Ventriloquist Cat (1950)

Ventriloquist Cat poster

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Starring: Red Coffey, Bill Thompson
Directed by: Tex Avery

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

Synopsis: A cat (voiced by Red Coffey) finds a gadget which allows him to throw his voice and he uses it to pulls pranks on a bulldog (voiced by Bill Thompson).

Cartoon Cat: The cartoon begins by showing the black and white cat who is writing “I hate dogs” all over a fence.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat writing I Hate Dogs on fence

He accidentally writes “dogs” across the belly of a bulldog, causing the dog to chase him.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat accidentally writes on bulldog

The cat turns a corner then holds out some fruit for the dog to run into.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat holds up fruit for bulldog to run into

Hiding inside a crate the cat finds a little machine which claims to allow the user to throw their voice.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat finds voice throwing gadget

The cat tries it on a garbage can and it works perfectly.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat tries voice throwing gadget on garbage can

The cat then continually throws his voice, making “Meow! Meow!” come from various objects, like a bell. Once the dog investigates the place where the voice came from, the cat pulls a trick, like banging on the bell.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat hits bulldog in bell

Dynamite is involved in several of these pranks.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat lighting dynamite under pan

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat sending box up on balloon

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat sending lit dynamite up string

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat showing backside of bulldog blown away

The cat doesn’t even have to throw his voice, once just resorting to dropping a toaster on the dog’s head.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat dropping toaster

Hoping to fool the cat, the bulldog rents a female cat costume and lures the cat out of hiding.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat sees female cat and goes crazy animated gif

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat wooing bulldog disguised as female cat

The cat is understandably shocked to see it is not a femme fatale but the bulldog.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat shocked to see bulldog

The cat tricks a pack of dogs into thinking the female cat is real and the bulldog takes shelter on top of a telephone pole. But the dogs hear the cat laughing and meowing and confront him.

Ventriloquist Cat - black and white cat with mean dogs looking down