The Cat from Outer Space
Encyclopedia
The Cat from Outer Space is a 1978 Disney film, starring Ronnie Schell
, Ken Berry
, Sandy Duncan
, Harry Morgan
, Roddy McDowall
and McLean Stevenson
.
makes an emergency landing on Earth and is taken into custody by the United States government
. The occupant of the "flying saucer" turns out to be a cat
-like alien
named Zunar-J-5/9 Doric-4-7, or Jake (voiced by Ronnie Schell) as he is called by his human friends (a tawny Abyssinian cat
; a role shared by two cats named Amber and Rumple).
Using a special collar, he is able to communicate with humans (as well as perform feats of levitation and even take a wrecked plane into the air). The cat wants American scientists to help him find some "Org 12" so that his craft may rendezvous with his mother ship, and eventually settles on Dr. Frank Wilson (Ken Berry).
After Frank determines that "Org 12" is gold when Jake tells its atomic weight
(196.967), Jake uses his collar's powers to affect the outcome of various sporting events, including horse races and pool games, to win money to buy the needed gold and repair his saucer. In the end, Jake sends his flying saucer back to the mother ship, staying on Earth with Frank, Frank's girlfriend Liz (Sandy Duncan) and Liz's cat Lucy.
Ronnie Schell
Ronald Ralph "Ronnie" Schell is an American actor, stand-up comedian and cartoon voice actor . Early in his career he appeared as himself as a contestant on You Bet Your Life opposite Groucho Marx, demonstrating a comic barrage of jive talk.-Life and career:Schell was born in Richmond, California...
, Ken Berry
Ken Berry
Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
, Sandy Duncan
Sandy Duncan
Sandra Kay "Sandy" Duncan is an American singer, dancer and actress of stage and television, recognized through a blonde, pixie cut hairstyle and perky demeanor...
, Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
, Roddy McDowall
Roddy McDowall
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English actor and photographer. His film roles included Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes film series...
and McLean Stevenson
McLean Stevenson
Edgar McLean Stevenson, Jr. , better known as McLean Stevenson, was an American actor most recognized for his role as Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on the TV series M*A*S*H...
.
Plot
An unidentified flying objectUnidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
makes an emergency landing on Earth and is taken into custody by the United States government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
. The occupant of the "flying saucer" turns out to be a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
-like alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
named Zunar-J-5/9 Doric-4-7, or Jake (voiced by Ronnie Schell) as he is called by his human friends (a tawny Abyssinian cat
Abyssinian (cat)
The Abyssinian is a breed of domesticated cat with a distinctive ticked coat. There are many stories about its origins, often revolving around Ethiopia, but the actual origins are uncertain...
; a role shared by two cats named Amber and Rumple).
Using a special collar, he is able to communicate with humans (as well as perform feats of levitation and even take a wrecked plane into the air). The cat wants American scientists to help him find some "Org 12" so that his craft may rendezvous with his mother ship, and eventually settles on Dr. Frank Wilson (Ken Berry).
After Frank determines that "Org 12" is gold when Jake tells its atomic weight
Atomic weight
Atomic weight is a dimensionless physical quantity, the ratio of the average mass of atoms of an element to 1/12 of the mass of an atom of carbon-12...
(196.967), Jake uses his collar's powers to affect the outcome of various sporting events, including horse races and pool games, to win money to buy the needed gold and repair his saucer. In the end, Jake sends his flying saucer back to the mother ship, staying on Earth with Frank, Frank's girlfriend Liz (Sandy Duncan) and Liz's cat Lucy.
