Original Title: The Informers
Directed by: Ken Annakin
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Chief Inspector Johnnoe (Nigel Patrick) prefers using “snouts” (aka informers) to track down criminals but when one turns up dead his methods are called into question.
Purr Blurs: Johnnoe is on the trail of some bank robbers who are hiding out with a pet shop owner named Hymie (Bernard Goldman). He keeps many animals in cages behind his apartment and shop. One cage contains several kittens.
Kitty Cameo: Hymie enters his apartment holding a tabby cat. The robbers are getting frustrated with being cooped up there.
Purr Blurs: Tommy the Trotter (Donal Donnelly) is working with Charlie Ruskin (Colin Blakely), the brother of the “snout,” to find out who was the killer. He sees suspicious activity around Hymie’s place and looks around the back where a cat is sitting on one of the cages.
Johnoe’s wife, Mary (Catherine Woodville) visits Charlie’s scrap yard. As she enters, a white cat with markings and a luxuriously fluffy tail passes by.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Charlie Ruskin coerces Maisie (Margaret Whiting), the girlfriend of one of the criminals, to tell them who did the killing by telling her that a man named Lou (Kenneth J. Warren) has her son. After she confesses, Lou enters carrying a tabby cat.
Charlie locks up Johnnoe, Maisie and Shorty (Roy Kinnear) as he heads out to deal with the killer. They try to escape the room by pushing the key out of the lock, but it falls past the paper they had pushed under the door. Johnnoe then tries using a piece of cable to snag the key. The tabby cat which Lou previously carried inside spots the cable and is immediately intrigued.
The adorable cat starts to play with the cable, much to the frustration of Johnnoe.
The tabby peers under the door to see Johnnoe’s face.
As Johnnoe finally pulls the key beneath the door, the cat rolls over and purrs.
Final Mewsings: Cats enjoy taking part in suspenseful scenes!
Many thanks to Mark Murton for letting us know about the cats in this film.
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