L'Espion aux pattes de velours

This is probably about as good as the Disney comedies of the 50's and 60's get. I think one reason it works is that it doesn't exist in that goody-two-shoes world where many Disney films of the past took place. The crooks in this film are nasty guys, they steal, kidnap, and nearly beat and kill their female hostage. Not that that's a good thing, but it's certainly uncharacteristic for a Disney film. The script is also well written, the dialogue is, for the most part, believable. It does get a little too long toward the end though.

I wasn't expecting much more than some light disney badly acted time waster but this definitely has some things going for it.

Hayley Mills is the shining star of it all. Her energy and commitment to her character, which may well just be her being herself carries the movie all by itself. She's charming, interesting, clever and funny all at once.

Dean Jones is focused and interesting in his own way as were many of the characters.

The plot is secondary to their characters, it's not a nothing idea but it's not edge of your seat fare either, but that doesn't matter as it's just fun watching the actors do their thing.

The 2 baddies were surprising chilling, they obviously didn't get the memo this was a Disney movie. Frank Gorshin (AKA Mr Riddler) was quite scary, channeling any number of mob thug movies as was his partner in crime.

Roddy Mcdowell was creepy but performed his roll, and it was great to see Richard Eastham doing some fast comedy. There was a bit of that. Witty fast dialog.

Definitely not fluff, it was fun and funny.

This is one of those movies I saw in the theater as a kid. Simply put, it was hilarious. Maybe it was mob mentality, but virtually EVERYONE in the entire place was laughing uncontrollably throughout the entire film. We're talking a real side-splitter here, folks. I have never laughed so hard at a movie before or since, with the possible exception of another Disney film, "The Absent-Minded Professor" (1961) which I also saw in a theater.

So what makes a good film, anyhow? Fantastic acting? Great plot? Beautiful cinematography? Superb directing? Babes? Well, you can't say it had any of those things. But it DID set out to do what it attempted to do, which was: make people laugh. A lot. And that makes it, in my opinion, a pretty darn good movie.

The Siamese cat not only has the title role, he steals the film! The silly plot involves a couple of bumbling bank robbers (FRANK GORSHIN is one of them), who kidnap a woman from the bank who's able to signal for help by putting her wrist watch around the cat's neck. The cat belongs to HAYLEY MILLS, who picks up on the signal and then must convince the FBI to help her (and her cat) find the robbers in time to save the woman. DEAN JONES is the earnest but bumbling FBI man who decides to help Hayley.

All of the incidents surrounding the cat are deftly handled with a great deal of humor. ELSA LANCHESTER and WILLIAM DEMAREST are funny as snooping neighbors and RODDY McDOWALL and ED WYNN have some good moments too. But it's HAYLEY MILLS at her most appealing and "that darn cat" that really steal the show. The cat "DC" is simply amazingly natural and perhaps the most convincing member of the cast.

Summing up: One of the better Disney comedies during the '60s.

I sat down in 2021 to watch the 1965 movie "That Darn Cat!". And I just realized that this was actually my second time to watch the movie. As the movie progressed, I recalled having seen this movie in my childhood, though I had entirely forgotten about it. So this was a trip down memory lane for me, just as it was sitting down watching an old movie.

Now, I will say that "That Darn Cat!" really was surprisingly entertaining and enjoyable. And the fact that the movie is now 56 years old really doesn't play in here, because this movie is rather timeless.

Writers Gordon Gordon, Mildred Gordon and Bill Walsh definitely managed to write a very wholesome and entertaining story. "That Darn Cat!" is a movie that has an appeal with both young viewers and adults.

It should be mentioned that "That Darn Cat!" has a really interesting cast ensemble. With the likes of Dean Jones, Roddy McDowall and Frank Gorshin on the list, just to mention but a few. So you are in for quite a treat when you sit down to watch "That Darn Cat!".

If you haven't already seen "That Darn Cat!", then this is definitely a movie that I would warmly recommend that you take the time to sit down and watch, because it is very enjoyable and entertaining.

My rating of this old Disney movie lands on a seven out of ten stars.