by Ted Davis
Directed by: Benjamin Stoloff
This review contains a Mild Kitty Carnage Warning!
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: When Uncle Otto Schmidt (Charles Winninger) loses control of the costume store he’s owned for twenty years, soft-hearted new proprietor Richard Carlson (Stanley Smith) is smitten by Otto’s wholesome blonde niece Louise (Lucile Browne), and maneuvers behind the scenes to return the shop to the unhappy uncle. This noisy comedy from the early sound era contains the first film appearance of Ted Healy and His Stooges and was written by cartoonist Rube Goldberg.
Kitty Cameo (with Mild Kitty Carnage Warning!): An unhappy white cat is tied by his tail as part of a complicated Rube Goldberg burglar alarm contraption. The alarm is previewed early in the movie . . .
. . . and is later triggered when Uncle Otto sneaks into the shop. After Otto is booted out of the window and falls down the slide, he’s shifted to a rapidly spinning platform, which attracts the cat. Once the cat moves out of position, the guide rope releases a watering can over Louise’s bed, which drenches and awakens her.
Final Mewsings: Cats are thrilled that burglar alarms have evolved from cat-dependent Rube Goldberg gizmos.
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