Gus (1976)

by Mark Murton

Directed by: Vincent McEveety

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

Synopsis: The inept California Atoms are floundering at the bottom of the National Football League with owner Hank Cooper (Ed Asner) deep in debt and facing losing the team, until they acquire a new team member – a mule called Gus who can placekick a football 100 yards with unerring accuracy. Not everyone is happy with this acquisition; Charlie (Harold Gould), the man Hank owes money to, has mockingly agreed to let him keep the team if they win the Superbowl. With the Atoms dramatic upturn in fortunes showing no signs of abating the increasingly worried Charlie hires two incompetent criminals, Crankcase (Tim Conway) and Spinner (Tom Bosley), to try and stop Gus from playing.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Gus will only kick for his handler Andy (Gary Grimes) so the criminals lure him to a hospital to keep him from the latest game, but realising something is amiss Andy escapes from his room and, with Spinner in hot pursuit, races through the building looking for a way out. He soon finds himself in the X-Ray room where he encounters an odd-eyed cat (just what a cat is doing there isn’t explained – at least it was wearing a white coat).

Gus - odd-eyed white cat on floor
Gus - odd-eyed white cat on floor
Gus - Andy Gary Grimes motioning for white odd-eyed cat to be quiet animated gif

As Spinner enters the room, Andy hides behind the X-Ray machine. Looking for the light, Spinner flicks the switch that turns on the X-ray machine screen and Andy is displayed as a skeleton. Spinner doesn’t realise it is Andy and is about to leave when the cat cries out, leading Andy to pick it up and stroke it to try and keep it quiet.

Gus - Andy Gary Grimes holding white cat behind X-ray machine

This is seen by Spinner on the X-ray screen as a human skeleton stroking the skeleton of a cat.

Gus - human and cat skeleton behind X-ray machine

Spinner now rushes behind the screen and tries to grab Andy and we view the action on the X-ray screen as the two skeletons fight each other with the one of Andy also trying to hold the cat out of harm’s way. This occasionally causes it to appear above the top of the screen in the struggle.

Gus - Skinner running behind X-ray machine showing skeletons of two humans and one cat
Gus - human skeletons fighting behind X-ray machine with white cat showing on top
Gus - human skeletons fighting behind X-ray machine with white cat showing on top

But the cat is mostly seen thrashing about as a skeleton as the fight continues amid exaggerated cat cries.

Gus - human skeletons fighting with cat skeleton behind X-ray machine
Gus - human skeletons fighting with cat skeleton behind X-ray machine

Eventually Andy pushes the cat onto Spinner’s head where it latches on with a Poor Cat Screech, allowing Andy to make his escape.

Gus - human skeletons fighting with cat skeleton behind X-ray machine
Gus - human skeletons fighting with cat skeleton behind X-ray machine
Gus - two skeletons and white cat fighting behind X-ray machine animated gif

Final Mewsings: The great thing about Cinema Cats is they can turn up anywhere they are needed.

Relevant Links:

IMDb logo
tcmlogo
Amazon logo
Amazon Instant Video logo




To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Share this with your cat and movie loving friends!