The Man from Dakota (1940)

Directed by: Leslie Fenton

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

Synopsis: During the Civil War, Union officers Lt. Oliver Clark (John Howard) and Sgt. ‘Bar’ Barstow (Wallace Beery) enlist the aid of a woman named Eugenia Sanford (Dolores Del Rio) to help them cross enemy lines to gather information.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): The trio come across what appears to be an empty house. Once inside they find more than they bargained for. Barstow goes upstairs and is trying on boots when a female black cat suddenly drops out of absolutely nowhere onto his shoulder, scaring him into falling off his chair. The cat scurries away but Barstow realizes a vase has broken which contains money. Barstow pockets the money and the calls to the cat.

The Man From Dakota - black cat dropping on Barstow Wallace Beery shoulder

The Man From Dakota - black cat jumping down from Barstow Wallace Beery shoulder

The Man From Dakota - black cat dropping on Barstow Wallace Beery shoulder animated gif

Later Barstow carries the cat downstairs, showing her to the others. “Look at the nice fat cat! Look at it! She’s crazy about me!”

The Man From Dakota - black cat being held by Barstow Wallace Beery with Clark John Howard and Eugenia Dolores Del Rio

The Man From Dakota - black cat on table with Barstow Wallace Beery Clark John Howard and Eugenia Dolores Del Rio

Barstow looks at the plans which Clark and Sanford have been working on while gathering food for his pockets. The cat seems more interested in the food than the plans.