Eclair American
Directed by: Émile Cohl

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

Synopsis: The only surviving entry into The Newlyweds animated films based on the comic strip by George McManus. The Newlyweds decide to have a portrait done of their Baby Snookums but the baby drives the painter half mad.

Cartoon Cat: A cat is sitting in the studio as the family gathers around the artist. Baby Snookums won’t stop crying because he wants to play with the cat.

The painter gives the cat to Baby Snookums in order to keep him quiet. Note the dialogue is of the broken English so often used by cartoonists of this era. Cohl’s unique transitions include the cat with musical notes appearing on its whiskers.

Unfortunately Baby Snookums pulls the cat’s tail.

Another odd transition shows the cat jumping into a giant meat grinder and turning into balls.

The cat runs away from Snookums, who cries harder.

The Newlyweds encourage the painter to bring back the cat, which has ducked under a bureau in another room. The painter manages to grab the cat by the tail and pull him out.

The painter gives the cat back to Baby Snookums and tells him to be good and don’t tease the cat.

But Baby Snookums can’t be good and keeps causing the cat grief. The cat must run away again and the father asks the painter to bring the cat back once more, but the painter has had enough and tells them to leave.

Final Mewsings: Cats should probably not hang around children’s portrait studios.

Relevant Links:

To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on
Facebook and Twitter.