That Darn Cat (1965)
116 mins | Comedy | 2 December 1965
Director:
Robert StevensonWriters:
Gordon Gordon, Mildred Gordon, Bill WalshCinematographer:
Edward ColmanEditor:
Cotton WarburtonProduction Designers:
Carroll Clark, William H. TuntkeProduction Company:
Walt Disney Productions
Referring to the project as Damn Cat, 15 Jan 1963 DV announced that Walt Disney Productions had purchased screen rights to Undercover Cat, a crime fiction novel by husband and wife Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon, which was set to be published later that year. The feline protagonist, “Pancho,” was monikered “Damn Cat” in the book, and DV rumored that Disney would most likely change the film title to Darn Cat. Just over six months later, a 29 Jul 1964 DV news item reported that British child actress Hayley Mills was preparing to begin pre-production for That Darn Cat on 1 Sep 1964. The film marked her sixth picture for Disney.
Principal photography began 12 Oct 1964, according to a 14 Oct 1964 Var listing, but a conflicting Var production chart two days later indicated that the filming start date had been pushed back to 19 Oct 1964. That date was confirmed in an 11 Nov 1964 Var article, which stated that shooting was currently underway at Disney soundstages in Burbank, CA. The picture had a forty-week production schedule, and was budgeted at over $1 million. The Siamese feline star, “Syn Cat,” was reportedly trained by William R. Koehler for over three months before filming began. Syn Cat was previously credited with the starring role of “Tao” in Disney’s The Incredible Journey (1963, see entry), but was not listed onscreen in That Darn Cat. A 3 Dec 1964 LAT article noted that production was nearing ...
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Referring to the project as Damn Cat, 15 Jan 1963 DV announced that Walt Disney Productions had purchased screen rights to Undercover Cat, a crime fiction novel by husband and wife Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon, which was set to be published later that year. The feline protagonist, “Pancho,” was monikered “Damn Cat” in the book, and DV rumored that Disney would most likely change the film title to Darn Cat. Just over six months later, a 29 Jul 1964 DV news item reported that British child actress Hayley Mills was preparing to begin pre-production for That Darn Cat on 1 Sep 1964. The film marked her sixth picture for Disney.
Principal photography began 12 Oct 1964, according to a 14 Oct 1964 Var listing, but a conflicting Var production chart two days later indicated that the filming start date had been pushed back to 19 Oct 1964. That date was confirmed in an 11 Nov 1964 Var article, which stated that shooting was currently underway at Disney soundstages in Burbank, CA. The picture had a forty-week production schedule, and was budgeted at over $1 million. The Siamese feline star, “Syn Cat,” was reportedly trained by William R. Koehler for over three months before filming began. Syn Cat was previously credited with the starring role of “Tao” in Disney’s The Incredible Journey (1963, see entry), but was not listed onscreen in That Darn Cat. A 3 Dec 1964 LAT article noted that production was nearing conclusion for the human actors, but eighteen cats were scheduled to remain on set until Jun 1965, with each animal performing a separate stunt.
Disney released a remake in 1997.
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Darn Cat
Two sisters, Ingrid and Patti Randall, are temporarily alone in their suburban home with "That Darn Cat," nicknamed DC. At night, DC roams free, courting a female cat and following Iggy, who carries a piece of salmon. Iggy and Dan, two bank robbers, are holding Margaret Miller hostage while hiding from the police. Iggy decides to let DC in and feed him; and while DC is in the apartment, Margaret takes off his collar and substitutes her watch scratched with the word "Help." At the Randalls, Patti spends the evening with her boyfriend, Canoe, and Ingrid accepts a dinner invitation from Gregory Benson, an accountant whom she does not like. When DC steals the dinner, Gregory threatens to shoot him. Patti finds Margaret's watch and wants to call the police, but Ingrid forbids it, so Patti calls the FBI. Supervisor Newton assigns Zeke Kelso to the case, and Kelso assigns three agents to tail DC, but the cat eludes them. Meanwhile, all the action at the Randall house is watched by Mrs. MacDougall, a snoopy neighbor. With a bugging device implanted in his collar, DC leads Zeke into a chase at a drive-in movie and through Gregory's backyard, where Gregory shoots at them. Later Gregory finds Ingrid and Zeke alone together and breaks up with Ingrid. On the third night of being tailed, DC is followed by Zeke, Patti, Canoe, and Mrs. MacDougall. Patti and Zeke rescue Margaret, and the next day DC visits his mate and their new litter of ... + −
Two sisters, Ingrid and Patti Randall, are temporarily alone in their suburban home with "That Darn Cat," nicknamed DC. At night, DC roams free, courting a female cat and following Iggy, who carries a piece of salmon. Iggy and Dan, two bank robbers, are holding Margaret Miller hostage while hiding from the police. Iggy decides to let DC in and feed him; and while DC is in the apartment, Margaret takes off his collar and substitutes her watch scratched with the word "Help." At the Randalls, Patti spends the evening with her boyfriend, Canoe, and Ingrid accepts a dinner invitation from Gregory Benson, an accountant whom she does not like. When DC steals the dinner, Gregory threatens to shoot him. Patti finds Margaret's watch and wants to call the police, but Ingrid forbids it, so Patti calls the FBI. Supervisor Newton assigns Zeke Kelso to the case, and Kelso assigns three agents to tail DC, but the cat eludes them. Meanwhile, all the action at the Randall house is watched by Mrs. MacDougall, a snoopy neighbor. With a bugging device implanted in his collar, DC leads Zeke into a chase at a drive-in movie and through Gregory's backyard, where Gregory shoots at them. Later Gregory finds Ingrid and Zeke alone together and breaks up with Ingrid. On the third night of being tailed, DC is followed by Zeke, Patti, Canoe, and Mrs. MacDougall. Patti and Zeke rescue Margaret, and the next day DC visits his mate and their new litter of kittens. + −
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