Synopsis: A compilation of fascinating films showcasing slow motion, microscopic and telescopic photography, time-lapse and other methods used to expose what it normally impossible to see, brought to you by the Shell Oil Company! Kitty Cameos: A couple of early experiments in capturing motion through a series of photographs using cats is showcased at the […]
Category Archives: Educational
Halloween Safety (1977)
Directed by: Herk Harvey Synopsis: A film which points out potential hazards for young trick or treaters on Halloween night. Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): One piece of advice is to make sure costumes do not drape too long so children can trip over them. As a mother hems the bottom of a little girl’s witch […]
Cats in a Puzzle Box (1946)
Directed by: R.B. Donaldson Synopsis: An experimental puzzle box designed by George Plant Horton and Edwin Ray Guthrie at the University of Washington tests cats’ ability to learn and adapt. Reality Cats: The first cat to go through the puzzle box is a small cream-colored tabby who is called Cat A. By the fifteenth experiment, […]
Schoolhouse Rock! – “Electricity Electricity”
Original Air Date: May 19, 1979 Synopsis: The applications and laws governing electricity are demonstrated. Cartoon Cat: The workman who has been walking through the demonstrations (albeit absent-mindedly) has just combed a sheep to create static electricity. A cat approaches and rubs against the man who pets him as the narrator sings, “Stroking a cat […]
Schoolhouse Rock! – “Verb, That’s What’s Happening”
Original Air Date: February 2, 1974 Synopsis: A little boy goes to an action movie and learns all about verbs. Cartoon Cat: At the end of the short the boy runs home as the song draws to its conclusion. He dashes up the steps of a building where a cat is sleeping. The cat leaps […]
Allen is My Brother (1957)
Directed by: Gary Goldsmith Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film! Synopsis: An educational film about the difficulties and benefits of dealing with little siblings. Featured Feline: The film begins with a little boy named Allen playing with a small tabby cat named Tiger. Allen’s mother is trying […]
Your Voice (1949)
Synopsis: An Encyclopedia Britannica educational short about the human voice and how it works. Kitty Cameo: Several different animal voices are presented at the beginning of the film. While most of the film footage and sounds are unexceptional, the quick shot of a tabby kitten trying to climb a window screen, accompanied by the shortest, […]
What’s the Brightest Star in the Sky? (1976)
Directed by: Mel Waskin Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this film! Synopsis: One of the Wonder World of Science educational films in which Wonder Cat asks questions about the Sun. Cartoon Cat: Wonder Cat is the featured character in these shorts who wonders aloud and is answered by an […]
Curiosity Killed a Cat (1944)
Synopsis: A military training film about the dangers of collecting unexploded and potentially booby-trapped ordinance as souvenirs. Kitty Cameo: The short begins with footage of a tabby cat gingerly approaching a dog house. The cat enters the seemingly empty house. Only to be chased out again by a bulldog. Final Mewsings: Cats should know better […]
Schoolhouse Rock – “The Tale of Mr. Morton”
Original Air Date: September 11, 1993 Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this episode! Synopsis: Children are taught about predicates by hearing a tale about a lonely man named Mr. Morton. Cartoon Cat: Mr. Morton owns an adorable little orange tabby cat who greets him at the mailbox when he […]