Directed by: George Stevens
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Boy Friends Mickey (Mickey Daniels), Dave (David Sharpe) and Alabam (Grady Sutton) come running when their girlfriends Mary (Mary Kornman) and Gertie (Gertrude Messinger) think there is a burglar in their house.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): The short begins with the gang taking a ride in Dave’s new car. Gertie is sidling up beside Dave with Mary next to them holding a tabby cat. Dave’s German Shepherd dog is riding in the back.
When they get to their destination it is revealed that Mickey and Alabam have been sitting on the front fenders. Mary gets out of the car and pushes her cat at Mickey, saying, “Hold Genevieve, boyfriend!” Mickey seems less than thrilled.
Mickey then drops Genevieve on the lawn. This causes the dog to chase after the cat. Since the dog’s leash is attached to the car, he pulls the automobile backwards. Mary screeches for Mickey to save her baby.
The cat runs through a fence with the dog chasing, causing the car to crash into the posts. It appears the cat and dog running were filmed separately.
Dave jumps out and brings Genevieve back to Mary, who gathers the cat in her arms. “Oh my darling!” she cries, “Oh you poor little thing. Why you’re palpitating all over!”
Mary yells at Dave for even owning the dog and the girls storm off angrily.
Later in the short the girls are sleeping over at Gertie’s house. Genevieve is seen in the dark downstairs licking at a dog statue (it is likely something was smeared on the statue to make the cat lick there).
The girls get nervous at every noise and Genevieve doesn’t help when she knocks three plates from a shelf.
Moments later Genevieve jumps off a roll-top desk, making the top slide down with a bang.
This is very likely the same tabby cat actor who appeared in several Hal Roach shorts around this time, including ones with Our Gang and Charley Chase.
Final Mewsings: People with cats should be used to bumps in the night.
Relevant Links:
To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and Twitter.