by Mark Murton
Directed by: Terry Bishop
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: David Martens (Keith Andes), an American sailor on shore leave in England, is seeking his dead brother’s ex-fiancée, Diane Leigh (Julia Arnall), who still has a treasured piece of family jewelry. He finds her along with a whole load of trouble when he is framed for murder after a robbery goes wrong.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): After a chance meeting with Sally Meadows (Hazel Court), Martens learns Diane is currently working for Sally’s employer, stylist Kingsley Beauchamp (Michael Gough). At his fashion house, Beauchamp is preparing Diane for a fashion show and parades around holding his Siamese cat Chloe.
As Diane is being photographed Beauchamp watches from a nearby chair with Chloe on his lap.
Despite appearances, Beauchamp has financial problems and plans to solve them by arranging to have some diamonds borrowed for the fashion shoot stolen from his safe. During the robbery, Diane returns to the premises unexpectedly and disturbs the robbers resulting in her being killed. David is witness to this and tries to intervene but is knocked unconscious. He awakens to find himself in hospital having been set up to take the fall for the robbery. With help from Sally, David manages to escape and takes refuge at her home while he tries to clear his name. A break comes when Sally receives a phone call at work from a local lock-keeper who reports having found Beauchamp’s cat (who stowed away in the robbers’ van). The lock-keeper (Charles Lamb) explains to David how he knew it wasn’t “any old stray cat” as it had a Mayfair address on the collar.
The lock-keeper also reveals that he heard a loud splash the night he found the cat. Giving the lock-keeper some cash for his trouble, David takes the cat and departs.
Later in the film Sally returns home but finds no one there except the cat. Chloe starts crying and scratching at the door.
Sally picks up the Siamese and goes out into hallway.
Her attention drawn to the basement, she places the cat on a nearby table and goes to investigate. Chloe is not seen again.
Final Mewsings: Cats are worth far more than diamonds.
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