by Linda Kay

English Title: The Quiet Flirt

Directed by: Gustaf Molander

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains numerous spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: In this delightful European screwball comedy, Diddi Werner (Tutta Rolf) has her sights set on marrying Dr. Gunnar Green (Ernst Eklund), the man who has up till then been her guardian, but he only seems interested in showgirls. After failing to win the man’s heart after taking to the stage herself, Diddi enlists the help of star Sally Garbel (Margit Manstad) to teach her how to flirt with and attract men in order to make Dr. Green jealous.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Dr. Green owns a wire haired terrier named Chamo but Diddi’s adorable little white cat, Murre (which translates to Murmur), doesn’t appear until halfway through the film when Diddi, Sally and their friends board a luxury yacht owned by Swedish-American Mr. Wilder (Frithjof Fearnley) and his wife (Mally Haaland). Among the men now infatuated with Diddi are Parisian fashion designer Monsieur Gründer (Henry Gleditsch), photographer Leonard Swanson (Folkman Schaanning) and plastic surgeon Dr. Gerhardt (Leif Amble-Næss) whom Diddi keeps wanting to give her a nose job. Diddi flirts with all of them, especially when Dr. Green arrives, clutching the little cat.

Diddi holds up the cat and tells Dr. Gerhardt that she wants her nose to look like Murre’s. “I’ll do what I can, little kitty,” he promises.

Chamo starts to bark at Murre and Diddi holds the kitty up above the dog, taunting him to irritate Dr. Green further.

Diddi continues to hold the now hissing Murre above Chamo who suddenly leaps up and falls off the side of the yacht into the water.

Diddi hands Murre off to Dr. Gerhardt before she dives in after the dog. This begins a funny bit in which the cat is passed from man to man as each is anxious to leap into the water to help Diddi.

When the cat is finally handed to Sally’s meek love interest, pefurmer Henry Wallé (Einar Axelsson), Sally takes the kitty from him and goads him into jumping into the water as well, even though he can’t swim.

After rescuing Chamo, Diddi is furious that Dr. Green is the only one who didn’t jump in after her so she throws the dog at him as Dr. Gerhardt holds Murre.

That night Dr. Green decides to give in to Diddi and knocks on her door. When there is no answer, he peeks into her room. Murre is sitting by the doorway as he enters. Finding Diddi sleeping and muttering his name, Dr. Green sneaks over and gives her a kiss. She awakens, startled, and cries out. She sees a man flee her room in the dark but doesn’t know who it was. She gathers up Murre and tries to figure out who it could have been.

The next morning when Diddi goes to breakfast carrying Murre the subject comes up and everyone wonders who the mysterious man was. Mrs. Wilder suggests that if Diddi remembers the smell of the person she should sniff everyone to pick out the perpetrator. Diddi carries Murre as she sniffs the hair of each man in turn.

Diddi realizes Dr. Green is not there and Mrs. Wilder explains he left the ship earlier after saying that Diddi had “tralala,” (referring to a song in the movie and used as a term for sex appeal). Diddi is ecstatic and plops Murre down on Mr. Wilder’s head for a moment before scooping her up and running out to catch a launch with many of the men following behind.

When Diddi reaches the hotel she finds out Dr. Green has booked two rooms. She calls him up pretending to be a housekeeper and asking if he’d give up one room for a poor old professor, then tells the clerk that he’s allowed her to take one of the rooms and heads upstairs. Murre is with her throughout this ruse.

She heads to the room and places Murre on top of a wardrobe.

She then disguises her voice again and reminds the doctor that he left some of his possessions in the room. But Chamo runs through the door and starts barking at Murre, who hisses back.

Dr. Green comes in after Chamo and sees Murre then realizes Diddi is hiding behind the door.

Murre is only seen once more on Diddi’s bed as Doctor Green enters her room near the end of the film.

This film was shot twice in two different languages, Norwegian and Swedish, with different casts and character names save the lead actress, Tutta Rolf (although her character is named Lillemor von Kragh in the Norwegian version and Sally’s character is named Diddi). The Norwegian version, which reportedly still exists, is titled En stille flirt. It is not clear if the same animal actors appeared in both versions of the film or if they were also recast.

Final Mewsings: People in love often fight like cats and dogs at first.

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