Zebra in the Kitchen

Was really taken aback by the number of people who recall it as their first movie.However weird and made up it may sound,it was one of my first movies as well.My friends had it on home video and I remember laughing hard and having a really good "childhood" time with my buddies.The memories are very faint,but there was some sequence where they show a big key or something.And its a miracle that I recall the name!Seeing the rating I guess the movie must be pretty crappy,but I would still buy the movie,even though my friends back then are only memories now.I have to see the movie now to make a more critical comment,but for now I just want to reminisce the memories...

Ivan Tors (creator of TV's "Seahunt," "Flipper," Gentle Ben," and "Daktari") produced and directed this effective family comedy. With a low budget, creative editing, a cast that included "Dennis the Menace's" Jay North and "Adam 12's" Martin Milner, and a Hollywood Animal Farm assortment of animals, Ivan Tors is able to create slap stick and a message out of a story about a boy (Jay North) and his pet cougar. When the boy's family must move to the city, his pet cougar is placed in the city zoo, a run-down out-dated collection of cages maintained by zookeeper Chill Wills and Zoo Vet Martin Milner. Soon North ends up working for the zoo, but unhappy with the way the animals are caged up, releases the animals onto the city. The animals really aren't very dangerous and cause a lot of mischief in people's backyards, houses, and shops. Watch for Marshall Thompson ("Daktari," "Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion") in a cameo.

Has some fleeting interest for cast trivia buffs: Robert Lowery looking rather handsome and Clark Gable-ish in his one scene as a big game hunter; Jon Lormer in his customary role as the judge; Percy Helton, Tris Coffin, Vince Barnett…

Of course the film is actually designed to appeal mainly to those juveniles who love animal antics. Alas, for all its wealth of animalia, it's shot in an extremely pedestrian style. Not only is every jest and gag situation milked thoroughly dry, but the obvious plot is unraveled at the pace of a tortoise. In addition, Tors employs a relentlessly close-up after close-up, television method of shooting and even falls back on such jaded devices as speeded-up action. There's even a long storyboard introduction with the words of the hokey title song displayed for our edification.

Unflatteringly photographed Martin Miller makes a rather wet hero. The girls don't impress either, while Andy Devine looks far too old even for a sinecure job as head keeper at the zoo. His fans, however, will be glad to find he has a major role, not a fleeting part or a cameo. Young Jay North registers mildly and occasionally even manages to surmount the impossible script.

Production values are firmly on the el cheapo side. As well as a bit of stock footage, Tors even treats us to a generous excerpt of Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel in their famous encounter with Lupe Velez in "Hollywood Party". This turns out to be the funniest scene in the whole movie!

I enjoyed this film very much. Jay North does a fine job as a child who has raised a mountain lion from birth but because he has to move with this family to the city, the mountain lion has to be put in a zoo that is poorly funded and with tiny cages. As a result, Jay North's character frees all the animals there 45 minutes into the film. The middle part then is more comedic as the animals enjoy their time away from the cages. Longtime character actor Andy Levine and Martin Milner are wonderful in their roles as the zoo caretaker and zoo director, respectively. Now zoos are more animal-friendly but when this film was made, many zoos were like jails with cramped cages and the rights of animals was an afterthought in zoos. This film enlightens the public in that regard and does so in an entertaining and heartfelt way.

Chris (Jay North) lives on a California ranch with his parents and two pets, a German Shepherd dog and a tamed mountain lion, Sunshine. However, one morning, his parents tell him that they are moving to the city, they can't turn a profit on the ranch. Talk about disappointment! Mostly, Chris is worried about Sunshine, who, unlike other big cats, doesn't know survival techniques. So, Chris sneaks him onto the trailer and takes him to their new home in Southern California. Almost immediately, Sunshine is discovered and taken to the local zoo, over Chris' zealous objections. When the young boy goes to visit, he sees the zoo is horridly small and the animals' cages are too confining. One of the nice zookeepers (Andy Devine) lets Chris work at the zoo, part time. Another zookeeper (Martin Milner) also has a caring heart and knows the zoo needs improvements but he can't convince the owners to put forth the dollars. Therefore, one day, Chris lets the animals loose, after a feeding, to make a point. Soon, zebras, chimps, a tiger, a lion, an ostrich and other animals are walking around town. Only the head zookeeper keeps the police from terminating the animals, asking for time to tranquilize the creatures and take them back. But, as the hours go by, will the zoo animals be saved and will Chris' misguided effort to improve the zoo bring results? This is a very nice family film, nearly unknown, but with a great cast of character actros and, naturally, a slightly older version of Dennis the Menace. North is enjoyable, as is the entire cast. Also wonderful are the animals, who put on a show to set everyone to knee-slapping fun. Just watch a chimp imitate a man watching Laurel and Hardy on television and you will be laughing, too. But, alas, there are a couple of problems. First, some evil boys throw lit cigars to the hippos, causing one to die. Nasty and unnecessary. Also, no one, no matter what the goal, should release wild and dangerous animals on the public. Its not a prank, so you and yours should discuss this during and after a watch. But, all in all, most folks of all ages will like this one and happily sing the catchy title song, too.