Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)

Starring: Orangey

Directed by: David Swift

This review contains a Kitty Carnage Warning!

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

Synopsis: Hogan (Jack Lemmon) is a lecherous landlord who likes to make the moves on the female tenants of his apartment building, mostly without objection since he is a charmer. But when a forward thinking young college student named Robin Austin (Carol Lynley) moves in with her boyfriend Dave Manning (Deacon Jones) on a strictly plutonic experimental venture before marriage, Hogan becomes determined to weasel his way between them and seduce the fair lady no matter what.

Featured Feline: One of Hogan’s many buxom tenants owns a ginger tabby cat. She carries the cat out to her porch as Hogan is talking to maintenance man Murphy (Paul Lynde).

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Murphy Paul Lynde and Hogan Jack Lemmon with buxom girl with ginger tabby cat Orangey

Hogan pauses to flirt with the girl as the cat sits on the lawn chair.

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon talking to buxom girl with ginger tabby cat Orangey on lawn chair

Later when Hogan is desperately trying to spy on Robin and Dave, he hangs a mirror on a rake to hold at their window to see what’s happening inside their apartment. This is when the cat shows up and decides to climb up on Hogan’s back.

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon with ginger tabby cat Orangey climbing on his back

Hogan tries to shoo the cat away but the kitty manages to hold on for a while.

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon trying to shake ginger tabby cat Orangey climbing off his back

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon with ginger tabby cat Orangey climbing on his back animated gif

Finally shaking the cat off, Hogan continues his spying. But the cat isn’t done yet! He crawls out on the ledge where the mirror is dangling and starts playing with it!

Under the Yum Yum Tree - ginger tabby cat Orangey running around railing

Under the Yum Yum Tree - ginger tabby cat Orangey playing with dangling mirror

Hogan tries to pull the mirror away but the cat continues to bat at it, finally knocking it off the rake.

Under the Yum Yum Tree - ginger tabby cat Orangey battling at dangling mirror

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon yelling at ginger tabby cat Orangey playing with mirror dangling from rake

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon trying to get dangling mirror away from playful ginger tabby cat Orangey animated gif

Undeterred, Hogan next gets the idea to climb up on the roof. He doesn’t realize the cat climbs up right behind him!

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon being followed onto roof by ginger tabby cat Orangey

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon with ginger tabby cat Orangey following on roof

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon crawling on rooftop followed by ginger tabby cat Orangey animated gif

As Hogan is hanging over the edge of the roof to look into Robin’s window, the cat again decides to climb on his back.

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon with ginger tabby cat Orangey climbing on his back on roof

Hogan tries to reach back to shoo the cat away again.

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon swiping at ginger tabby cat Orangey on his back on roof

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan Jack Lemmon trying to get ginger tabby cat Orangey off his back while dangling over roof animated gif

Kitty Carnage Warning! There is one cringe-worthy moment when Hogan and the cat are on the roof and the stunt man playing Hogan grabs the tabby by the scruff and swings him over the edge. Ultimately the cat hangs on and is tossed back onto the roof while the stuntman takes the plunge.

Under the Yum Yum Tree - Hogan stunt man with ginger tabby cat Orangey held by scruff above ground high up in air

Later the cat’s owner is seen giving the kitty some milk in a bowl.

Under the Yum Yum Tree - woman giving ginger tabby cat Orangey some milk on low wall

This sets up an incredible trick when she feeds the cat again later. Only this time the cat actor hangs onto the low brick wall and dangles while eating!

Under the Yum Yum Tree - ginger tabby cat Orangey drinking milk from bowl while hanging onto low wall

Under the Yum Yum Tree - woman giving ginger tabby cat Orangey milk which he drinks while hanging onto wall animated gif

At the end of the film, Hogan is ready to swear off women. That’s when a bus full of gorgeous girls stops in front of the apartment building. The cat watches as Hogan immediately starts flirting with them.

Under the Yum Yum Tree - ginger tabby cat Orangey next to Vacancy sign

A close shot of the cat uses overlay animation to furrow his brow and make him say (in Paul Lynde’s voice!) “Well, here we go again!”

Under the Yum Yum Tree - ginger tabby cat Orangey close up

Under the Yum Yum Tree - ginger tabby cat Orangey close up with animated eyebrows and mouth

Under the Yum Yum Tree - ginger tabby cat Orangey saying here we go again animated gif

Behind the Scenes

While the film itself received mixed reviews, the talented tabby was often called out for special praise (if not by name but by species):

The Citizen News, October 24, 1963: “A special hand should go to the director for his fast pace and slapstick especially that involving Lemmon and his pet cat.”

The Evening Sun, November 21, 1963: “Some of the supporting actors who were funnier, to me, than Lemmon, were Paul Lynde as the maintenance man, Imogene Coca as his wife and a marvelously clever cat that plagued the landlord.”

Harrow Observer and Gazette, March 5, 1964: “One of the best features of the film is a talented and amusing cat.”

The cat actor was uncredited but it is clearly members of the Orangey team filling the role. As usual with Frank Inn’s talented felines, different cats performed different roles. One cat bats at the mirror. Another climbs on Lemmon’s back. Another performed the wall milk drinking trick. The most notable of these cats is the one at the end of the film (although he appears occassionally throughout, this is his most notable scene). This is the same Orangey who was used for the hypnotism scenes in the Disney film The Misadventures of Merlin Jones. This particular Orangey’s talent seems to be staying very still for close up shots and being mellow; a perfect choice for the animated mouth and eyebrows.

Not to say that Orangey didn’t receive some press for his role, made more notable by reportedly being his 50th film appearance . . . not of his career but within the previous 18 months! At this point in Orangey’s publicity life Inn was touting him again as Rhubarb to bring note to the cat(s) lengthy career. As Sheilah Graham noted in her column on November 19, 1963:

Rhubarb plays his fiftieth movie role in Freddie Brisson’s “Under the Yum Yum Tree.” Rhubarb is a cat, and I remember when he — or she — was first discovered in Beverly Hills some eight or nine years ago.
It was the greatest hunt in history, for the meanest-looking cat in the world. Success and age have softened Rhubarb, who now looks quite sweet.

Bob Talbert also acknowledged the milestone in his column Bob Talbert at Large on December 4, 1963:

You think those cats in Hollywood have a hard time getting work? Not the four-legged kind like Rhubarb, the talented tabby now appearing in “Under the Yum Yum Tree” at a local theater. This is Rhubarb’s 50th screen appearance within the past 18 months.

With talent like that on display in this film, it’s no wonder the Orangey team remained so highly employable!

Final Mewsings: Leave the prowling around buildings after dark to the cats!

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