Zotz! (1962)

Zotz! DVD

Columbia Pictures Corporation
Starring:
 Tom Poston, Margaret Dumont, Jim Backus
Directed by: William Castle

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

Synopsis: Prof. Jonathan Jones (Tom Poston), a soft-spoken professor of ancient language, has a mysterious coin come into his possession which endows him with supernatural powers, bringing chaos into his ordered life.

Cat Credits:  A cat appears twice in the theme song in cartoon form, even though the cat in the film is only in one scene.

Zotz! - cartoon cat with dog in credits

Zotz! - cartoon cat with mouse in credits

Kitty Cameo: In one scene Prof. Jones goes to a party held at the house of the University’s Dean Updike (Cecil Kellaway).  The Dean’s wife Persephone (Margaret Dumont) greets Professor Jones while holding a beautiful Siamese cat.

Zotz! - Siamese cat Hercules held by Margaret Dumont

The cat appears in part of the scene, being passed between Persephone and her husband, who asks the other to “Hold Hercules.”

Zotz! - Siamese cat Hercules held by Cecil Kallaway

Zotz! - Siamese cat Hercules handed by Margaret Dumont to Cecil Kellaway

Persephone also scolds her husband, saying his pipe smoke makes Hercules sick.

Zotz! - Siamese cat Hercules held by Cecil Kellaway with pipe

When Professor Kellgore (Jim Backus) comments about the cat, Dean Updike takes the opportunity to give him Hercules to hold.

Zotz! - Siamese cat Hercules held by Jim Backus

The cat is missing for most of the following moments when Professor Jones tells the Dean about the strange coin and its powers, hoping to prove his story by bringing out a cage of white mice on which he plans to demonstrate.  Unfortunately Professor Jones doesn’t realize he no longer has the coin in his possession and the white mice run amok, causing panic amongst the party-goers.  One man loses his toupee, which falls on a mouse and is dragged across the floor.  The toupee then chases Hercules into the cage which originally held the mice.

Zotz! - Siamese cat being chased into cage by wig animated gif

Final Mewsings: Cats gets frightened by wigged-out mice.


Relevant Links:

IMDb logo  tcmlogo  Amazon logo

To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on
Facebook and Twitter.


Share this with your cat and movie loving friends!