by Linda Kay

Also Known As: Bobby Bumps Chicken Dressing

Directed by: Earl Hurd

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

Synopsis: In the scenario department of a large film company a boy is busily working on new material while a group of animals actors wait for their chance to work.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): As the boy is writing, the menagerie is settled on his desk. This includes a live action bunny, chick and black cat as well as the animated Bobby Bumps and his dog Fido.

The boy gets excited about something he’s written and slams his hand down on the desk blotter, flipping everyone into the air.

A little section marked “Chicken Dressing Room” is being peeked into by the cat and bunny. The boy pulls them away.

The chick is penalized for something she didn’t do and so she crawls into the arms of the resting black cat for comfort (achieved with some reversed footage).

Hearing the chick’s story, the cat’s eyes grow big (via animation).

The cat then smiles and winks as well.

The animal actors are called to their dressing rooms. The cat and bunny both take turns standing in front of a mirror on a chest of drawers, the cat sporting a wig.

The filming of a fire fighting picture begins with the live action animals taking part in the animated film. The cat sprays a hose up at the burning house where the chick is trapped as Bobby climbs a ladder.

The chick jumps onto Bobby, knocking him down onto the hose head which sprays water everywhere. The cat stays composed and holds onto the hose as the water shoots Bobby up into the air.

The menagerie featured here was a regular cast of characters featured in Earl Hurd comedies starring the animated boy Bobby Bumps, yet another example of animation being blended with live action footage. The most touted portion of the short seemed to be the moment the cat is shown putting their arm around the chick, as in this article published in The Vancouver Sun on January 28, 1923:

Displays Patience Seldom Witnessed

    Earl Hurd, producer of the Earl Hurd Comedies presented through Educational by C.C. Burr, lays no claim to the title of animal trainer, but does claim a degree of patience seldom witnessed in film production. Mr. Hurd, in his series of cartoon subjects about Bobby Bumps and his experiences, which combine living figures with animated drawings, is using a large black cat and a very small chicken as principals.
    Anyone who has tried to teach a house cat tricks will appreciate the amount of patience necessary in order to put a cat through a series of tricks. As for chickens, especially those only a few days out of the shell, most of us would claim “it can’t be done.”
    But in the forthcoming “Chicken Dressing,” the cat gently puts his “arm” about the young chicken, and they peacefully lie down and take a nap together.

Some articles covering the feat included a photograph to prove that this miraculous event actually occurs in the film.

Final Mewsings: Cats are certainly more interested in chicken dressing than salad dressing!

Many thanks to Jon R. Kennedy for letting us know about the cat in this film.

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