Celebrating one of Disney’s most hilarious and underrated classics.
I don’t think there was a better era for live-action Disney classics other than the 1960s. The decade known for defining the counter-culture never failed to bring forth some of the most enchanting and fun Disney offerings which have since gone on to become bona-fide classics. Titles such as Old Yeller, Mary Poppins, The Absent-Minded Professor and Swiss Family Robinson can each be considered the favorite of legions and legions of fans which have since spanned generations. These films brought forth solid box-office, won awards and have been re-made, given sequels and even been re-incarnated for the stage. If there’s one title which somehow escaped the moniker of classic (at least on the same level) as the above-mentioned films, it has to be 1965’s That Darn Cat!; a delightful and genuinely funny piece of entertainment that remains pure 60s Disney and which has since gotten lost in the “classics” shuffle.
In That Darn Cat!, bank robbers Iggy (Frank Gorshin) and Dan (Neville Brand) have just robbed the local bank of a Southern California city, taking with them teller Margaret Miller (Grayson Hall) as a hostage. When a precocious cat named D.C. follows Iggy home from the grocery store, Margaret takes the opportunity to scrape the word “help” on a wristwatch, slipping it around the cat’s neck and then setting him loose, hoping someone will discover it. That someone ends up being Patti Randall (Hayley Mills), D.C.’s owner, a carefree teenager who deduces who the watch belongs to. Despite the warnings from her older sister Ingrid (Dorothy Provine), Patti takes her suspicions to FBI Agent Zeke Kelso (Dean Jones), who is instructed to tail the cat in the hopes that he will eventually help crack the case.
Given its plot, That Darn Cat! isn’t short on moments of pure cheese, particularly in the moments when Zeke’s fellow agents are chasing D.C. around the neighborhood. However, such instances take a far back seat when compared to the film’s many other pleasures; the biggest of all being the comedy. This a truly hilarious movie! The cleverest part of the humor in That Darn Cat! is how it comes straight from the plot’s ridiculousness. There’s the running joke of Zeke being allergic to D.C., sneezing in every other scene, including the one when he’s in front of the bad guys. Zeke’s reaction to his assignment is also priceless: “You wish me to set up a surveillance on this uhh…informant; exactly as if we thought of him as a person,” he bewilderingly asks his superior (Richard Eastham) “Unless of course it works out better to think of him as a cat,” his boss replies. However the laughs really come when both Patti and Zeke begin to take the situation at hand seriously, beginning with the moment when the former doubts whether or not the latter can get D.C. to stay still for a paw print. “Miss Randall, I’m afraid you’ve underestimated me! We shall proceed with the paw printing,” Zeke determinedly says to Patti. Other elements, including the snoopiness of next door neighbor Mrs. McDougall (Elsa Lanchester) and a funny sequence at a drive-in which sees Zeke hopelessly chases after D.C. who wreaks hilarious havoc, adds to the experience. Yet the funniest part of That Darn Cat! is watching just how non-plussed the film’s main character is by everything that’s going on around him while all the humans themselves are marvelously on edge.
It’s just a tad bit sad to know that the film exists as a sort of underappreciated Disney classic, especially given That Darn Cat!’s many attributes. There’s the budding romance aspect which exists between Patti and her befuddled would-be surfer, sandwich-devouring beau Canoe (Tom Lowell) which provides a nice sub-plot and is responsible for the sweetness of the film’s final scene. More endearing though is the movie’s title theme song, featuring some of the Sherman Brothers’ (the studio’s top songwriters of all time) most winsome lyrics, which are magically brought to life by the legendary Bobby Darin. Also, the joy of seeing Batman’s Gorshin and Dark Shadows’s Hall act opposite each other is not lost on classic TV fans as they get to watch The Riddler kidnap Dr. Hoffman. Above all else however, That Darn Cat! just encompasses so much about what made live-action Disney incredibly fun back in the day. The film carries with it that particular joy, spirit and overall energy which makes a kid wish they could jump through the screen and take part in the fun of the world Disney was able to conjure up. It’s these traits which became the studio’s hallmark and That Darn Cat! offers plenty of them. The movie may be pure escapism and nothing else, but it’s well-made escapism brimming with the utmost optimism and care.
The performances from top to bottom make up plenty of That Darn Cat!’s potent charm, especially where the supporting cast is concerned. Lanchester is hilarious as the most entertainingly watchable nosy neighbor, while Roddy McDowell as Ingrid’s gentleman caller (and D.C.’s nemesis) has a blast, never once afraid of looking silly, which he does. Provine and Lowell get their own share of laughs while Ed Wynn enjoys a brief, but memorable role as a nervous jeweler.
Yet it’s Mills and Jones who carry the majority of the film’s weight, which they both prove equally capable of handling. Already considered the studio’s leading actress by that point, That Darn Cat! was the last film in Mills’s contract and she completely gave it her all, injecting Patti with a game spirit and the same winning personality which made her a beloved audience favorite. For his part, That Darn Cat! may have been Jones’s first Disney outing, yet it quickly established the affable persona and relatability which would become his trademark. Although the two would individually come to be known for the more cherished Disney classics The Parent Trap and The Love Bug, respectively, That Darn Cat! shows the two in the best of forms.
It may surprise many to know that That Darn Cat! was one of the top-grossing films of the year when released and would even end up receiving a Writer’s Guild Award nomination for its screenplay. Today the film proudly boasts a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is somewhat rare for a Disney family outing with such a laughable plot. The film’s legacy has even managed to survive a dreadful 1997 remake starring a miserable Christina Ricci and an unfortunate supporting turn from Jones, which went nowhere. That Darn Cat! might not be on the same level as other staples which bear the Disney name, but the film will forever remain one which will delight those who continue to discover it.
