Customer Reviews

That Darn Cat!

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Dean Jones and Hayley Mills star in this film about a teenage girl whose ornery cat becomes a surveillance tool for an FBI agent on the trail of two kidnappers. Unfortunately, Mills has to keep this a secret, which isn't easy seeing as how she has a sister who isn't exactly being cooperative (a hilarious performance by Dorothy Provine, in a much more assertive role than she usually plays) and a boyfriend named "Canoe" who thinks she's cheating on him. Add to that a snoopy next door neighbor and her virtually-deaf husband, played respectively by Elsa Lanchester and William DeMarest (they literally steal the show from the rest of the cast) and you've got a comedy that is full of belly laughs and able to withstand repeated viewings. If you're a big Hayley Mills fan, as I am, then this film will be fun for you regardless, but one of the other reasons I like this film so much is that it features many of the 60's TV show character actors: Neville Brand ("Laredo") and Frank Gorshin (the Riddler from "Batman") play the kidnappers, and Grayson Hall (Oscar Nominee for "The Night of the Iguana) plays their victim; plus there's a hilarious bit at a drive in with Richard Deacon (Mel Cooley from "Dick Van Dyke"). But by far the actors most deserving of attention are Elsa Lanchester and William DeMarest as Mills' next door neighbors - the scene at the end where Lanchester gets what's coming to her is worth the price of the video, plus some. One more comic bit worth noting: watch for Ed Wynn as a nervous jeweler (he's not on there long, but you'll be laughing the whole time he's on the screen). Great fun, arguably the most underrated Disney Comedy ever.

As of today, May 2, 2004, Disney's masterpiece, the original "That Darn Cat" has yet to be released on DVD.
I dont know what Disney is waiting for, but if enough of us request the DVD, it will be made available alot quicker. All you have to do is sign up to pre-order the DVD on Amazon.com when it becomes available.
You will get an email when the DVD finally comes out.
The movie is about a Beautiful Siamese Cat, named D.C. (Darn Cat).
D.C. and his owner, the cute Disney legend Hayley Mills find themselves up to their necks in crime, and chaos.
A woman has been kidnapped, and only D.C. and Hayley can help he police find her!
Dean Jones, another Disney legend, plays the special agent in charge of the kidnapped woman's case, and he is wonderful.
"That Darn Cat" is the epitome of a Disney Clasic film: A cute, charasmatic Animal as the star, plus some familiar faces in the supporting roles, mixed with the Disney comedy, action and overall fun that we have grown to love.
The late great Roddy McDowall, of "Planet of the Apes" fame, plays a great part in this movie as well.
They made a remake of "That Darn Cat' in 1997, and while it was good, it is not nearly as good as the original.
This original 1965 version of 'That Darn Cat" is the one with the Disney Magic that we all have grown used to.
This movie is full of comedy, action, suspense, intrigue, and most important, pure Disney fun.
You will definitely enjoy this movie, if you havent seen it yet. If you have seen it on video, then you know what I mean.
Hopefully, soon, Disney will release this movie on DVD, and when they do, trust me when I say that it will be a favorite of yours and your family for years and years to come.
So, come on Disney.....we are waiting. Please release "That Darn Cat" on DVD soon, so that a whole new generation can experience its wonder.

This DVD version of the movie looks great and is very enjoyable. Hayley Mills is her usual irrepressible self, and the supporting cast is top notch. The feline actor in particular! ;)

I don't quite understand the anger from some other reviewers about the fullscreen format. It didn't bother me at all. Disappointment I could understand, but this kind of vitriol? It's still a very watchable and enjoyable film for all ages, and I found it a refreshing change from the dumbed-down "kid's" movies they tend to make these days. Adults will enjoy the suspenseful story, retro style, and feline antics just as much as kids will. I'd skip the remake and get the original.

Absolutely fabulous! This movie can make you laugh 1000 times over! It's delicious. The actor's play is a masterpiece, something that is very rare in our days.The intrigue is perfectly balanced, and the storyscript is the work of a genius!If you want to laugh like you do when you were a child, this is your moment!

I've had this pre-ordered for over a year in hopes that Disney would get off their collective bottoms and release this movie.

So they finally release it and its Full Screen. I haven't watched it yet, but they probably just used the VHS master. I wasn't looking for a full blown restoration ala Mary Poppins, but a decent Anamorphic Widescreen release would've been nice.

One of my favorite movies, but Disney gets three stars for no widescreen version.

