🎬 That Darn Cat (1997)
Remake of
Disney’s 1997 remake of That Darn Cat arrived over three decades after the original Hayley Mills vehicle, reimagining the feline detective story for a new generation with a distinctly 90s edge. Directed by Bob Spiers and penned by the future Ed Wood scribes Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, this version transplants the action from a sleepy suburban setting to the fictional town of Edgefield, Massachusetts, and swaps the original’s FBI agent for a bumbling local cop played by Doug E. Doug. The film’s most significant casting coup was Christina Ricci, fresh off Casper and Now and Then, who brings a sardonic, disaffected Gen-X attitude to the role of Patti Randall. Rather than the wholesome teen of the 1965 film, this Patti is a rebellious outsider with dyed hair and a wardrobe her parents loathe, a characterization that grounds the otherwise zany plot in a recognizable adolescent angst.
The adaptation takes considerable liberties with the source novel Undercover Cat, most notably in the kidnap victim. The Gordons’ book and the original film centered on a kidnapped bank teller, but the 1997 version opts for a case of mistaken identity: the kidnappers, a pair of inept crooks named Flint and Zeke, intend to snatch the wealthy Mrs. Flint but accidentally grab her housemaid Lizzie instead. This change injects a class-conscious humor absent from the earlier iterations, with the kidnappers forced to negotiate a ransom for a woman their employer doesn’t particularly value. The film also amplifies the physical comedy, giving D.C. (short for “Darn Cat”) elaborate set pieces involving neighborhood dogs, stolen food, and a memorable encounter with a distracted bird lover. The cat’s nocturnal wanderings are framed almost like a heist movie, with the animal as an unwitting master thief.
Critically, the 1997 That Darn Cat received mixed reviews, with many critics unfavorably comparing it to the beloved original. Roger Ebert gave the film a notably harsh assessment, though audiences have since developed a nostalgic fondness for its quirky charm and Ricci’s committed performance. The film’s tone walks an uneven line between slapstick for children and winking irony for adults, a hallmark of Alexander and Karaszewski’s sensibility that would later flourish in their biopics of cult figures. While it didn’t ignite a franchise, the remake did introduce the Undercover Cat premise to millennials who encountered it on home video and cable, ensuring the story’s peculiar legacy endured beyond its mid-century origins. The Gordons’ sequels—Undercover Cat Prowls Again and Catnapped!—remained untouched by Disney, leaving this as the final screen adaptation of their feline sleuth.
Undercover Cat is a children's mystery novel written by the husband-and-wife writing duo Gordon and Mildred Gordon. First published in 1963 by The Crime Club, a subsidiary of Doubleday, the book quickly captured the imagination of young readers with its clever premise and lighthearted tone [wikipedia.org]. The story centers on a mischievous neighborhood tomcat named D.C., who inadvertently becomes an unlikely hero when he stumbles upon evidence of a crime and assists law enforcement in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
The novel's enduring appeal lies in its blend of suspense and humor, showcasing the often-overlooked intelligence and independence of cats. The Gordons successfully tapped into the mid-century fascination with animal protagonists solving human problems, a trend that would later influence countless family-friendly adventure stories. Following the success of the original book, the authors expanded the feline detective's adventures with two sequels: Undercover Cat Prowls Again in 1966 and Catnapped! The Further Adventures of Undercover Cat in 1974.
Over the decades, Undercover Cat has maintained a cult following among fans of classic juvenile fiction. Its straightforward yet engaging narrative, combined with its charming portrayal of small-town life and animal antics, has cemented its place in the pantheon of beloved mid-20th-century children's literature. The story's adaptability to the screen has further ensured its continued relevance for new generations of audiences.
