Directed by: Del Lord
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: A Mack Sennett slapstick silent comedy short involving Billy Foote (Billy Bevan), an amorous dance instructor, Thelma Stone (Thelma Parr), his new student, Jim Stone (Vernon Dent), her jealous husband and Barbara Foote (Barbara Tennant), Billy’s suspicious wife.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): After a series of crazy interactions, Billy ends up at a poker game with Jim and his friends. Not realizing Jim is Thelma’s husband, he brags about his newest conquest, sending the man into a silent rage. Billy goes to the bar and when he turns back a black cat crosses his path, foreshadowing impending doom.
A while later Billy returns to the bar to find the cat drinking from a glass. Billy picks up the cat and sets it down on the floor.
Eventually Thelma also joins the game, as well as Barbara. Billy is given the information that Jim is the jealous husband just as a mouse appears. The cat takes chase and somehow they both manage to run right up Jim’s pants leg (this is achieved by some clever layover animation). It doesn’t help that Jim has been holding a loaded and cocked revolver under the table in order to shoot Billy, and it starts going off as Jim jumps around.
The cat and mouse move from one pants leg to the other and then pop up under Jim’s shirt before finally exiting the pants and running away.
Final Mewsings: Cats should steer clear of poker games.
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