Original Air Date: December 27, 1965

Directed by: E.W. Swackhamer

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

Synopsis: Frustrated with Hazel’s (Shirley Booth) constant praise of his brother, Steve (Ray Fulmer) suffers from an inferiority complex.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): In the opening scene Hazel asks Harold (Bobby Buntrock) to get her rolls out of the oven. It is then they discover that Susie (Julia Benjamin) put her cat’s food in to cook as well and everything smells like fish. Hazel tells Susie to go out and play (which Hazel will say repeatedly throughout the episode). Susie’s cat doesn’t actually show up until later when Hazel catches Susie holding the cat and getting into a cupboard above the stove. “We don’t put cats in my hash brown potatoes!” Hazel complains.

After telling Susie to go out and play again, Harold says that Susie has been complaining of not having anything to play with for her cat. Hazel suggests she play dress up with the cat and take him for a stroll in her doll buggy. “It isn’t a he, it’s a her!” Susie explains.

Hazel tells Susie to go outside and asks Harold to go out and keep an eye on her as well.

Susie ends up taking the cat upstairs into her parents’ bedroom.

Of course Susie picks the expensive dress her mother just bought for a night out to dress up in and make mud pies. The cat is sitting in the buggy wearing a swaddling frock with a bonnet on her head.

In the episode’s tag, Hazel is in the kitchen with Harold when Susie comes through looking for her cat. The cat, still dressed in baby’s clothing, is on the counter tucking into Hazel’s salmon croquettes.

Hazel grabs the cat, who has bitten into one croquette and lifts it up as well. Hazel hurries the cat out the door.

The unnamed black cat, referred to as “Kitty” by Susie, only appeared in a couple of episodes in this last season. It would appear the cat was meant to be a running joke, constantly getting into Hazel’s prepared dishes, but the gag was only used a couple of times.

Final Mewsings: Cats would like to have a say before being suggested for dress-up duty.

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