One Track Mind (1962)

by Mark Murton

Directed by: George Harrison Marks

Cat Out Of The Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this film.

Synopsis: A young woman (Margaret Nolan in her film debut) returns home to her flat and proceeds to perform a striptease for an unseen audience.

Kitty Cameos: The woman’s disrobing is interspersed with shots of a man sitting in a chair getting very hot under the collar. At the end of the strip an on-screen caption informs us “This could have been a very suggestive picture . . . except that the young lady is in Flat 3 . . . ” She walks across the room to reveal that she has been performing her striptease to no-one other than her two Siamese cats.

One Track Mind - Margaret Nolan with two Siamese cats

Although the cats, as only cats can, appear completely indifferent to the whole thing.

The captions continue ” . . . and the gentleman is in Flat 4 . . . watching TV . . . ” [What he was watching on early evening TV in 1962 to get so worked up about is anyone’s guess!] As the man approaches the TV to turn it off, two Siamese cat statues can be seen on the floor.

One Track Mind - man turning off television with two Siamese cat statues beneath

A final caption asks “Now what were you thinking?” The film ends with close-ups of the woman cuddling one of the cats.

One Track Mind - close up of Margaret Nolan snuggling with Siamese cat

One Track Mind - close up of Margaret Nolan snuggling with Siamese cats animated gif

Behind the Scenes

This short film, along with many, many others of a similar nature, was made by the prolific George Harrison Marks who, in addition to producing his “glamour home movies” and associated magazines was also a cat lover who photographed cat for calendars and books for many years.

Indeed, his Wikipedia entry states “Marks’ cats remained a fixture of his studio and can be spotted scurrying about in several of the 8mm glamour films of the period, occasionally even appearing in prominent roles.”

Harrison Marks with fiancee Vivianne Warren holding Siamese cat — **Harrison Marks with a Siamese cat held by his fiancee Vivianne Warren**

In a lengthy interview for The Evening Post (Berkshire, England) on September 7, 1971, Marks told interviewer Linton Mitchell, “I’ve done a lot of cat photography — you probably didn’t know that, did you? I collaborated with Sir Compton Mackenzie on his book about cats once [CC: the book is titled Cat’s Company.] I took the pictures. Well, we had this big Press reception to launch the book. And I doubt if any of the people who attended it as guests, apart from the newspaper people, had heard of Harrison Marks, the Glamour photographer. They had come along to see Harrison Marks, the cat photographer.”

cover of book Cat's Company by Sir Compton Mackenzie

In another article for The People (London, England,) reporter Arthur Helliwell noted that Marks went from shooting celebrities to working ten-hour days photographing pin-ups and cats. “I prefer the cats,” Marks reportedly stated, “They’re not as temperamental as the girls. On the other hand, it’s the pin-ups that make the big money.”

In 1966 Marks directed and produced a pseudo-documentary about his life and work entitled The Naked World of Harrison Marks which includes a short section in which Marks talks about his work photographing cats.

The Naked World of Harrison Marks - sitting in chair with Siamese cat

There is also a comedic segment where Marks plays a man trying to get a tuxedo cat to sit still for a photograph. Comedy was often a trademark of Marks’ films.