by Linda Kay
Directed by: Byron Haskin
Synopsis: Ex-con Frankie Madison (Burt Lancaster) expects his former partner in crime Noll Turner (Kirk Douglas) to honor their 50/50 agreement on all business Noll has built during Frankie’s incarceration. But Noll has other ideas.
Kitty Cameos: At one point Noll orders three of his men to take Frankie outside and beat him up, which they do astonishingly well. The three goons then carry Frankie’s limp body to another part of the alley where three cats are hanging out; two tabby and white cats and a black cat.
Two of the cats scatter as the men deposit Frankie in their midst, but the one in the foreground seems interested enough in whatever they are eating to stay put, at least until the men leave and Noll’s accountant Dave (Wendell Corey) arrives, at which point all cats are gone.
Final Mewsings: Alley cats know that three against one is hardly fair.
Relevant Links:
To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and X.