User reviews

I just finished watching this film from 1961 as directed by William Witney on the Trio Channel. It's a quick paced film that according to the folks here at IMDB has a 65 minute run time. Trio put it in a 90 minute slot with a lot of commercials so that time seems about right. Anyway, I got a total kick out of the movie which featured a cool 60's "beatnik" type soundtrack and had a fella by the name of Jack Hogan in the lead. Fans of the 60's TV series COMBAT! will recognize Jack as the BAR toting William G. Kirby. A fun flick that I wouldn't mind seeing on DVD down the road and a very big favorite of Quentin Tarantino's. He's a big William Witney fan and he always thought the film was lost but Trio found it and also aired the trailer for the film afterwards. Good stuff.

The Cat Burglar starts off nice and strong as we enter in the midst of the cat burglar in action. The sequence is well done and engaging, from the direction, acting, and soundtrack, it's all working. It continues on fairly solid ground but by midpoint it starts to get slightly complicated and a bit cumbersome. Still the soundtrack is working and we do get some new and kind of interesting characters along the way. Despite some ebbing the pace remains fairly brisk and everything does seem to manage to coalesce toward the film's finish line. Overall, The Cat Burglar still manages to be kind of fun and worth checking out.

In Low-Rent Los Angeles (rent $9 per wk) that our Anti-Hero, Jack Hogan, has Trouble Paying, and is Badgered by a Mumbling Landlady (Billie Bird), becomes Involved by Happenstance in a Spy-Ring Moving Sensitive Documents.

The Papers were in a Briefcase of His Latest "Clout", an also Innocent June Kenney.

It's Her Boyfriend that's the Bad-Guy who Used Her to Unwittingly Procure the Papers.

Inspired by Sam Fuller's "Pickup on South Street" (1953), one Guesses.

The Movie Moves Along with an Initially "Cool Pink Pantherish" Score (Buddy Bergman), that is Used a bit too Much and Loses some of its Nifty.

The Digs are Low-Life, like a Pawn-Brokers Place, the Filthy Apt. Of an Obese Whino (Bruno DeSota), and the Obligatory Warehouse Climax that is Filmed with Some Style, as was the Opening, by Director William Whitney.

Produced by Roger Corman's Brother Gene, it has All the Ingredients that Make for Some Slumming by "Buffs", like a Young Quentin Tarantino, that Touts this Cheap Thrill with Gusto.

At 65 min. It Never Wears-Out Before it's Over and Overall is Above Average for its Type with some Hard-Boiled Fisticuffs, and a Feline Tie-In that's a Hoot.

Worth a Watch.

Directed with some style by the man Quentin Tarentino described "one of the greatest action directors in the history of the business", 'The Cat Burglar' perfect exemplifies the sort of film on which the young fellow misspent his youth consuming.

Produced by Roger Corman's brother Gene, who enlisted Corman regulars like Daniel Haller and scripted by actor Leo Gordon - who shows quite a capacity for quirkiness when one of the crooks vents his rage by snarling "You stupid insipid fool!!" and naming a landlady 'Mrs Prattle'.

In true Tarantino fashion the criminal fraternity are depicted as simple working stiffs. While the plot gets rather involved and the general tone is rather deadpan, Buddy Bergman's jazz score suggests otherwise.

A solid 65 minute noir drama. Everyone played their part with total professional gusto. These guys and gals have all been round the block many times, and put in a good day's work for a (presumably) modest day's pay. I was playing "guess the lookalike" all the way through. "Could that have been Lee Remick? How about that guy, Steve McQueen or maybe Paul Newman? Clint Walker type? And maybe Rock Hudson?" We had a cast of stalwart Hollywood working stiffs, some of whom achieved "a little" success, most of whom achieved "little" success (what a difference the indefinite article makes). Hats off to the stalwarts who didn't become mega stars, but nevertheless kept us entertained at the movies for years. Nevertheless this tightly scripted and well directed tale is worth an hour of your time. You can see nougats of later films blossoming here. A zippy sound track, riffing on "Fever" with basement jazz club arrangement drives the action along. No spoilers; does our anti-hero turn out to be the good guy? Or does he revert to type? Who gets the girl? Does crime ultimately pay? Watch this little gem to find out.

