Paramount Pictures
Starring: Bill Murray, Robert Mitchum, Maria Riva
Directed by: Richard Donner

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

Synopsis: An updated version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol finds TV executive Frank Cross (Bill Murray) visited by spirits who try to urge him to change his self-centered ways.

Cat Cattle Call: The network’s head man is Preston Rhinelander (Robert Mitchum) who in an early scene suggests that Frank think about programming specifically aimed at pets, especially cats. He suggests somehow including mice in the live worldwide telecast of Scrooge they are going to broadcast. On the night of the live show, Preston is sitting at home with his wife (Maria Riva). It is clear now why he was so interested in programming for cats, as the Rhinelanders own many of them.

The cats are placed all around the living room. A couple of white Angoras seem especially interested when the mice wearing tiny antlers appear on the TV screen.

When Frank bursts in on the live broadcast the Rhinelanders and the cats all seem surprised.

Implied Kitty Carnage Warning!  Preston calls the station to ask what’s happening and is told something shocking by Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldwaithe). In anger, Preston kicks out and we hear a cat screech, but the sound is superimposed and it doesn’t appear that he actually kicked anywhere near a cat.

During the end credits we see Mr. and Mrs. Rhinelander dancing with the cats in the background.

Final Mewsings: Cats watch TV, they just don’t fill out Nielson surveys.

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