On 27 September 2021, I watched a very quirky but quintessentially British b/w movie entitled Who Killed The Cat?
Directed by Montgomery Tully, who also co-wrote its screenplay, and released by Grand National Pictures in 1966, Who Killed The Cat? is a somewhat dated, virtually forgotten curiosity nowadays, but was screened on the afternoon when I watched it by that wonderful retro-specialising UK TV channel Talking Pictures. This is a very popular, greatly-welcomed treasure trove for otherwise hard-to-find, rarely-seen cinematic offerings of a certain age, and I delight in discovering and viewing rarities there that I'd never even known about before.
The most notable stars of this particular example, which takes the form of a slightly odd but very genteel comedy/thriller, are Mervyn Johns, playing Henry Fawcett, the lead character Mary Trellington's jeweler uncle, while playing elite vicar's wife Mrs Sandford is the wonderful Joan Sanderson – still fondly remembered today as the haughty teacher Miss Ewell from 1970s school-based British TV sitcom Please Sir, and especially as the querulous, hard-of-hearing hotel guest Mrs Richards in Fawlty Towers.
The premise of Who Killed The Cat? is that Eleanor Trellington (Vanda Godsell), an evil kitten-poisoning landlady, is herself killed, but by whom? Any or all of her three eccentric spinster tenants – Janet Bowering (Mary Merrall), Lavinia Goldsworthy (Amy Dalby), and Ruth Prendergast (Ellen Pollock), one of whom (Lavinia) owned the kitten (named Tabitha) and all three of whom are about to be evicted by her – could be responsible, as they all have sufficient motive. So too could her young spirited step-daughter Mary Trellington, (Natasha Pyne) who hated her. Even Mary's jeweller uncle Henry, or Peter (Gregory Phillips), the put-upon youth working as Henry's assistant who has a crush on said step-daughter Mary, might be the anonymous assailant.
What's for sure is that Mrs Trellington's passing is certainly not mourned by any of them, but is there more to this mysterious murder than meets the eye? That's what Bruton (Conrad Phillips), the persistent local police inspector, is determined to find out.
Without giving too much away, I would strongly advise anyone watching this quaint but engrossing little movie (reminiscent at times of the classic Ealing comedies) to keep their eyes not only fully open but also sharply focused, because the vital clue to solving its whimsical whodunit and unveiling the culprit is hidden in plain sight. However, the viewer's attention is so skillfully directed away from the all-important clue that I confess to not spotting it myself, despite the fact that I rarely get fooled by sleight of hand storylines like this one.
Interestingly, Who Killed The Cat? was based upon a play entitled Tabitha that was co-written by none other than Arnold Ridley, best-remembered today as the elderly WW2 home guard recruit Private Godfrey in another classic British TV sitcom, Dad's Army. Yet one could be forgiven for wondering if it had been inspired by an Agatha Christie story instead, because despite being filmed and set in the 1960s, this movie has a very 1930s look and feel about it, and employs similar methods of subtle misdirection, featuring a veritable shoal of red herrings, to those so effectively employed by Christie in her writings.
All in all, Who Killed The Cat? is unassuming but thoroughly charming, and makes entertaining, inoffensive, relaxing viewing – just right for whiling away what would otherwise be a dreary, nondescript afternoon, like the one when I watched it.
And if you'd like to watch Who Killed The Cat? you can do so now whenever you wish, or at least for as long as it's available, because the entire movie can currently be viewed free of charge on YouTube, simply by clicking here. So why not do so, and see if you can deduce who did the dire deed?
To view a complete chronological listing of all of my Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE, and please click HERE to view a complete fully-clickable alphabetical listing of them.
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