Guadalupe (Gracita Morales, with her usual winks and distinctive voice) is an orphan girl who has been taken in since childhood by Eulalio (Erasmo Pascual) and Eufrasia (Matilde Muñoz Sampedro), who encourage her to steal and commit crimes. She refuses to become a petty criminal and, to avoid it, Guadalupe runs away. In a park, she is so hungry that she tricks some children into giving them a snack. The girl tries to live independently, but failures pile up, until she accidentally meets Nena (Mara Laso), a young woman from a good family, with whom she forms a sincere friendship. She becomes indispensable to the family, takes a job as a maid, and befriends the butler (Ángel Ter).
The story follows a simple, straightforward, and lightweight plot concerning an orphaned girl forced to steal until she runs away with her cat and canary. Driven by hunger, she enters the home of a wealthy woman who takes pity on her and hires her as a maid. Carlos Arniches's play of the same name has been adapted into three very different films. One is a silent film directed in 1926 by Antonio Calvache, starring Josefina Ochoa, Elena Salvador, and Fernando Díaz de Mendoza; and two other versions are sound films: one from 1943, considered the best, directed by Ramón Quadreny and starring Josita Hernán, Juan Espantaleón, and a young Fernando Fernán Gómez. The other, from 1962, is not as compelling as the previous one and merely recounts a series of incidents suffered by the protagonist, following Arniches's original work more or less faithfully.
In the feature film, only Gracita Morales stands out in the role of the young woman who decides to leave home in the company of a goldfinch and her inseparable cat. She was one of the most beloved Spanish actresses of all time. Her talent for comedy was enhanced by her distinctive and captivating voice; she was especially known for "Operación Mata-Hari" (1968), "Más bonita que ninguna" (1965), and "La chica del gato" (1964). Gracita Morales formed a popular duo with José Luis López Vázquez in films such as "Operación Mata-Hari," "Operación Cabaretera," "Sor Citroën," "Un vampiro para dos," and "Los Palomos." Her greatest success came with "Sor Citroën," where she played a very funny and touching nun. She was the sister of actors Ana María Morales and Pepito Morales, whom she sometimes portrayed in her films.
As with most comedies of the era, the film is notable for its large cast of supporting characters, the main source of fun being guessing which actor will appear in the next frame. Among them are Ángel Ter, María Laso, Gabriel Llopart, Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, Erasmo Pascual, Carmen Porcel, José Sepúlveda, Josefina Serratosa, Lola Lemos, Rufino Inglés, José Riesgo, and the ever-present supporting actor Xan das Bolas. Special mention goes to Antonio Vico, who is uncredited, for his brief appearance as a mute, gesticulating man, lending the film a comical and endearing quality.
The film was professionally directed, albeit unevenly, by Clemente Pamplona and has nothing particularly noteworthy about it. He was a craftsman who wrote and directed several films. Clemente began by writing propaganda films about the Spanish Civil War, such as *Cerca del cielo* (1951) and *Dos Caminos* (1953). His film debut was a thriller: Pasos de Angustia (1957), followed by others in a similar style such as Historia de un hombre (1961) and Kilometro 12 (1962). Other films included Farmacia de Guardia (1958), which weaves together various stories, and his great success for which he is best remembered: Don José, Pepe y Pepito (1959), based on the comedy by Ignacio Luca de Tena, and his most personal work, Historia de un hombre (1961), which combines realism and poetry. Rating for La Chica del gato: 4.5/10. Only recommended to fans of Gracita Morales, if there are any.
