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The Cat's-Paw (1934)
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Overview
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Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
7 August 1934 (USA)
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Tagline:
Everything new but these [eyeglasses]
Plot:
Naive Ezekial Cobb, brought up by his missionary father in China returns to America to seek a wife....
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Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Harold speaks.... Chinese... sort of...
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Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Harold Lloyd | ... | Ezekiel Cobb | |
| Una Merkel | ... | Petunia Pratt / Cobb | |
| George Barbier | ... | Jake Mayo | |
| Nat Pendleton | ... | Strozzi | |
| Grace Bradley | ... | Dolores Doce | |
| Alan Dinehart | ... | Mayor Ed Morgan | |
| Grant Mitchell | ... | Silk Hot McGee | |
| E. Alyn Warren | ... | Tien Wang (as Fred Warren) | |
| Warren Hymer | ... | Spike Slattery | |
| J. Farrell MacDonald | ... | Shigley | |
| James Donlan | ... | Red, the Reporter | |
| Edwin Maxwell | ... | District Attorney Neal | |
| Frank Sheridan | ... | Dan Moriarity, Police Commissioner | |
| Fuzzy Knight | ... | Stuttering Gangster | |
| Vince Barnett | ... | Wilks, a Gangster |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Quotes:
Ezekiel Cobb:
A cordial greeting, my worthy friend!
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Soundtrack:
The Stars and Stripes Forever
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We hear so much about how the coming of sound ruined careers. This doesn't seem to be the case for Harold Lloyd, who smoothly makes the transition to talkies in 'The Cat's Paw' (1934). The story has Lloyd as missionary's son Ezekiel Cobb raised in rural China. On return to America Cobb becomes a patsy for a political machine, but to everyone's surprise gets elected mayor.
The story is entertaining even though most of the jokes fall flat. It does contain a lot of racial stereotypes and epithets, but is good natured and pretty equal-opportunity in it's treatment of various ethnic groups making it at least honest in it's portrayal of life in Depression era U.S.A.
Modern audiences may find the use of caucasian actors in Chinese roles, and the dubbing of Lloyd when he speaks Chinese in 'The Cat's Paw' as much more blatantly obvious than did audiences of the time. And while it's not as groundbreaking as Lloyd's silent film work, and there are admittedly better films from the mid 30s, as mentioned, it's entertaining and fast moving, and worth checking out if for no other reason than to see Una Merkel as savvy cigarette girl Pet and to see Lloyd transition from sight gags to speaking.