by Brian H.

Directed by: William Wellman

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

Synopsis: Based on Owen Johnson’s “Lawrenceville Stories” books set at a private boy’s school in the 1890’s where young John Humperdink ‘Dink’ Stover (Dean Stockwell) learns life lessons as well as academics.

Kitty Cameo: When John is dropped off at the Lawrenceville School he encounters several boys sitting on the front steps. An older boy, ‘Tough’ McCarty (Darryl Hickman), is seated and holds a grey tabby kitten.

Since he is a new boy, the boys begin to give John bit of a razzing. McCarty stands up, still holding the kitten, then drops the cat down on a step.

McCarty introduces the other boys, Coffee Colored Angel (Alan Dinehart III), White Mountain Canary (David Bair), Polar Beckstein (Eddie LeRoy) and Cheyenne Baxter (Jerry Mickelsen) and orders John to bow to each boy. The cat is still lying on the step during this scene but does not appear again.

Final Mewsings: Cats don’t condone hazing.

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