Directed by: Jack Smight
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Christopher Gill (Rod Steiger) is a deranged killer who toys with Morris Brummel (George Segal), the detective assigned to his murders.
Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): Gill targets older women living alone, showing up at their apartments disguised as various characters. He rings the doorbell of Belle Poppie (Barbara Baxley) who is sitting at a table with her tortoiseshell cat. The cat jumps down to a chair and then the floor. It is not too clear but another cat is sitting on the top shelf of the cupboard in the background.
Belle gathers the cat in her arms and goes to answer the door, being cautious at first.
Gill introduces himself as Dorian Smith, a wig specialist who has come to personally fit her with a wig she’s won from the drugstore. Before Belle agrees to let him in, she makes him promise he will keep his voice low and quiet so as not to startle her cats.
Once inside, Gill talks to Belle about how you can’t trust anyone and Belle compares people to cats, saying they are suspicious and require time to trust people. During this segment the tortoiseshell in her arms is panting, clearly uncomfortable.
Belle asks if Gill would like to meet her cats. She introduces the tortoiseshell in her arms as Mother.
Little Mouse is a gray and white cat sitting on the shelf in the cupboard.
Diddiwam is a white cat playing in a paper bag.
She mentions that Tiddler is on the coffee table and motions to it but there is no cat there. Finally she introduces a blue cat named Pickles in the fireplace.
Gill suggests they begin the wig fitting and Belle sets Mother down on the couch.
It looks as if Belle will be Gill’s next victim when Belle’s sister Sylvia (Doris Roberts) suddenly arrives. As Gill starts to argue with the women in order to extract himself from the situation, Little Mouse can still be seen in the cupboard behind them.
Final Mewsings: Rod Steiger makes cats nervous.
Many thanks to Mark Murton for letting us know about the cats in this film!
Relevant Links:
To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and Twitter.