by Mark Murton

Directed by: Darcy Conyers

Cat Out Of The Bag Alert! This review contains a spoiler for this film.

Synopsis: Comic caper following gormless antiques seller Bertie Skidmore (Brian Rix) who gets caught up in his new boss’s forgery racket.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): After the death of his boss, Cecil (Ronald Shiner), Bertie marries the man’s widow Julie (Dora Bryan). Among their wedding gifts is a talking parrot which, when alone with Bertie, reveals itself to be the reincarnation of Cecil [I’m not making this up! Though sadly someone did]. With the Cecil parrot threatening to make his married life a misery Bertie determines to get rid of it as soon as possible. Worried by his increasingly erratic behaviour the members of his new family call the doctor.

After examining Bertie, doctor Vincent (Robertson Hare) declares he is suffering from dementia praecox and must be isolated for two days for his own protection. That night Bertie is consigned to the box room at the top of the house but as this is his wedding night he naturally wants to be with his bride and attempts to get to her bedroom without disturbing the rest of the family. He makes it down to the main landing but before he can locate Julie’s room her father, Victor (Leo Franklyn), opens the bedroom door to put out Whiskey, a tortoiseshell and white cat.

Whiskey runs along the corridor towards Bertie.

Bertie manages to avoid being seen, but Whiskey comes up to him and starts rubbing around him. The tickling of the cat’s fur causes Bertie to start laughing uncontrollably.

Eventually Whiskey moves off . . .

. . . and up the stairs towards Bertie’s room.

Despite several other scenes in the house, before and after this, this is the only scene with the cat in.

Final Mewsings: Cats are probably the only ones who are happy getting the bird.

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