That Darn Cat (1965) - G
Common Sense Note
Parents should know that, although younger kids will enjoy the cute cat's antics, the movie is way too long to hold their complete attention. That being said, there is no objectionable material here.
Families who watch this movie might discuss classic movies. Is this movie still funny, even though it was made in the 1960s? Where did you find yourself laughing? Did anything seem outdated to you -- or not make sense? Older kids may be interested in comparing and contrasting it with the remake.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Michael Scheinfeld
The kidnapping story is funny and suspenseful. The production values are typically top-notch Disney, featuring shiny Technicolor photography and a bouncy score that includes Bobby Darin singing the theme song.
In THAT DARN CAT, the delightful Hayley Mills stars as a young woman with an active imagination whose mischievous cat leads her into a kidnapping case. The lighthearted 1965 Disney hit also stars Dean Jones as an allergic FBI agent who sniffs around for clues, and features a first-rate supporting cast that will bring back fond memories for baby boomers.
D.C., a Siamese cat owned by Patti Randall (Mills), follows a bank robber back to his apartment, where he and his partner are holding a bank teller prisoner. Seeing the cat, the teller begins to scratch the world "help" on the back of her watch and attaches it to the cat's collar. Patti finds the message and brings it to Zeke Kelso (Dean Jones), an FBI agent who's then assigned to follow D.C., even though he's allergic to cats.
The FBI's first two attempts to trail the cat to the robbers' hideout end up as farcical fiascoes, but the third time is the charm. Using a transmitter hidden in its collar, D.C. leads the authorities to the thieves' apartment and Zeke arrests the crooks with the help of Patti and D.C.
Despite being overlong and leisurely paced, That Darn Cat is an amusing and enjoyable romp that will appeal to both adults and kids.
Hayley Mills was Disney's biggest child-star of the 1960s and it's easy to see why. Graduating to a teen role here after several movies playing a child, she's as bright, charming, and precocious as ever, while never taking herself too seriously. Dean Jones, who also starred in a string of Disney family films, demonstrates his deft touch as a light comedian as the bumbling Zeke. The supporting cast is stocked with familiar character actors who will bring a smile to the face of anyone who grew up in the '60s.
Director Robert Stevenson was also a longtime Disney associate (he made such classics as Mary Poppins and The Love Bug), and expertly mixes slapstick hijinks with mystery and suspense. The scenes in which the FBI try to tail D.C. through the neighborhood at night are very funny -- as the feline encounters angry dogs, runs through a drive-in movie theater (featuring a running-gag about the popularity of surfing movies at the time), and makes the G-men look more like the Keystone Kops.
The movie is definitely from an earlier, fantasized era when everyone was clean-cut, but it's good fun for the whole family (for contrast see the less-entertaining remake). If your family enjoys That Darn Cat, then check out some of Hayley Mills' other Disney hits, especially the original version of The Parent Trap, where she plays a dual role.
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual Content |
 |
|
||
ViolenceKidnapping is part of the plot, but it's treated humorously. |
|
|
||
Language |
|
|
||
Message |
|
|
||
Social Behavior |
 |
|
||
Commercialism |
|
|
||
Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco |
|
|
||
