Directed by: Joseph Pevney
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Tammy (Debbie Reynolds) is a girl from the Mississippi swamp who falls in love with a rich bachelor and finds herself a fish out of water when she goes to live in his mansion.
Featured Feline: The person who owns the mansion is Aunt Renie (Mildred Natwick), an aspiring painter. When Tammy wakes up the first morning after sleeping in Renie’s studio she is shocked at the sight of a scary cat painting.
Aunt Renie is a cat person, first appearing with a long-haired ginger tabby cat named Picasso draped around her shoulders.
She asks Tammy if she likes cats and Tammy says yes. Aunt Renie explains she has seven cats but has to keep them hidden because Mrs. Brent doesn’t like them. She must hide them very well because Picasso is the only cat we see throughout the film.
It’s interesting to note that while the cat actor is draped around Aunt Renie’s shoulders in this first scene he is licking her hand, indicating that something flavorful might have been placed there.
Aunt Renie is holding Picasso as she walks into Tammy’s room while Tammy is singing her now-famous song.
Tammy notices them behind her and stops singing but Aunt Renie encourages her to continue. Tammy does and even Picasso seems to enjoy the music.
Picasso is in the library while Mrs. Brent (Fay Wray) is cleaning and Professor Brent (Sidney Blackmer) is reading. Aunt Renie takes the cat from the library.
While talking to Tammy in the next room, Aunt Renie talks about the cleaning going on and actually uses Picasso to dust a spot on a small table!
Picasso appears in several scenes after this with Aunt Renie. He is on hand while Tammy tries on an old-fashioned dress.
Picasso also gets a close up, although a different cat actor is used than the one carried around by Aunt Renie.
Final Mewsings: Cats don’t appreciate being used as dust rags.
Many thanks to Brian for reminding us of the cat in this film!
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