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 just undergone a painful surgery. The cat’s name was Nelson, after Admiral Horatio Nelson, whom Churchill admired. The footage over this segment shows Churchill with a long-haired black and white cat on the deck of a ship. The cat shown is not actually Nelson.

This same footage is shown again later in its proper context. Churchill attended a secret meeting with Franklin D. Roosevelt in August 1941 aboard the H.M.S. Prince of Wales anchored just off Newfoundland. After the meeting, Churchill stopped to pet the ship’s cat. In newsreel footage the cat is called Whiskey, but most historical records indicate the cat’s name was Blackie. Blackie later survived the sinking of the ship only to disappear in Singapore while waiting with the survivors.

This is the original newsreel footage with Blackie appearing at approximately the 6:50 minute mark:

Final Mewsings: One hopes Blackie continued his adventurous life in Singapore.

Many thanks to Jon Kennedy for letting us know about the cat in this documentary.

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