13 Frightened Girls! (1963)

13 Frightened Girls DVD

Columbia Pictures
Starring:
 Kathy Dunn, Murray Hamilton, Joyce Taylor, Hugh Marlowe
Directed by: William Castle

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

Synopsis: This film is an unusual mix of teen comedy, suspense and horror from the master of movie promotion gimnmicks, William Castle.  Candance “Candy” Hull (Kathy Dunn) is the daughter of an American diplomat.  But her father is also involved with espionage and Candy has a crush on one of his top agents, Wally Sanders (Murray Hamilton).  In order to help Wally with his work, Candy secretly begins using her position as an ambassador’s daughter to do her own spying, reporting in under the secret name “Kitten.”  But she finds herself in over her head when Kitten becomes one of the top agents on the foreign spies’ hit list!

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Candy owns a small white kitten which is seen in several scenes throughout the film.  It is this kitten which inspires Candy to use the code name “Kitten” and she signs her anonymous letters by using the kitten’s paw in ink to make a paw print.

Thirteen Frightened Girls kitten pawprint

The highlight of the film is a montage which shows the superimposed white kitten walking in front of a spinning globe and several cities from around the world, mewing throughout and then roaring at the end.

Thirteen Frightened Girls kitten roar

Kitty Cameo: When Candy suspects something suspicious in the home of her Chinese ambassador friend, she climbs into a dumbwaiter to follow up on some clues.  During the suspenseful ride down a Siamese cat leaps out of nowhere between floors, giving Candy a fright.

Thirteen Frightened Girls Siamese cat in dumbwaiter

Final Mewsings: Kittens do not bother spying themselves; they send young girls out to spy in their place.

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