"Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki" is the last of the films in this series that starred Percy Kilbride as the title character, Pa Kettle. Considering the decline in quality, his choice to retire from films was not a bad one. Some fans of the series might really enjoy this one but others will probably just find it bizarre and ill-conceived.
When the film begins, you learn that over the years Pa Kettle has been corresponding with a cousin who now lives in Hawaii. The cousin is very successful and used to court Ma before she married...so Pa is trying to impress him with letters filled with all sorts of lies which make him sound like a business tycoon. The cousin surprisingly believes this and when his business and health are tottering on the edge, he calls for Pa to come to Hawaii to help him turn the company's fortunes for the better.
I actually did enjoy many of the Ma and Pa Kettle films but this one is ample evidence that the series had jumped the shark. Why are these country bumpkins in Hawaii, after all? And, the ending involving a Kettle-like Hawaiian family and organized crime is just slopping and stupid. Overall, a major disappointment and perhaps the reason Kilbride decided to call it a day. Also, the film sat for two years before being released...evidence that the studio also knew this one was a turkey.
When the film begins, you learn that over the years Pa Kettle has been corresponding with a cousin who now lives in Hawaii. The cousin is very successful and used to court Ma before she married...so Pa is trying to impress him with letters filled with all sorts of lies which make him sound like a business tycoon. The cousin surprisingly believes this and when his business and health are tottering on the edge, he calls for Pa to come to Hawaii to help him turn the company's fortunes for the better.
I actually did enjoy many of the Ma and Pa Kettle films but this one is ample evidence that the series had jumped the shark. Why are these country bumpkins in Hawaii, after all? And, the ending involving a Kettle-like Hawaiian family and organized crime is just slopping and stupid. Overall, a major disappointment and perhaps the reason Kilbride decided to call it a day. Also, the film sat for two years before being released...evidence that the studio also knew this one was a turkey.