The Egg And I (1947)

A newlywed wife (Claudette Colbert) follows her husband (Fred MacMurray) to the countryside where his dream is to become a chicken farmer. A city girl, she finds it difficult to adjust to the rural farm life. Based on the memoir by Betty MacDonald and directed by Chester Erskine (ANDROCLES AND THE LION). A charming if typical "fish out of water" tale that coasts along nicely until its last 15 minutes when it slogs to its sluggish end. Colbert and MacMurray had a nice chemistry through the seven movies (this one was the sixth) they made together. The film was a huge success at the box office and was an inspiration for the TV series, GREEN ACRES. The movie is stolen by Marjorie Main (in an Oscar nominated performance) as the slovenly neighbor with a shiftless husband (Percy Kilbride). Their teaming was so successful that they went on to make nine more movies playing their characters of Ma and Pa Kettle. With Richard Long, Louise Allbritton and Elisabeth Risdon.