British Pathé Synopsis: Wonderful newsreel footage of actor James Mason and his wife Pamela Kellino at home in Hertfordshire, England. Reality Cats: James Mason is coming home from working at the studio and joins Pamela in feeding their geese. As they head out to feed the birds, they are followed by one of their cats, […]
Category Archives: Newsreel
Kitten and Chicks (1937)
British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage of white kittens hanging out with baby chicks. Reality Cats: The description above really says it all. The first kitten is sitting in a top hat with a chick on the brim. Next two kittens sit with two chicks. And two chicks watch a kitten drink some milk. Oddly, there […]
New American Fashions for Pets (1949)
Gaumont British News Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows the latest fashions from America for women, cats and dogs. Reality Cats: After the segment showing off women’s fashions, the narrator explains that all this talk about fur is rather looked down on by those who wear their own fur coats and attend their own fashion shows, too. […]
Can You Imagine? (1936)
Synopsis: A Vitaphone short featuring oddities from across the United States. Kitty Cameo: One segment begins with a boy named Dickie McCollin of Salt Lake City holding a longhair tabby kitten in front of his face. This segues into a picture of a young lion named Rex. The boy, the son of lion tamer Ralph […]
Siamese Cat Show in London (1948)
British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows numerous Siamese cats on display at the Siamese Cat Club exhibition at Shepherd’s Bush. Reality Cats: Numerous Siamese cats are shown throughout this newsreel segment, including one cat in a basket. Another basket is opened to reveal numerous Siamese kittens. The exhibition hall is then filmed. There follows numerous […]
These Cats Have Class (1960)
British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows cats in competition at the cat show in Olympia, London. Reality Cats: Several breeds of cats are featured in this segment, starting with some Siamese kittens. Next a couple of Turkish Vans are shown. A Blue Persian is combed by one of the judges. Abyssinian kittens are mentioned as […]
Cat Putter Outers Competition (1938)
British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows a strange American competition in which grown men see who can “put the cat out” the fastest. Reality Cats: This very bizarre competition has men dressed in nightgowns jumping up from a row of beds and running to a line of doors some distance away while carrying cats. Kitty […]
Cats and Dogs on Parade (1951)
British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage of dogs at the Metropolitan and Essex Dog Show followed by cats at the Crystal Cats Show both held at Olympia. Reality Cats: After the dogs are featured the cats are up. A girl is holding two longhair cats. Some Siamese kittens are in a cage looking at the camera. […]
Churchill and the Movie Mogul (2019)
Directed by: John Fleet Synopsis: This documentary looks at the collaboration between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and movie producer Alexander Korda. Reality Cat: Film footage includes an interview with Churchill’s secretary Sir John Peck who recalls an incident in which Churchill was in bed and commented on how a black cat lying there had […]
Pets’ Service (1959)
British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows a religious service held especially for pets and their owners. Reality Cats: The annual open-air service, held in Putney by Reverend John Pearce-Higgins, brought out people and their various pets, including at least one tabby kitten and one black cat. Final Mewsings: Bless all the kitties and animals. To […]