Visit to a Small Planet (1960)

Starring: Orangey

Directed by: Norman Taurog

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

Synopsis: Kreton (Jerry Lewis) is an inquisitive and mischievous alien who defies his teacher by spending time on Earth to study mankind.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): When Kreton hovers above Earth he is spotted by Bob Mayberry (Gale Gordon) who is outside wearing an air raid helmet looking for UFOs. A ginger tabby cat is sitting on the wall nearby, also looking up into the sky.

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine on wall looking up with Bob Mayberry Gale Gordon

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine looking up at sky with Bob Mayberry Gale Gordon animated gif

The female cat’s name is Clementine (in the stage version the cat’s name is Rosemary) and she and Mayberry are neighbors to the Spelding family where Kreton eventually stays. The Speldings own a dog named Rags (played by canine actor Skippy) who is scared of Kreton at first but then befriends the alien. When Kreton comes home, Clementine is sitting on top of a lawn chair in the Spelding yard.

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine lawn chair as Kreton Jerry Lewis approaches

Kreton sits down and Clementine jumps down onto his shoulder. He greets the cat and sets it down on the grass, then asks what is the matter.

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine jumping down on Kreton Jerry Lewis shoulder

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine on Kreton Jerry Lewis shoulder

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine jumping down on Kreton Jerry Lewis shoulder animated gif

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine with Kreton Jerry Lewis

Kreton has the ability to let the animals talk, so Clementine complains that every day Rags bothers her. She calls Rags the Terror of Manassas, even though she is the one who hisses at him.

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine hissing

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine hissing at dog Rags Skippy with Kreton Jerry Lewis animated gif

When the animals refuse to shake hands, Kreton tells them to kiss and make up. “I won’t kiss him, but he can kiss me,” Clementine says sweetly.

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine and dog Rags Skippy with Kreton Jerry Lewis

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine

Rags licks Clementine’s face and continues to do so after Kreton walks away. “Dames. She really loves it,” Rags says.

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine being licked by dog Rags Skippy

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine being licked by dog Rags with Kreton Jerry Lewis

Visit to a Small Planet - tabby cat Orangey Clementine being licked by dog Rags Skippy animated gif

Behind the Scenes

The fact that the cat actor is Orangey and trained by Frank Inn is very obvious. The jump onto Jerry Lewis’ shoulder is a standard Orangey trick, as is the dog and cat licking each other, something that was later done on The Beverly Hillbillies (by then the cat also licked the dog.) As usual, different members of the Orangey team perform in the various shots performing the different actions required.

An article in the May 14, 1959 edition of the Brooklyn Daily heralded “Rhubarb” (one of the Orangey team’s many names) in his return to Paramount Pictures after landing the role. The article states “For his role Rhubarb is learning his thirty-first trick and his most arduous. He’s learning to play a love scene with a dog, in this case Skippy, lately recruited by Inn from the Los Angeles Animal Shelter for motion picture assignments.”