House of Women (1962)

House of Women poster

Warner Bros.
Starring:
 Shirley Knight, Constance Ford, Drew Vigen
Directed by: Walter Doniger

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

Synopsis: The trials and tribulations of women prisoners who are allowed to keep their children in prison with them until the kids reach the age of three.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): One prisoner named Sophie (Constance Ford) has a little boy named Tommy (Drew Vigen). When she is put in solitary confinement for a violation, Tommy is kept in an adjacent dormitory with some other children. In one scene he is taking a nap in bed. An orange tabby cat is lying on the cot.

House of Women - orange tabby cat on boy's bed

The cat moves to the window and jumps out onto the fire escape, quickly scrambling up the steps to the roof.

House of Women - orange tabby cat jumps off bed, runs out window and up fire escape animated gif

Tommy wakes up and finds the cat gone and chases after him onto the fire escape. The cat is now on the roof and Tommy starts to climb up after him.

House of Women - orange tabby cat on roof steps

Sophie has just been released from confinement and enters the dorm to take Tommy when she sees he is gone. She calls for him and the child answers, so she is able to rescue him from the fire escape. But later in the film when the children have all been confined to the dormitory the scenario repeats itself. The cat is climbing the fire escape again. Tommy is following him.

House of Women - orange tabby cat climbing fire escape

Once on the roof the cat runs away and the boy follows.

House of Women - orange tabby cat on roof steps again

House of Women - orange tabby cat running across roof

The cat climbs onto the ledge and the boy follows, trying to pet him. The woman caring for the boy tries to reach him in time but he topples from the roof and dies, much to the horror of the inmates who have witnessed the accident, including Sophie herself.

House of Women - orange tabby cat walking on high ledge

House of Women - little boy Tommy Drew Vigen and orange tabby cat on high roof

House of Women - little boy Tommy Drew Vigen reaching for orange tabby cat on high roof ledge

House of Women - Tommy Drew Vigen falls from roof while trying to pet orange tabby cat on ledge animated gif

It is very possible that this is the cat team of Orangey fulfilling this role.

House of Women - orange tabby cat on bed

Final Mewsings: Cats can’t help it if they lure children to their doom.


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