This is one of my favorite Hayley Mills films, a true Disney classic. Patti (Hayley Mills) has a mischievous Siamese cat named D.C. (Darn Cat) who inadvertently gets tied up with bank robbers and kidnappers when he slips into a house in which a bank teller (Grayson Hall of "Dark Shadows" fame) is being held hostage. The teller places her wristwatch around the cat's neck and Patti, noticing the strange "collar" when D.C. returns, brings it to the attention of FBI agent Zeke Kelso (Dean Jones). Unfortunately, he is highly allergic to, what else, cats. Although initially reluctant, Zeke finally agrees to Patti's zany scheme to have D.C.'s every move tracked until the feline-sleuth returns to the crooks' hideout where he got the wristwatch. Meanwhile, love is in the air when Zeke meets Patti's pretty older sister, Ingrid (Dorothy Provine). As always, with these 60's slapstick films, many wonderful older stars are on hand in the zany fun (terrific how older stars were honored alongside the younger set in this genre). The impressive supporting cast includes Frank Gorshin, Elsa Lanchester, Roddy McDowall, and Ed Wynn. Hayley Mills is delightful as ever -- spirited, spunky, and cute with her cool sixties hairbands and bob. Tom Lowell plays Patti's annoying surfer boyfriend, Canoe. To make the fun more perfect, the theme song is sung by Bobby Darin. Cowabunga! Purr-fect family fun and sixties purr-fection! A famous moment: the cat goes to the movies!

Many reviewers have discussed the hilarious aspects of this film, and I will focus instead on its chain of suspenseful events.

Will the bank-teller hostage complete the "Help" message on her watch before her captors see it? Will the watch around the cat's neck come off as he crawls through a narrow opening in the fence? Will anyone actually notice that the cat is wearing a wristwatch? If so, will it get noticed in time? Will the "Hel" scratched on the back be recognized as "Help"? Will the person who recognizes the watch choose to do something about it, or just ignore it?

Will the FBI realize the significance of the watch? Will it be possible to uniquely trace the watch to the victim? Will the chosen agent, who is allergic to cats and who dislikes them, be able to work with the informant cat? Will the cat actually go to the robbers' hideout? If it doesn't, will the FBI give up on this lead? Will the ruse done to get the FBI to continue the search be successful? Will the nosy neighbors and jealous boyfriend inadvertently ruin the entire rescue effort? Will the fire started by the hostage alert the authorities before it is too late? Will the FBI agents converge on the hideout apartment before the bank robbers murder their hostage? Will the cat-allergic spell that temporarily disables the gun-wielding FBI agent give the robbers another chance to murder their hostage and/or get away?

This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Yet, it is funny without being too silly. Dean Jones was excellent playing what is basically a straight man's role, with some of the other characters (including the cat) being the comedic stars.

The villains are very effective. You can tell from the beginning of the movie we are not dealing with typical comedy villains. One of them, played by Frank Gorshin (a year before he showed up as the Riddler in the Batman TV series). It creates the tension of a woman whose life is in danger, which is the set up for the story.

One of my all-time favorite scenes is where D. C. (for "Darn Cat") is playing with a butterfly in front of a drive thru movie camera. I find it funny . . . but then, I can picture a cat doing that.

This is a timeless comedy classic, and I highly recommend it for a good laugh. U also feel it is safe for children of all ages, though I always recommend parental involvement with any movie or TV series a child watches.

This movie is a crowd pleaser to this day! I show it as a special reward to my 2nd grade classes each year, and it is wonderful to see that a good, old-fashioned family film is enjoyable after 40+ years! They love the slapstick humor, and they like to complain about the nosy neighbor. Disney at its finest!

Young teenager Patti Randall (Hayley Mills) discovers that the Randall cat, D.C. which stands for Darn Cat, comes home one night wearing a wrist-watch around his neck. Scratched behind the watch are the letters 'H', 'E', and part of an 'L'. Patti's imagination runs away with her and she figures out that the letters were supposed to spell out the word "HELP"! Patti thinks that the watch belongs to a kidnapped teller, Margaret Miller (Grayson Hall). And she is correct! Ms. Miller had been kidnapped by two bank robbers Dan (Neville Brand) and Sammy (Frank Gorshin) and fearing for her life, had put the wristwatch on D.C. Luckily, Patti, ignoring her sister Ingrid's (Dorothy Provine) commands on not to call the police, instead calls the FBI and gets help from Agent Zeke Kelso (Dean Jones). From there starts a zany adventure in which Zeke Kelso has to follow D.C. to the crooks while fighting off nosy neighbors, jealous boyfriends, and D.C.'s disappearing maneuvers.

Based on the book "Undercover Cat" written by the Gordons, "That Darn Cat" is a Disney gem! For those who have read the book must be warned though that this movie is very different from the book, yet still hilarious and exciting! One of the best things about this movie though is that superb cast of stars! Everyone is perfect for their parts, from Hayley Mills the full-of-life Randall girl, Ingrid the serious sister, Dean Jones the allergic FBI agent, Roddy McDowall the short-tempered neighbor, Elsa Lanchester the nosy neighbor, her husband played by William Demarest, Tom Lowell as Canoe the jealous boyfriend, Ed Wynn the very nervous watch jeweler, and Richard Eastham as the FBI Supervisor. And of course we can't forget D.C. who is actually a very good actor! The title song is fun to listen to, very jazzy and sung by Bobby Darin.

If you still haven't seen this movie, I really recommend that you do! For other great Disney Hayley Mill's movies, I suggest you watch "The Parent Trap", "Pollyana", "The Moon Spinners", and "Summer Magic".