by Mark Murton
Directed by: Alan J. W. Bell
Cat Out Of The Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this TV film.
Synopsis: In this heart-warming true story, writer Deric Longden (Peter Postlethwaite) worries about the welfare of his eccentric mother (Thora Hird), who has a unique way with words but is in gradually declining health due to old age yet still refuses to give up her home until a stroke cruelly robs her of the power of speech.
Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): Mrs. Longden has a ginger and white cat, Whiskey, who is first seen when she is washing him at the kitchen sink (because he apparently didn’t do a good enough job of it himself!) Not surprisingly, he struggles to get away (complete with unconvincing dubbed-on cat cries.)
Whiskey is next seen wearing a red ribbon while sitting on a pouffe in the living room as Mrs. Longden lays out food on the dinning room table for those coming to view her house which she has put up for sale.
A short time later the dining room is packed with potential buyers and Whiskey is sitting on a low table before running at speed up and over the back of the sofa to escape the crowded room!
Later, Mrs. Longden shares her worries with Deric over how Whiskey will fare in the neighbourhood around his new home. Deric tells her not to worry as Whiskey hardly ever goes out, at which point Whiskey enters through the cat flap.
Deric picks Whiskey up as he tells him, “You did that on purpose.”
When his mother suggests taking the cat flap from the door with them to the new house, Deric hands Whiskey over to her.
After a visit from Deric and his wife Aileen (Penny Downie), Mrs. Longden stands at the foot of the stairs holding Whiskey as they prepare to leave.
She is standing at the front door with Whiskey under her arm as she sees them off, unthinkingly dropping the poor cat awkwardly as she lifts that arm to wave goodbye.
Later Whiskey is sitting on the stairs purring loudly as Mrs. Longden, post-stroke, applies sellotape to the edge of the stair carpet in an effort to keep “them” (imaginary gremlins) out.
On Mother’s Day morning Mrs. Longden is in bed as Deric brings her a tray of tea while she opens her card and presents. Hearing Whiskey cry she instructs Deric to get him and Deric is surprised to find the poor cat entangled in sellotape (thankfully the tape is only lightly draped over the cat actor).
After a second stroke Deric makes the difficult decision to place his mother in a Nursing Home. As they are being shown what will be her room a mewing ginger and white kitten pads in from the corridor.
In the next scene, with the room now personalised with Mrs. Longden’s belongings, the kitten is roaming across the bed and onto a table before jumping down to the floor.
Whiskey’s last appearance is on Deric’s lap as he sits on the stairs at his mother’s house talking on the phone to the care home as he checks on her welfare.
Final Mewsings: Cats don’t need words to let us know what they’re thinking (admittedly it usually involves food.)
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