RKO Radio Pictures
Starring: James Stewart, Jane Wyman
Directed by: William A. Wellman
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Rip Smith (James Stewart) is a pollster who comes up with a theory that if he can find the perfect small town that represents a microcosm of the country’s opinions he can streamline his work, and Grandview appears to be just such a town.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): After the local paper prints a negative story about Rip’s arrival in town, Rip goes down to complain. The author of the article is the newspaper’s acting editor, Mary Peterman (Jane Wyman) who has a grudge against Rip for his interruption of her meeting with the city council trying to get a new civic center started. When Mary enters the newspaper office there is a tabby kitten standing on the ledge that surrounds a large model of her proposed city improvements (the kitten was not there when Rip entered the office earlier).
Mary gets everyone to gather around the model and the kitten is passed down the line of three older men who watch intently as she starts the model train using the three position signal she has brought.
Mary is not happy to see Rip. She takes the kitten, whose name is Panther, and carries the kitten to a stand near her desk where she sets her down.
Rip leans against the stand to talk to Mary, petting the kitten as he does so.
Rip then tries to refer to the blurb Mary has written about him but the kitten walks on the newspaper. He has to lift Panther’s tail to read the piece.
Rip finally asks if she would consider printing a retraction. She picks up the kitten and walks away.
Mary hands Panther to one of the elderly men and asks him to give her some milk.
Panther is only seen once more near the end of the film, standing on the model of the city.
Final Mewsings: Cats’ opinions should count, too!
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