Mousey

1974 film by Daniel Petrie

Beryl Vertue
Aida Young

Starring

Kirk Douglas
Jean Seberg

CinematographyJack HildyardEdited byJohn TrumperMusic byRon Grainer

Production
companies

Associated London Films
Universal Television

Distributed by

American Broadcasting Company
Anglo-EMI Film Distributors
Alliance Film
MCA/Universal Pictures
MTC Video
New Gold Entertainment
VTI Home Vídeo
Warner Home Video

Release date

March 9, 1974 (1974-03-09) (U.S.)

Running time

89 minutes^[1]CountryCanada

Mousey (released as Cat and Mouse in theaters and on UK television)^[2] is a 1974 Canadian thriller action drama film directed by Daniel Petrie,^[3] and starring Kirk Douglas, Jean Seberg and John Vernon.^[4]

Although made for television, it was released theatrically outside of the U.S. In London, it was shown as part of a double feature with Craze.^[5]^[6]

Plot

In Halifax, Novia Scotia, biology teacher George Anderson (Douglas) earns the nickname "Mousey" from his students when he is unable to dissect a frog. However, when he learns that the child that his pregnant wife (Seberg) is expecting is not his, he follows her to Montreal, where he plans to kill her and her lover.^[7]^[8]^[1]

Cast

Kirk Douglas as George Anderson and Cat
Jean Seberg as Laura Anderson / Richardson
John Vernon as David Richardson
Bessie Love as Mrs. Richardson
Beth Porter as Sandra
Sam Wanamaker as Inspector
James Bradford as Private Detective
Suzanne Lloyd as Nancy
Stuart Chandler as Simon
Valerie Colgan as Miss Wainwright
Mavis Villiers as Martha
Elliott Sullivan as Harry
Bob Sherman as Barman
James Berwick as Headmaster
Margo Alexis as Miss Carter
Robert Henderson as Attorney
Louis Negin as Couturier
Jennifer Watts as Party Guest
Tony Sibbald as Workman
Don Fellows as Foreman
Francis Napier as Engineer
Roy Stephens as Hotel Receptionist
Elsa Pickthorne as Concierge
John Corbett as Pawnshop Customer
Yeman YEALO as Horse

Production

Mousey was filmed on location in Montreal, Canada and at Pinewood Studios in England. Filming commenced in November 1973.^[6]

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. Steven H. Scheuer was negative, saying that, "It's complicated and not very interesting;"^[9] and the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Mousey seems to have been doomed from the start."^[8] Leonard Maltin, however, reviewed it positively, calling it "tightly made" and praising Douglas as "wonderfully sinister,"^[10] and Amis du film called it "a good 'suspense' film," although noting a lack of originality in its plot.^[11] Monthly Film Bulletin called it "a thriller with some pretensions to psychological depth."^[1]

Legacy

Mousey has since been re-shown on television and released on VHS, resulting in blogs noting the film's rising cult status.^[12]^[13]

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c Raisbeck, John (January 1, 1974). "Cat and Mouse". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 41, no. 480. London. p. 122.
^ Coates-Smith & McGee 2014, p. 184
^ Roberts, Jerry (5 June 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. p. 444. ISBN 978-0-8108-6378-1.
^ Lentz III, Harris M. (24 October 2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland Publishing. p. 378. ISBN 978-0-7864-5210-1.
^ Allon, Yoram; Cullen, Del; Patterson, Hannah (2000). The Wallflower Critical Guide to Contemporary North American Directors. Wallflower. p. 355. ISBN 978-1-903364-10-9.
^ ^a ^b Coates-Smith & McGee 2014, p. 186
^ Thomas, Tony (1991). The Films of Kirk Douglas. Citadel Press. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-8065-1217-4.
^ ^a ^b Thomas, Kevin (Mar 9, 1974). "Kirk at the Breaking Point in 'Mousey'". Los Angeles Times. p. B3.
^ Scheuer, Steven H. (1977). Movies on TV. Bantam Books. p. 487. ISBN 9780553114515.
^ Maltin, Leonard (1989). Leonard Maltin's TV Movies and Video Guide. p. 742.
^ Coates-Smith & McGee 2014, p. 185
^ "The Tie That Binds – Rediscovering 'Mousey' (US/UK 1974–86 mins)". Tina Aumont's Eyes. January 26, 2015.
^ "Cat and Mouse (1974)". Ninja Dixon. August 10, 2011.