Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Starring: Marsha Hunt, Hume Cronyn, John Carroll, Pamela Britton
Directed by: Jules Dassin
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Evie O’Connor (Marsha Hunt) works at a shirt factory supplying uniforms for American World War II soldiers. Following the example of her fellow workers, she places a letter to a soldier in one of the shirts. Womanizer Edgar ‘Wolf’ Larson (John Carroll) is the recipient but his army buddy John McPherson (Hume Cronyn) is the one who writes back and falls in love with her. But when they finally meet he has to figure out how can he pass himself off as a man who wears a size 16 1/2.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Because John has sent Evie a picture of Edgar instead of himself, when John finally has a chance to meet her he must pass himself off as Edgar, John’s friend. He and Evie go out on the town and after dancing in a club they exit to a commotion on the sidewalk outside. A crowd has gathered to voice concern over a tiny tabby kitten which has somehow gotten atop the awning outside the club.
When a taxi cab pulls up, John climbs onto its roof to retrieve the tiny kitten.
John hands the kitten to Evie, who immediately falls in love with it and wants to take it home.
Unfortunately a bratty little girl shows up demanding the return of her kitten or she’ll call the police. They hand the kitten to her, who scolds the tiny fuzzball (calling him Homer) then sticks out her tongue at them before walking away.
Later in the film Evie answers a knock on her door to find Homer sitting in John’s hat. John has gone back and bought the kitten from the girl to give to Evie.
Homer only shows up a couple of times after this, but he steals every scene he is in. One time he is shown sitting next to Evie’s telephone when John calls. By this time Edgar has learned of the deception and has muscled in, showing up as John to steal the girl. Edgar walks over to the phone and picks up Homer by the scruff, dropping him onto the floor without a care.
There is one scene in which John has set up a smoke pot outside Evie’s apartment to bring in the fire brigade and break up what’s happening between her and Edgar. As Evie and Edgar run from the apartment she cries out that she must go back and get Homer. As they exit the apartment a moment later they are hit by water from the fire hoses in the corridor. It looks like Evie may be holding Homer in the crook of her arm but it’s hard to see, and a moment later when they both fall into the apartment she has nothing in her arms.
Finally Evie learns of the deception and is broken-hearted. Her roommate Barney Lee (Pamela Britton) tries to console her and picks up Homer, tossing him aside as a sorry reminder of John.
Final Mewsings: If a man brings you a kitten, he’s a keeper!
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