Levy-Gardner-Laven
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Lauren Hutton, Alice Ghostley
Directed by: Burt Reynolds

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

Synopsis: Gator McKlusky (Burt Reynolds) returns in this sequel to White Lightning.  A New York City agent (Jack Weston) coerces the newly liberated Gator to assist him in gathering evidence to indict Bama McCall (Jerry Reed), a small-town kingpin.

Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): Along the way, Gator starts to work with town reporter Aggie Maybank (Lauren Hutton).  She tells Gator that she knows a woman who has seen doctored tax records for McCall and they go to the woman’s house.  Aggie warns Gator that Emmeline Cavanaugh (Alice Ghostley) is a bit eccentric.  Once inside her home she talks a lot about her babies, two cats named Silver Bell and Red.  The cats are sitting on Aggie and Gator’s laps.

At one point Emmeline starts to sing and asks Gator if he doesn’t think the cat loved that.  Gator looks down at the cat sleeping in his lap and says sarcastically, “Yeah, he’s going crazy.”

Emmeline no longer works at the courthouse where she saw the records but she is so against McCall and the corrupt politician he’s working with that she stole the keys to the building, so they set out on a mission to get into the building after dark and copy the files.  Once they arrive at the courthouse, Emmeline refuses to go inside unless they bring her cats.  Aggie and Gator take the cats and start inside.

Gator carries Red and Aggie carries Silver Bell as they make their way down the darkened corridors, the cats meowing every so often.  Talk about a covert operation!

At one point Gator complains that Red is scratching him to pieces.  Emmeline insists that Red loves him.  As they move into a dark area the cat lets out a loud screech (all of the screeches are dubbed in).

They manage to find the huge books with the information they need and are about to copy them when an alarm sounds.  Emmeline and Aggie desperately gather the cats, which are screeching like crazy, and they make a run for it.

They get out of the building and later are able to pick up New York agent Irving Greenfield (Jack Weston).  Emmeline is seen sitting in the back seat with Irving as she holds Silver Bell in her lap.

They end up hiding out in a house owned by Aggie’s relative.  Red is seen laying on the table in one scene.

Later Gator and Aggie go to the store and Emmeline gives them a list which includes cat food.

Unfortunately while they are gone Emmeline carries Red in to Irving, saying she is thinking of renaming the cat after him.  As she walks away she is grabbed by one of McCall’s men and Red is dropped to the ground.  After some intense moments the men set the house on fire and Emmeline runs back in to save her babies.  There is a burst of flame and her screams and the cats are never seen, so it is never clear if they somehow escaped or died in the fire.

Final Mewsings: Many cat lovers would run back into a burning house for their babies.

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