Columbia Pictures Corporation
Starring: Margaret Sullavan, Natalie Wood, Wendell Corey
Directed by: Rudolph Maté

Cat Out of the Bag Alert!  This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Mary Scott (Margaret Sullavan) learns she is dying from cancer but withholds the information from her husband Brad (Wendell Corey) and her daughter Polly (Natalie Wood).

Featured Feline: At the beginning of the film the Scott’s home is seen in the morning.  A black cat with a white spot on his nose is seen licking the top of a milk bottle on the family’s front porch (it should be noted that the white spot appears to be painted on).

Mary comes out for the milk and picks up the cat, suggesting that Horace have his breakfast inside.  She takes the cat in with her.

Mary stops at a mirror by the front door and notes that she looks like she has spent all night out instead of Horace.  Mary then deposits Horace in the kitchen, as her daughter, Polly, asks why Horace stays out all night.

Later in the film Polly is sitting on one of her parents’ beds (this was the age of twin beds in movies) reading the Cheshire Cat segment of Alice in Wonderland to Horace.  Horace is licking himself throughout the scene and may have had something rubbed on his fur to keep him occupied.

Polly doesn’t understand how a cat can disappear but his grin remain.  Mary asks Polly what she would remember the most about Horace is he were to vanish and Polly answers “The white spot on his face.”

Later Polly states, “But if Horace were to vanish he’d be dead, wouldn’t he mother?”  Mary reminds her that she wouldn’t forget the white spot on his face or the way she feels about him.

Polly hugs the cat as Mary and Brad prepare to go out for the evening.

Brad goes to kiss his daughter and Polly pushes the cat towards him for a kiss as well.

Horace is next seen sitting on the front lawn when Brad drops Mary off on New Year’s Eve before taking his co-worker Chris (Viveca Lindfors) home.

Chris wishes her a Happy New Year in Czech.  Mary repeats it as the car drives on, then she turns and stoops down to pet Horace, wishing him Happy New Year in Czech as well.  It would appear the cat actor was somehow tethered so he couldn’t move very far.

Horace is not seen again in the film, although he is mentioned several times since he turns out to be a she and surprises the family with a litter of kittens which are also never seen.

Final Mewsings: People seemed to be pretty bad at determining the sex of their cats in the past.

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