by Mark Murton

Also Known As: Sweet Baby Charlie

Directed by: James Landis

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

Synopsis: A trio of teaching colleagues, Doris Page (Helen Hovey), Ed Stiles (Richard Alden), and Carl Oliver (Don Russell), are driving to Los Angeles for a Dodgers game. Experiencing car trouble they pull off into an old wrecking yard where they encounter a bloodthirsty psycho, Charlie Tibbs (Arch Hall Jr.), and his crazy girlfriend, Judy (Marilyn Manning).

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Finding the place seemingly deserted they start to explore and Carl enters the nearby dwelling. Seeing no-one, he is about to leave when a noise behind a curtained-off area attracts his attention. Approaching cautiously, he pulls the curtain aside to reveal a small tabby cat among the remains of a meal on the kitchen table. The cat immediately jumps down and runs off.

Going back outside, Carl encounters the cat again when it walks along the handrail in front of him.

Soon after this the trio have their first encounter with the sadistic Charlie and the cat is forgotten until Charlie has callously gunned down two motorcycle cops who happened to stop. Judy is kneeling by one of the dead cops having stolen his watch, at which point the cat appears and runs over the corpse into her arms. Look closely, as the actress appears to have some food in her left hand when the cat approaches.

Pleased to see the cat, Judy scoops it up to hug.

She also has food on her hand which the cat eats as she picks him up.

She carries the kitty over to show Charlie who is lounging in the trio’s car while Ed works under the hood. As she dances to music on the radio she set the cat down.

Final Mewsings: Cats know how to charm anyone, even sadists!

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