As with a lot of Disney films from this time period, its genius is in the inspired casting of secondary characters. In That Darn Cat, these include Roddy McDowall as a duck hunting enthusiast who is attempting to date Patti's sister Ingrid, Ed Wynn as a local jeweller, and Tom Lowell as Patti's good-hearted but oblivious boyfriend, Canoe. The cast also includes the always excellent Elsa Lanchester (seen above) as Patti and Ingrid's nosy neighbour Mrs. MacDougall, who is convinced something fishy is going on and is determined to find out what it is. She attempts in various ways to spy on the two girls (whose parents are away on a trip) but is always stymied by her amusingly sarcastic husband, who wants her to mind her own business. The scene above occurs near the end of the film when Mrs. McDougall is sneaking around outside the Randall house, trying to see what's going on. Fed up, Mr. McDougall calls the police and tells them that there is a man dressed in woman's clothes prowling about the neighbourhood, peering in windows. A squad car is dispatched to investigate and when they see Mrs. McDougall peeping at one of the Randall's windows, the police think that they have their man, so to speak.
This image is from the 1965 Disney film That Darn Cat, which is a fun romp starring Hayley Mills and Dean Jones. Mills is Patti Randall, a young woman who suspects that her cat has come into contact with some criminals who have robbed a bank and kidnapped a teller. Jones is the earnest FBI agent who investigates her claims. The movie is actually adapted from a 1963 novel entitled Undercover Cat, and seems to follow the book's plot fairly closely. As with a lot of Disney films from this time period, its genius is in the inspired casting of secondary characters. In That Darn Cat, these include Roddy McDowall as a duck hunting enthusiast who is attempting to date Patti's sister Ingrid, Ed Wynn as a local jeweller, and Tom Lowell as Patti's good-hearted but oblivious boyfriend, Canoe. The cast also includes the always excellent Elsa Lanchester (seen above) as Patti and Ingrid's nosy neighbour Mrs. MacDougall, who is convinced something fishy is going on and is determined to find out what it is. She attempts in various ways to spy on the two girls (whose parents are away on a trip) but is always stymied by her amusingly sarcastic husband, who wants her to mind her own business. The scene above occurs near the end of the film when Mrs. McDougall is sneaking around outside the Randall house, trying to see what's going on. Fed up, Mr. McDougall calls the police and tells them that there is a man dressed in woman's clothes prowling about the neighbourhood, peering in windows. A squad car is dispatched to investigate and when they see Mrs. McDougall peeping at one of the Randall's windows, the police think that they have their man, so to speak.
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