The Gordons wrote an excellent screenplay based on their novel, "Undercover Cat", but after viewing the original release print produced by Ron Miller, Disney executives thought it was (1) too short and (2) that it could be improved and have far more box-office power if it was spun out with a large number of extra scenes, featuring a vast array of guest "stars". The Gordons either refused or were not offered this opportunity, so Walt Disney handed the assignment over to his close friend, Bill Walsh, who was also asked to produce, replacing Ron Miller. Little effort was made to disguise the seams. For this and other reasons – too violent, far too drawn out, too much pandering to teenagers – this is not one of Disney's best live-action movies, even though "That Darn Cat!" tries to be all things to all viewers. And anyway, at 116 minutes, it's somewhat too long for the kids. It's also, as said above, far too violent. Yet, on the other hand, it's too nonsensical for adults to take seriously. Most of the actors overplay their roles. Some, like Bill Demarest, Roddy McDowall and Elsa Lanchester do it all the time. Others like Hayley Mills, Dorothy Provine and Dean Jones do it only half the time. Best performance comes from Neville Brand who makes a really hideous villain, guaranteed to shed a year's growth from any under- twelves (or even sensitive early teenagers) who are unlucky enough to come into contact with this movie. Available on an excellent Disney DVD.

That Darn Cat! is out of Disney Productions and directed by Robert Stevenson. Collectively written by Bill Walsh and The Gordons (Mildred & Gordon), it stars Hayley Mills, Dean Jones, Dorothy Provine, Roddy McDowall, Neville Brand and Frank Gorshin. Music is by Robert F. Brunner and cinematography by Edward Colman.When DC the Siamese cat is found to have a watch around his neck, one of his owners, Pattii Randall (Mills), alerts the FBI to the possibility it's a clue to a recent kidnapping. Cue much malarkey as humans and cat try to solve the crime whilst staying one step/paw ahead of the criminals...Utterly harmless fluff from the House of the Mouse, That Darn Cat! is basically a live action cartoon. Away from the wonderful cat(s) performance - and the skillful capturing of said cat(s) reactions to situations - there's no great technical genius here. Nothing wrong with that, this is good old fashioned entertainment for the kids to chuckle along with and for the adults to smile at. Yes some of the performances are twee or precious, and the story is silly, but it's honest family fare that's also boosted by Ed Wynn and Elsa Lanchester in secondary support slots. 6.5/10

Anything I write about this title must be considered biased by the fact that I like seeing cats in movies! And the cat in this one was absolutely great! A great cat-actor and shot great in some excellent realistic alley-prowling scenes. Don't get me wrong, it's not documentary realism, but live action "Top Cat".The very fact that a movie was made with a real live cat as it's ( near ) central character is in itself something I find amazing. But the movie as a whole is very entertaining. Hayley Mills is pleasantly incongruous in the American setting. I'm glad that she only used a slight American accent in one of the early scenes and then dropped it. It amused me greatly to look at the baby-faced actress and think "thats the mum of Kula Shakers front-man" ( if I'm not mistaken ). When she put her glasses on she appeared to become the prototype of the brainy girl in Scooby Doo.Dean Jones is almost a cartoon stereotype of the variety of sharp-suited young man that I think must by now be long extinct. His clash of cool and bumbling is perfectly pitched to seem both natural and comical."Canoe" is a beautiful caricature of another variety of "hep cat" long gone. I didn't even realise that at one time it was cool for a young man to smoke a pipe! So the movie works as social-history as well!The side-story about the nosey neighbour is gently hilarious. Especially when a cop, told she's a man, tells her "You shouldn't dress as a woman, you don't have the face for it." Frank Gorshin is spot on as a dim-witted hood.The dog was excellent.However, the whole point of the movie is that darn cat! Does anyone know if he appeared in any other titles?

I hadn't seen this movie in 30 years when my kids decided to rent it the other night! The cast is classic, from The Riddler(Batman), to Roddy McDowell, to Uncle Charlie(My Three Sons). And of course, Dean Jones and Haley Mills. It's one of those timeless, goofy Disney comedy classics that stands in a kitsch class of it's own! Ya gotta see it again!YMMV if you're a tweener at this point (too mature for it's cornball silliness, and too young to be nostalgic!)