Production notes
- NBA Hall of Famer "Pistol" Pete MaravichPete MaravichPeter "Pistol Pete" Press Maravich was an American professional basketball player. Born and raised in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University and played for three NBA teams until injuries induced him to retire in 1980...
and Pat RileyPat RileyPatrick James "Pat" Riley is an American professional basketball executive, and a retired coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams...
are seen on a clip of a 1971 NBA Hawks-Lakers basketball game. - At a crucial scene near the half-mark of the film, Jake levitates Frank and a motorcycle across an army barricade to escape pursuit. This type of visual gag had been used before in both Disney's Escape to Witch MountainEscape to Witch MountainEscape to Witch Mountain is a science fiction novel written by Alexander Key in 1968. It was adapted into a film of the same name by Walt Disney Productions in 1975, directed by John Hough. A remake directed by Peter Rader was released in 1995...
and Return from Witch MountainReturn from Witch MountainReturn from Witch Mountain is the 1978 sequel to Walt Disney Productions' 1975 film, Escape to Witch Mountain. It was written by Malcolm Marmorstein and is based on the novel by Alexander Key. Ike Eisenmann, Kim Richards, and Denver Pyle reprise their roles as Tony, Tia, and Uncle Bené—humanoid...
and the sequence resembles a similar one later seen in Steven SpielbergSteven SpielbergSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's E.T.E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
.
Cast
- Ronnie SchellRonnie SchellRonald Ralph "Ronnie" Schell is an American actor, stand-up comedian and cartoon voice actor . Early in his career he appeared as himself as a contestant on You Bet Your Life opposite Groucho Marx, demonstrating a comic barrage of jive talk.-Life and career:Schell was born in Richmond, California...
: Jake (voice)/Sgt. Duffy - Ken BerryKen BerryKenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
: Dr. Franklin 'Frank' Wilson - Sandy DuncanSandy DuncanSandra Kay "Sandy" Duncan is an American singer, dancer and actress of stage and television, recognized through a blonde, pixie cut hairstyle and perky demeanor...
: Dr. Elizabeth 'Liz' Bartlett - Harry MorganHarry MorganHarry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
: Gen. Stilton - Roddy McDowallRoddy McDowallRoderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English actor and photographer. His film roles included Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes film series...
: Mr. Stallwood - McLean StevensonMcLean StevensonEdgar McLean Stevenson, Jr. , better known as McLean Stevenson, was an American actor most recognized for his role as Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on the TV series M*A*S*H...
: Dr. Norman Link - Jesse WhiteJesse White (actor)Jesse White was an American television, film, and stage character actor. He is best remembered for portraying the Maytag repairman in television commercials, a role he played from 1967 to 1988.-Life and career:...
: Earnest Ernie (the Gambling Dealer) - Alan YoungAlan YoungAlan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games...
: Dr. Winger (veterinarian) - Hans ConriedHans ConriedHans Georg Conried, Jr. was an American comedian, character actor and voice actor.-Early years:He was born on April 15, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland to Hans Georg Conried, Sr. and Edith Beyr Gildersleeve. His mother was a descendant of Pilgrims, and his father was a Jewish immigrant from Vienna,...
: Chief Dr. Heffel - James HamptonJames Hampton (actor)James Wade Hampton is an American actor, television director, and screenwriter.-Early life:Though born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Hampton was reared in Dallas, Texas, where his father operated a cleaning business. He majored in theatre arts at the University of North Texas in Denton...
: Capt. Anderson - Howard PlattHoward PlattHoward Platt is an American stage and television actor, singer and director, best known for his role as "Officer Hopkins", or"Hoppy" in the hit NBC-TV comedy series Sanford and Son from 1973-1977...
: Col. Woodruff - William PrinceWilliam Prince (actor)William LeRoy Prince was an American actor who appeared in numerous soap operas and made dozens of guest appearances on primetime series as well as playing villains in movies like The Gauntlet and Spontaneous Combustion.-Biography:Prince was born in Nichols, New York, the son of Myrtle , a nurse...
: Mr. Charlie Olympus - Ralph Manza: Weasel
- Tom Pedi: Honest Harry
- Hank JonesHank JonesHenry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...
: Officer - Sorrell BookeSorrell BookeSorrell Booke was an American actor who performed on stage, screen, and television. He is best known for his role as the heavyset, corrupt politician "Boss" Hogg in the television show The Dukes of Hazzard....
: Judge - Fred Whalen: Sarasota Slim (Pool Hustler)