Also Known As: Big Time Operators
British Lion Films
Starring: Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers
Directed by: Basil Dearden

Cat Out of the Bag Alert!  This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Jean and Matt (Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers) are a couple who inherit a movie theater in a small British town only to find out it had been closed and is sadly dilapidated.

Kitty Cameo: When the couple arrives and finds out about their sad inheritence, their solicitor takes them to the theater. As they walk through the auditorium, a long-haired calico cat appears. Jean asks if anyone is caring for the cat and the solicitor assures them that the janitor, Old Tom (Bernard Miles) cares for her.

Jean picks the cat up and carries her a ways. Unfortunately two elevated railroad tracks have been built on either side of the theater and when the trains rumble they shake the building and Jean drops the cat.

The cat is only seen once more in Old Tom’s arms as he sits in the theater and watches a silent film. But she is mentioned a few times, most notably towards the end when it is said she has had kittens. Sadly we do not get to see the kittens.

Purr Blurs:  At the beginning of the film a cat can be seen walking on a rooftop as Jean climbs the stairs to her flat under the opening credits.

Another cat is seen very briefly sitting on a wall as Old Tom walks down to the local pub.

Final Mewsings: More movie theaters should have cats!

Many thanks to Ted Davis for spotting the theater cat in this film for us!

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