Jack Hogan is "The Cat Burglar" who steals the briefcase sexy blonde June Kenney (as Nan) is holding for her secretive suitor John Baer (as Alan). He is really out for her jewels, but picks up the briefcase as an afterthought. Unbeknownst, he has acquired a notebook filled with top secret spy formula doodling - the stuff men KILL, and DIE, for!

This film begins with fluid direction from William Witney, mirrored cat-like burgling by Mr. Hogan, and cool soundtrack music from Buddy Bregman. As the plot develops, the film unravels. The soundtrack becomes annoyingly repetitive. The characters get lost in a wildly illogical story; possibly the most incredible element is the bonding (love?) of the characters played by Mr. Hogan and Ms. Kenney. The players continue to try, however; and, the warehouse climax is nicely shot.

*** The Cat Burglar (1961) William Witney ~ Jack Hogan, June Kenney, John Baer

THE CAT BURGLAR is an hour long crime thriller that feels deservedly forgotten today. I wasn't sure if it was a Corman production or not but it certainly feels like one, minus that veneer of quality that Corman usually manages to add to his productions. The protagonist is an unscrupulous thief who finds himself in possession of some plans that bigwigs want back, and of course he's soon in a whole world of pain. This feels like an attempt to tell a 1940s-style film noir on a tiny budget, so it doesn't really work too well, but it is fun to see a production where the hero is so fallible and at risk from every angle.

Pretty good little programmer. Actor Hogan's sneak thief Jack Coley is no typical hero of the time— he steals, lies, and gets beaten up. But he is patriotic. Seems he steals from an unwitting courier (Kenney) hand-drawn diagrams for some important Soviet plans. Trouble is he doesn't know the significance of the notebook he steals, which came in a briefcase with his real target, a pile of jewels. So the diagrams end up lining a cat box! This sets off a chain reaction among the many players that goes from slum-dwellers in rags to guys in spiffy suits. The ending is shrewdly ambiguous given what's gone before.

I love the sleaze-ball parts, especially Ms Pray-tell, who's a landlady from heck. And that's along with Muskie (VeSota) looking like a toad that swallowed a beach-ball. Then there's the rat-trap rooms where Jimmy Hoffa may still be hiding. All totaled, these sets may have cost a buck-eighty. Anyway, Nan's (Kenney) a fetching innocent among the low-lifes, while Hogan at times resembles a darker Steve McQueen.

All in all, the 60-minutes manages some interesting touches, mainly from the pen of premier bad guy Leo Gordon working here as screenwriter. In some ways, not all (lighting), there's an over-leap here of 40's noir beyond the air- brushed 1950's to the '60's. Anyway, my advice is not to struggle with the many plot convolutions, but glam onto the characters, settings, and jazz score. The sum total may not be memorable, but it is worth it.

The titular thief, Jack Coley (Jack Hogan) finds himself in deep trouble after he steals a certain briefcase. Now, government types are involved, while Jack remains oblivious to just how valuable and dangerous the briefcase's contents are.

THE CAT BURGLAR takes us along with Jack's victim Nan Baker (June Kenney) as she desperately tries to track him down. Along the way, she encounters some pretty shady characters, two of whom are played by Bruno VeSota and Gene Roth!

This is an entertaining crime / espionage thriller complete with the requisite Mcguffin! It also boasts a cool jazz soundtrack...

No really the William Witney's style, trademark, he who was the best serial maker of all times. After the mid forties, he resumed his career with one hour films for Republic Pictures and some other Poverty Row companies. This little crime thriller is rather agreeable, never boring and production design very clean and sharp. But that's all, I prefered BONNIE PARKER STORY and STRANGER AT MY DOOR, from the same William Witney, but ten times more inspired. However, you have here Leo Gordon as screenwriter but unfortunately not as actor. I think it would have given more strength to this interesting little gem. Even Quentin Tarantino loved it.