That Darn Cat!
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.02 You Save: $8.93 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of That Darn Cat!
Movie Review: "He's a sly old codger, an artful dodger, a scrounger unsurpassed..." (referring to the cat, of course, and not Ed Wynn)
Summary: 4 Stars
Forty years plus later, THAT DARN CAT! still holds up very well as a live action Disney movie. I saw it again recently, after not having seen it for many years, and it's just as entertaining and silly, although for the most part not so dumbed-down silly that it becomes aggravating. Based on the book UNDERCOVER CAT by the Gordons (That Darn Cat AKA Undercover Cat) and with the theme song sung by Bobby Darin, several things work to make this a fun flick. First and prominently, there's Hayley Mills, who spent a huge chunk of her teenhood making Disney movies (Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection), the classic PARENT TRAP (The Parent Trap (1961) and The Parent Trap II (1986): 2-Movie Collection (2-Disc Set)), In Search of the Castaways, Summer Magic, The Moon-Spinners). THAT DARN CAT! marks the end of 19-year-old Hayley Mills's Disney run, but she exits on a high note. To make up for her departure, lanky everyman Dean Jones makes his Disney debut and would go on to be the featured star in ensuing Disney pictures. In this movie Hayley is as warm and plucky as ever, and Dean brings his likeability and his talent for physical comedy. Both are terrific, someone in charge being wise enough to ensure enough screentime for these two to do their thing.
But it's also about the cat. At exactly 9pm the always ravenous blue-eyed Siamese cat D.C. (for Darn Cat!) goes on the prowl and makes his rounds, scavenging for food, getting into messes, getting the neighbors all ornery. But when D.C. comes home one evening wearing an expandable wristwatch with part of the word "Help" scratched on it, her teenaged owner Patti Randall (Mills) makes an improbable leap of logic: that the watch is somehow linked to the daring bank robberies and kidnapping so featured in all the newspapers. I guess back in the '60s one can just stroll into the FBI offices and walk out with an FBI guy, because this is exactly what Patti does. Except that the agent assigned, Zeke Kelso (Jones), happens to be highly allergic to cats.
There's a bit of anthropomorphism thrown in, with D.C. seemingly able to understand most of the conversations going on around him. And certainly D.C. is a clever cat, and there's almost a cartoon feel in how he outsmarts the local backyard mutt. We also get absurd shenanigans with Agent Kelso attempting to take the cat's pawprints and the FBI guys tasked with surveillance detail on D.C. But thankfully the cat doesn't monopolize the movie. And, except for Kelso's attempts to fingerprint D.C. (a scene which feels really contrived), the frankly farfetched plot developments generate the humor. The funniest sequence takes place in a drive-in theater as manager Mel Cooley chases down Kelso and the cat and has ungodly amounts of icky concession stand foods dumped on him. There's also a very vague stab at romance but that gives way in favor of getting the plot moving.
Incidental characters also provide comedy support and generally liven up the place, particularly Elsa Manchester and William Demarest as, respectively, the snoopy neighbor and her hearing-impaired husband. And, yes, the snoop gets her just desserts. Roddy McDowall plays a stuffed shirt who courts Patti's older sister; Ed Wynn shows up in one scene as a nervous jeweler; and Frank Gorshin (later, the Riddler in the Batman show) is interesting as a fidgety bank robber. A dichotomy regarding Gorshin's character is that while he's the one pushing to kill off the hostage bank teller, he's a big softie for cats. By the way, another element which elevates the film is that the bad guys aren't portrayed as bumbling types but rather as fairly smart ne-er-do-wells. They probably would've gotten away with their crimes... if not for That. Darn. Cat! And who plans for cats?
So I cut my teeth on Disney flicks and grew up on Hayley Mills and Dean Jones, Fred MacMurray and Kurt Russell. Hayley Mills was excellent in all of her Disney pictures, so I'm not too surprised that, although not as timeless as THE PARENT TRAP, THAT DARN CAT! decades later has managed to retain its magic and its watchability. Even the more sophisticated, more savvy kids of today will giggle themeselves silly at THAT DARN CAT! The only down side to this, really, is that we're still waiting for a dvd release with the original theatrical wide screen format. Why dole out the skimpy, Disney?
Movie Review: Funny Portions, but not Hayley Mills Best
Summary: 4 Stars
In the early 1960s Hayley Mills starred in six Disney movies, "Pollyanna" in 1960, "The Parent Trap" in 1961, "In Search of the Castaways" in 1962, "Summer Magic" in 1963, "The Moon-Spinners" in 1964, and this movie in 1965. In 1965 Hayley Mills was about 19 years old and her popularity was beginning to wane. Disney made a vane attempt in this movie to have Hayley appear hip, but instead she comes across as a bit ditzy and occasionally annoying. However, the other actors in this movie make this movie enjoyable and one to have for your collection.
Hayley Mills owns a cat by the name of DC, which is short for, you guessed it, Darn Cat. DC wanders about the neighborhood looking for handouts and whatever else pleases his feline heart. Recently the neighborhood had a bank robbery, and the bank robbers have disappeared, taking a teller hostage with them.
Early in the movie we see DC on his travels through the neighborhood, where he encounters, yep, you guessed again, the bank robbers and their hostage, Mrs. Margaret Miller (Grayson Hall). Mrs. Miller attempts to write "help" on the back of her watch, managing only a portion of the word, and then putting the watch around DC's neck.
After DC returns home Patti Randal (Hayley Mills) sees the watch, and hypothesizes that Mrs. Miller attempted to write "help" and was interrupted, but had the presence of mind to put the watch around DC's neck. She involves a host of FBI agents, lead by Agent Zeke Kelso, who is played by the Disney regular Dean Jones. Patti's efforts to keep the FBI on the case are continually by her ditzy behavior, which also threatens to annoy some viewers.
