by Ted Davis
Original Air Date: July 18, 1953
Directed by: Rudolph Cartier
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this episode!
Synopsis: The first episode of the six-part BBC TV serial introduces Professor Bernard Quatermass (Reginald Tate), iconoclastic scientist and the bane of the British scientific community, who is managing the progress of the first manned rocket into outer space with the help of his dedicated team of assistants. After an extended and unexplained loss of contact with the three man crew, the spaceship reenters Earth’s atmosphere and crash lands miles outside of London. Upon examination of the wreck, Quatermass is confronted with a bizarre conundrum — only one of the crew, Victor Carroon (Duncan Lamont), is found alive in the capsule. The other two members have mysteriously vanished!
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Elderly spinster Miss Wilde (Katie Johnson) and her meowing longhair tabby cat Henry, unseen in a basket, are rescued from her unsafe and damaged home by neighbor Len Matthews (Van Boolen) and a fireman (Colyn Davies). The gentle and fluttery old lady insists that her cat is saved before herself. Moments later, Henry is in Miss Wilde’s lap as she’s interviewed by a BBC radio reporter (Pat McGrath).
During the live interview, Miss Wilde proudly proclaims Henry’s bravery, but considering the cat’s plaintive meowing during the rescue, this assertion is debatable.
The reporter must have been a cat person as he reaches around Miss Wilde’s shoulder to sneak a little pat on Henry’s head.
Final Mewsings: Cats have also been known to mysteriously disappear and reappear.
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