MovieChat Forums > That Darn Cat! (1965) Discussion > Why is this movie so overlooked?

Why is this movie so overlooked?


I think I know only one other person who has seen it. Usually, when I mention it, people think I'm talking about the remake. It's a shame, 'cause the original is a lot better.

"We're gonna do what Luke Skywalker was too afraid to do: use the dark side to our advantage."

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Probably because its stars, Hayley Mills and Dean Jones, were very well-known then, very famous. For those of us who grew up in the 1960's, Disney movies were funny, safe to watch, a Saturday-morning staple at the movie theater.

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"I think I know only one other person who has seen it. Usually, when I mention it, people think I'm talking about the remake. It's a shame, 'cause the original is a lot better. "

I always ask if it's the original whenever someone brings up "That Darn Cat", because I thought the remake was awful. I'm also disappointed that the rating on imdb for this film is a 6.5 Seems that a lot of people don't like the classic Disney live-action films as much as I do. Shame. Haily Mills is such a great actress!

"...It keeps them drinking that glass of water but never really tasting it"

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This film is like the perfect family film! It's hilarious and really entertaining! Plus, watching it now, it captures the feel of the 1960's perfectly, which is kind of fun to see!

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I had no idea there even was a remake.
This is one of my absolute favorite old movies!

Darn right I'm good in bed, I can sleep for days!

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It's more than a good family film. I had a classic movie night for my birthday and my college friends and I watched this and liked it.

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Great mood too.

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I just saw this tonight with Netflix. My replies are usually years after the original so surprise! OP. That DC can be charming for sure. I laughed out loud on several occasions at all the characters except Dean Jones and Haley Mills whom I like fine. The Gordons??? just didn't write hilarious lines for those two. The other characters got material they could work into bronze or silver (if not gold) the way Mary Wickes (not in the film) does with faces and vocal inflection. For the first 15 minutes I was enjoying it for exactly what its fans love. I said to myself, "HUh, why just 6.5?" Love the sneaky music --jazz flute and the brushes/percussion. I fast forwarded through a lot of it to hit the main plots points. I recommend it though for nostalgia, to see Elsa, Roddy, Ed, Neville, and William D. whom did I forget? Tom Lowell was nifty too. Maybe if Haley were scatter brained.

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I think so to. this one is 1000 times better then the remake. That why i got this one on dvd, and not the one from 1997

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The remake could be their worst remake ever...

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It seems like everytime a movie is loved they think they should remake it and then do a crappy job of it. The original That Darn Cat did not need to be remade. They should have just given it a big fanfare re-release.

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It's very overlooked yes. It's a shame really.

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Don't know why Disney tought they needed to do Remakes of their Classics. For what its worth this movie has stood the Test of time. But then any movie with Halie Mills deserves a Second look. I am also old enough to enjoy seeing other fine actors that cover the history of Movies. From Ed Wynn and Elsa Lanchester.

This sonic transducer is I suppose some kind of audio-vibratory-physio-molecular transport device

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It's a great film, made during Disney's golden age when Walt was still alive and had a say in all the studio's projects. I saw it for the first time in the mid-80s, back when The Disney Channel showed classic cartoons and movies and catered to every age group -- not just to teeny-boppers like they do now.

I teach in a public school, and this is a movie I show every year in my classes, which range from elementary to high school. The film is enjoyed by pretty much all of the students, regardless of age.

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It's a great film, made during Disney's golden age when Walt was still alive and had a say in all the studio's projects. I saw it for the first time in the mid-80s, back when The Disney Channel showed classic cartoons and movies and catered to every age group -- not just to teeny-boppers like they do now.


I just rewatched it and have to disagree. I hadn't seen it for forty+ years, and I was surprised by how cold the potential murder of Grayson Hall is treated (Miss Miller). I found the film tedious beyond belief, and above all, the cat was perhaps the most unattractive feline in any film, ever. (I routinely watch cat films.)

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This movie is a comedy, so they couldn't focus too much on the kidnapped victim or the film wouldn't be lighthearted enough.

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It's very underrated. It's actually the funniest Disney movie I've ever seen. Deserves at least a 7.8 on the rating scale.

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Actually, this is very common in all generations after the silent movies were replaced by soundies. A younger generation watches what they think is a "new" movie but in fact it's a remake from the silent movie era or a movie that was made a certain number of decades before.

In a general sense, my generation says "Mary Pickford" who? A generation below me didn't know who Martin Sheen was until his children started making movies in the 80s. There are forgotten movies and male/female actors going back to the silent movies.

Can you imagine the number of plays and male/femal actors that have been forgotten because movies etc weren't invented.

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