Involved in the shenanigans are Dorothy Provine as Patti's slightly older sister Ingrid, Roddy McDowell as Ingrid's car pool and love interest (in his mind) Gregory Benson, Elsa Lanchester as busy-body neighbor Kipp MacDougall and William Demerast as her long-suffering husband Wilbur, Ed Wynn as Mr. Hofstedder the jeweler, Tom Lowell as goofball moocher Canoe Henderson, and Neville Brand and Frank Gorshin as bank robbers Dan and Iggy.
The funniest parts of the movie revolve around the cat. DC is well-trained and in most cases is the most intelligent being in the movie. It is little wonder that the movie was named after the cat. Most of the characters that interact with the cat end up getting a lot of chuckles and laughs. The bank robbers are menacing, as anyone who is familiar with Neville Brand might imagine, but Iggy seems a bit clueless. The FBI ends up being made to look silly in this movie as well, particularly as they attempt to tail the cat, no pun intended.
The surprising part of this movie is that the bank robbers are planning to kill Mrs. Miller. Murder is rarely blatantly plotted in any Disney movie, and though this movie is a comedy and a bit goofball, I recommend this movie for children at least in elementary school because Neville Brand and Frank Gorshin may be a bit too scary for some children. Everything generally turns out okay in the end, as you might expect in a Disney movie, but Mrs. Miller's fears are real.
Hayley Mills has always been a favorite from the time I was a child, when I thought she was pretty and cool. However, of her six early Disney movies this one exploits her talents the least. In general her characters are intelligent and outgoing, and their observations often reflect our own or a position that we can often accept. In this movie Patti Randall is too goofy for me to identify with her. Even her sister Ingrid seems a bit too daffy. I think Disney should have made both characters more intelligent. I should note that the later remake did make the lead character more intelligent, but that movie is not as clever and as funny as this movie is. Fortunately, the supporting characters are funny, and they make this movie well worth watching.
As with other Disney DVD releases, this movie is in full screen format, for reasons I am unable to understand. Admittedly the movie probably loses little by being in full screen, but when you have a wide screen television you prefer to make the most of the screen width.
"That Darn Cat" is somewhat dated, but I still enjoy watching it. You need this movie to make your Hayley Mills Disney movie collection complete. Also, Dean Jones fans will enjoy his character in this movie. Lastly, DC makes this movie. Indeed, DC may be the best actor in the movie.
Movie Review: That darn comedy!
Summary: 4 Stars
Back in the early heyday of Disney, they were pulling all the punches out on family entertainment, and this is a fine example of that legacy. Animation, documentaries, adventure, comedy, live action, musicals, country western, wildlife adventure, and this was for the movie screens. "That Darn Cat" just goes to show they could have been a well known studio for comedy angle alone.
Not only is this a fine comedy, but it's also a very good story.
A neighborhood cat wanders back to it's owner wearing a woman's wrist watch around it's neck, leading to the presumption it is a secret call for help, with the latest news reel announcing a kidnapping of a female bank teller being held hostage. This brings in the FBI, in the form of actor Dean Jones, a staple actor for Disney as well as Miss Haley Mills. This leads to a cat surveillance of the cat's normal routine wandering in hopes of it leading back to the residence of that wrist watch incident.
There are many many characters surrounding this investigation including landladies, nosy neighbors, confused friends, and reluctantly involved business people that harbor nearby. All involved in this comedy that should have been a drama from the extreme situation of kidnapping, but becomes a comedy because of That Darn Cat playing the straight man.
The drive-in movie sequence is the official stamp for incredible ideas that almost makes Disney a pioneer in comedy also. The cat, himself, should have been given a unique award for animal acting, as it is much more than a cat doing it's duty, but also exudes mounds of expression, demure, and cat timing. A real winner for the Disney studios!
Movie Review: LIFE OUTSIDE THE LITTER BOX
Summary: 4 Stars
It may be possible that children in 1965 had longer attention spans. THAT DARN CAT was a huge Disney hit, and with its almost two hours in length and it's by today's standards slow pacing, it's a wonder kids could sit through the whole movie without getting antsy. But, hey, I did back then and now as an adult, I still find the movie a charming family film. Disney ingenue Hayley Mills had one of her first "mature" roles in this film and she is delightful as always. Disney mainstay Dean Jones played the allergy-ridden FBI agent to the tee, and lovely Dorothy Provine was sharp as Hayley's older sister. Add a supporting cast of such stalwarts as Ed Wynn, Elsa Lanchester, William Demarest, Tom Lowell, and Roddy McDowall, and you have a highly entertaining fluffy entertainment. It was good seeing Dark Shadows Julia Hoffman (the late Grayson Hall) in the role of the kidnapped banker, and baddies Frank Gorshin and Neville Brand as the somewhat inept kidnappers. And of course, DC that darn cat, was perfect---no superhero abilities or talking cat, just a persnickety and sharp feline hero!Movie Review: Why, oh WHY is this FULL SCREEN???
Summary: 4 Stars
The movie is a delightful romp, with a cast of wonderfully talented actors. This was one of those transition films for Haley Mills, between childhood and adult. Dean Jones was great, and the supporting characters are just that - characters.
HOWEVER: This film was released to theaters in 1965, at a high point in the Disney studio history. It was shot in WIDESCREEN. Why is it now only available on DVD in full screen???
This is a FIVE STAR movie. I give it four stars, subtracting one for the full screen DVD format.