The Ghost of St. Michael's (1941)

Directed by: Marcel Varnel

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: School teacher Will Lamb (Will Hay) is hired to work in a haunted Scottish school whose ghost heralds the death of each faculty member by sounding bagpipes.

Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): Late in the film, Lamb and student Percy Thorne (Charles Hawtrey) are trying to locate the source of the bagpipes. They hurry to a roof area where they can hear a strange wailing. It turns out to be a black cat growling at a white cat. “It’s only Antony and Cleopatra!” Percy exclaims. If this is indeed the cats’ names, Cleopatra would be the black cat and Antony the white.

The Ghost of St. Michael's - black cat and white cat Antony and Cleopatra on roof

Lamb shooes the cats away. When the bagpipes begin again, Lamb states, “Well, if it’s those cats again they’re meowing in tune this time!”

The Ghost of St. Michael's - black cat and white cat Antony and Cleopatra looking startled on roof

The Ghost of St. Michael's - Percy Charles Hawtry watching as Lamb Will Hay scares black cat Cleopatra and white cat Antony from roof animated gif

Fellow teacher Hilary Teasdale (Claude Hulbert), who is wearing a suit of armor, joins them. Eventually the trio find themselves trapped in a room where the ceiling is slowly lowering upon them. In the middle of their plight, the black cat drops in from a grating above.

The Ghost of St. Michael's - black cat Cleopatra dropping into shrinking room with Lamb Will Hay Percy Charles Hawtry and Teasdale Claude Hulbert

The Ghost of St. Michael's - black cat Cleopatra in shrinking room with Lamb Will Hay Percy Charles Hawtry and Teasdale Claude Hulbert

Lamb grabs the cat, complaining there’s no room for her, but Percy insists the cat is good luck and gets the idea that she might save them. The cat actor is panting in this scene, clearly distressed and scared. This is likely because the human actors are in character acting anxious, as well as speaking at breakneck speed.

The Ghost of St. Michael's - nervous black cat Cleopatra being grabbed by Lamb Will Hay

“We can give her a message!” Percy suggests. “Well, how do we know she won’t forget what we tell her?” Lamb asks. “We can write it down,” Teasdale says. “Don’t be silly, she can’t read,” Lamb points out.

Percy explains they can attach a message to the cat and send her out for the students to find. Using Lamb’s collar, they write the message. Teasdale is holding the cat as best as he can in the armor, but she is restless in his arms. “Hurry up!” Teasdale urges. “Well try and say something to her, keep her interested,” Lamb says. “Hello, Pussy, how are you?” Teasdale asks the anxious cat.