7
            Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
            Ma and Pa Kettle at Home
            6.8
            Ma and Pa Kettle at Home
            Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
            6.4
            Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
            Ma and Pa Kettle
            6.7
            Ma and Pa Kettle
            Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation
            6.6
            Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation
            The Kettles in the Ozarks
            6.4
            The Kettles in the Ozarks
            The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm
            6.3
            The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm
            The Egg and I
            6.9
            The Egg and I
            Albuquerque
            6.6
            Albuquerque
            The Man in the Back Seat
            6.8
            The Man in the Back Seat
            Three Smart Girls
            6.5
            Three Smart Girls

            Related interests

            Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
            Slapstick
            Still frame
            Adventure
            Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
            Comedy
            Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
            Romance

            Storyline

            Did you know

            • Trivia
              Geoduck and Crowbar make references to Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Director Charles Barton and, especially, writer John Grant are veterans of the Abbott and Costello features, which also were being made at Universal.
            • Goofs
              At one point, Pa says that he and Ma have been married for 25 years. Later in the film, Ma says that they have been married for 30 years.
            • Quotes
              • Pa Kettle: [filling in for the preacher] I don't know how to preach a sermon, I can't quote Scriptures, although I know all the words, I wouldn't know how to put them together, but I can speak from my heart. I can say how thankful I am that I have Ma and the kids, I'm thankful for the food we get and the clothes we wear. A lot of folks are always asking God for something instead of being thankful for what they got. I figure if He wants you to have it, it'll come to you because you deserve it. He gave us the mountains, the trees, the water and the fertile land. Gave men the ability to make things and grow things. He put gold and silver, coal and oil under the ground, all man has to do is dig them up. Why I figure that He kind of wants you to help yourself a little, He don't want to do it all. If I found out right now there was oil under my land, would I be lazy? No sir, right away I'd get Geoduck and Crowbar to start digging an oil well. The whole world could be a better place to live in if everybody would do like I do. Every morning when I wake up I say "I thank you God, for letting me live to see another day" and at night when I go to lseep I say "Dear God, please let me live to see another tomorrow so I can prove to You that I can be a better man than I have been today." Amen.
            • Connections
              Followed by Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation (1952)

            Top picks

            Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
            Sign in

            Details

            • Release date
              • July 25, 1952 (Australia)
            • Country of origin
              • United States
            • Language
              • English
            • Also known as
              • Ma and Pa Kettle at the County Fair
            • Filming locations
              • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA(Studio)
            • Production company
              • Universal International Pictures (UI)
            • See more company credits at IMDbPro

            Tech specs

            • Runtime
              • 1h 18m(78 min)
            • Color
              • Black and White
            • Aspect ratio
              • 1.37 : 1

            Contribute to this page

            Suggest an edit or add missing content
            • Learn more about contributing
            Edit page

            More to explore

            Recently viewed

            You have no recently viewed pages
            Get the IMDb app
            Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
            Follow IMDb on social
            Get the IMDb app
            For Android and iOS
            Get the IMDb app
            • Help
            • Site Index
            • IMDbPro
            • Box Office Mojo
            • License IMDb Data
            • Press Room
            • Advertising
            • Jobs
            • Conditions of Use
            • Privacy Policy
            • Your Ads Privacy Choices
            IMDb, an Amazon company

            © 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.