That Darn Cat

Movie: That Darn Cat (1965), Rated G

Date Watched: March 29, 2009

Stars Your Parents May Know: Dean Jones, Roddy McDowell and the uncle from My Three Sons (William Demarest)

Great Music: "That Darn Cat" by Bobby Darin. Listen here.

Recommendation: ★★★★☆

Treats Served: Pizza and Pam's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Summary: A bank teller, who is kidnapped, slips her watch on a cat hoping for someone to save her. The cat's owner, Patti, discovers the watch and its message. She goes to the FBI and they take on the case by following "That Darn Cat."

Review: Yet another animal movie. While this cat doesn't talk like last week's Shaggy Dog, they both help catch outlaws.

That Darn Cat is a darn cat because he lives for food. "DC" opens doors, tricks dogs, fools people to get any kind of food like sandwiches, dog food, milk and a duck. My cat (who is not a darn cat) used to be the most amazing cat. He could jump incredibly high and some open doors. Now he's almost 18 years old and he lives for scratchies and human food, such as pork and chicken soup, really any kind of meat.

Here are some more funny parts of the movie. One time when the FBI agents were following DC, he went through a window which was the same house where the agents set up their command post. The agents busted into their own headquarter! The FBI agent in charge of the case (Dean Jones from Blackbeard's Ghost) was allergic to cats. So, every time he was near DC, he sneezed.

One of the other funny people in the movie was an old lady who lived next door. She was always snooping around. She looks out her window and even takes her husband's hearing aid to listen in on the neighbor's house. Her husband even calls her "Snoopy."

There's also lots of slapstick humor like food in the face and doors smacking people in the face.

I recommend this movie. Watch the trailer and you decide.

Here are some pictures of cats we know.


Patchy's Favorite Part: When the cat knocks the bad guy down the stairs.

The Shaggy Dog

Movie: The Shaggy Dog (1959), Rated G

Date Watched: March 20, 2009

Stars Your Parents May Know: Fred MacMurray from The Absent-Minded Professor, Tommy Kirk from Swiss Family Robinson and Annette Funicello

Recommendation: ★★★★☆

Interruptions: Patrick
Film Recommended by: Skip, Father of Mabel. See Mabel here:

Treats Served: Spaghetti
We were going to have the famous cookies by Pam (Mabel's mom), but we didn't have time to make them. I haven't really met Mabel because Skip and Pam put her in the back room so she doesn't bite anyone.

Summary: A teenage boy turns into a shaggy dog and he catches spies.

Review: There were lots of funny parts in this movie. First the family has weird names: Wilby (the boy/dog) and Moochie (the little brother.) Second, the dad (Wilson) HATES dogs, which causes problems when his own son turns into a dog.

When Wilby turns into a dog, it is hilarious. His hair starts growing and turning gray, his nose becomes a big round, wet ball, and then he becomes a dog. A professor explains to Wilby that he is a "shape shifter." My dad tells me shape shifting is a common theme in mythology and folklore thats involves physical changes between human form and that of an animal, plant or object. I read about shape shifters before in Harry Potter. (One example is Sirius Black who can turn into a black dog named Padfoot.)

Here's what Wilby is like when he's a dog: he speaks like himself, he brushes his teeth, puts on pajamas and goes to the bathroom in a toilet. He doesn't turn into just any dog, he turns into the dog of the new neighbors. This is good because he can go into their house without suspicion....and it turns out that the dad is a spy.

I'm not going to tell you what happens, but Wilby's dad ends up being a dog lover.

Watch the clip of Wilby's dad finding out that he has a four-legged son...and you decide.

Patchy's Favorite Part:"The one when he turns into a dog."

The Absent Minded Professor

Movie: The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), Rated G

Date Watched: March 14, 2009

Stars Your Parents May Know: Fred MacMurray from My Three Sons and Double Indemnity

Recommendation: ★★★★☆

Treats Served: Pizza from Pizza Plus.

Summary: A forgetful science professor comes up with a new energy called Flubber -- rubber that flies. His college is going to be closed down because it was running out of money. He tries to use his invention to save the college and to impress his girlfriend.

Review: I thought that the movie was interesting because Professor Brainard came up with a new energy by accident while he was experimenting when he was supposed to be at his own wedding. It also had some funny parts. One of the funny parts was when Mr. Hawk (the man who was trying to steal the invention) put flubber on his shoes and started bouncing and couldn't stop. So the fire department came and tried to get him to stop bouncing, but it didn't work, so the football team tackled him.

This movie reminds me of other movies. First, it reminds me of Blackbeard's Ghost because mysterious things happen. Second, it is like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang because there is a flying car. Third, is my mom's movie, Earth: The Sequel, because it was about creating new kinds of energy just like this movie.

This was a good movie so I think you should go out and rent it.

Watch the clip of the incredible flying rubber that bounces higher each bounce... and you decide.


Patchy's Favorite Part: The flying part.

Blackbeard's Ghost

Movie: Blackbeard's Ghost, 1968, Rated

Date Watched: Saturday, March 7, 2009

Stars Your Parents May Know: Dean Jones (from The Love Bug), Peter Ustinov and Suzanne Pleshette

Recommendation: ★★★★☆

Treats Served: Chocolate pretzels

Guest: Sam D.


Summary: Steve Walker moves to town to become the new college track coach. He goes to live at the hotel where the famous pirate Blackbeard died. After saying a magic spell, Blackbeard appears again. He mainly causes a lot of trouble, but then he saves the hotel from bad guys who were trying to close it.

Review: I thought "Blackbeard's Ghost" was going to be a scary movie, but it turned out to be really funny. Sam D kept on saying "this is the funniest movie in the world." Only Steve Walker can see Blackbeard's Ghost. All Blackbeard does is drink rum, misbehave and get Steve Walker into trouble.

Picture this: bad guys getting flipped over in the air...by nothing, a bottle of rum floating around and a motorcycle going fast with no driver. But Blackbeard's Ghost is the cause of all of this. And Steve Walker always gets the blame.

I recommend this hilarious movie.

Watch the clip and decide for your self.

Patchy's Favorite Part: The girl in the painting.

<--- Patchy

The Apple Dumpling Gang

Movie: The Apple Dumpling Gang, 1975, Rated G

Stars Your Parents May Know: Don Knotts, Col. Potter from MASH

Date Watched: Saturday, February 28, 2009

Recommendation: ★★☆☆☆


Treats Served: Chinese Food from Red Hot Szechuan and Gummy Bears from Russ & Daughters, courtesy of John Andrus.


Interruptions: 2 -- The DVD had scratches and my mom had to take it out and rub toothpaste on it. Our 18-year-old cat, Hanky, yowled the whole movie.

Summary: A man gets tricked into caring for three orphaned kids who find a huge gold nugget and then everyone in the old Western town wants to adopt them.

Review: I really wanted to see this movie because Don Knotts was in it and the other movie with Don Knots (The Incredible Mr. Limpet) was great. In the first five seconds I was already laughing. Theodore (Don Knotts) hid behind bushes from a guy riding on a horse and he took out his gun and his gun broke. After this, there weren't many funny parts. It was not a really good movie because nothing really happened.

One of the few things I liked in the movie was the sound effects. One time, one of the bad guys cracked his partner's back and it made a big cracking noise. And another time, the ladies from the town were trying to get a hold of the little girl because she found the gold nugget and there was a big ripping sound when they ripped her dress when they were pulling her.

I didn't really like this movie, but watch the trailer and decide for yourself.

Patchy's Favorite Part: The bad guy part.