Max Dugan Returns (1983)

Max Dugan Returns poster

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Starring: Marsha Mason, Jason Robards, Matthew Broderick
Directed by: Herbert Ross

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

Synopsis: Neil Simon penned this story about a widowed mother named Nora (Marsha Mason) who is raising her teenaged son Michael (Matthew Broderick) on a teacher’s salary when her estranged father, Max Dugan (Jason Robards) re-enters her life with a suitcase full of money.

Kitty Cameo: In the opening scenes Michael is waking his mother in the morning after she has been up grading test papers all night. She has an orange tabby cat on her lap when he shakes her awake.

Max Dugan Returns - Michael Matthew Broderick wakes up Nora Marsha Mason who has orange tabby cat on her lap

The cat attempts to nibble on one of the papers and she calls him dummy and swats him on the head with the papers. He understandably jumps down from her lap.

Max Dugan Returns - Nora Marsha Mason holds up papers with orange tabby cat on her lap

Max Dugan Returns - Nora Marsha Mason swats at orange tabby cat on her lap with papers

The cat is then seen eating from a bowl on the kitchen floor as the scene continues.

Max Dugan Returns - Nora Marsha Mason wiping up refrigerator spill with orange tabby cat eating from bowl on floor

The only other time the cat is seen is sitting with Max in the laundry room as he and Nora talk.

Max Dugan Returns - Max Dugan Jason Robards holding up papers with orange tabby cat sitting nearby

Max Dugan Returns - Max Dugan Jason Robards with orange tabby cat sitting nearby

Later in the film Max buys Michael a pedigree Great Dane named Plato. As Michael takes the dog outside we hear the cat screeching in the background, but the cat is not even mentioned again.

Max Dugan Returns - Max Dugan Jason Robards sitting next to orange tabby cat on bed