Zebra in the Kitchen

This is not a good movie but the central idea of treating animals humanely is ok for a movie from the 60s. It wasn't then & still isn't a common subject for a movie. I do not know how well the caged animals were treated during filming. I hope it was w/ great care & they were confined for a very limited time. But it's important to know awful zoos, like the once shown in the movie, we're common & sadly still exist in the world today. I have mixed feelings about zoos. No wild animal should be confined to a zoo but then again, zoos have also saved some animals from extinction, caused by man. If you can look beyond the silliness and see the beauty of these animals, I sort of recommend it. Children would be the best audience but a parent or guardian should be there to point out what's not acceptable in human behavior, how all animals must be treated humanely & wild animals should never be pets. They are not to be poached or hunted for any reason, especially for trophies. So it's a so-so recommendation w/ reservations.

I enjoyed this film very much. Jay North does a fine job as a child who has raised a mountain lion from birth but because he has to move with this family to the city, the mountain lion has to be put in a zoo that is poorly funded and with tiny cages. As a result, Jay North's character frees all the animals there 45 minutes into the film. The middle part then is more comedic as the animals enjoy their time away from the cages. Longtime character actor Andy Levine and Martin Milner are wonderful in their roles as the zoo caretaker and zoo director, respectively. Now zoos are more animal-friendly but when this film was made, many zoos were like jails with cramped cages and the rights of animals was an afterthought in zoos. This film enlightens the public in that regard and does so in an entertaining and heartfelt way.

Ivan Tors (creator of TV's "Seahunt," "Flipper," Gentle Ben," and "Daktari") produced and directed this effective family comedy. With a low budget, creative editing, a cast that included "Dennis the Menace's" Jay North and "Adam 12's" Martin Milner, and a Hollywood Animal Farm assortment of animals, Ivan Tors is able to create slap stick and a message out of a story about a boy (Jay North) and his pet cougar. When the boy's family must move to the city, his pet cougar is placed in the city zoo, a run-down out-dated collection of cages maintained by zookeeper Chill Wills and Zoo Vet Martin Milner. Soon North ends up working for the zoo, but unhappy with the way the animals are caged up, releases the animals onto the city. The animals really aren't very dangerous and cause a lot of mischief in people's backyards, houses, and shops. Watch for Marshall Thompson ("Daktari," "Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion") in a cameo.

This was the first film I saw at the cinema too,the film came out in 1965 ,but I saw it in about 1973. It was in South Africa and back then our parents never came in with us they just dropped us off I was about 10 and my brother was about 7. We really loved it it was so hilarious ,I never thought of trying to rent it now ,but I would love to show it to my daughter and niece's. The cinema was a riot of unruly kids chucking sweets popcorn etc..what fun !! I remember coming home with a half chewed up toffee stuck in the back of my hair.. ahhh those were the days . Rent it for the kids they will love it ,I may watch it again too ..

Has some fleeting interest for cast trivia buffs: Robert Lowery looking rather handsome and Clark Gable-ish in his one scene as a big game hunter; Jon Lormer in his customary role as the judge; Percy Helton, Tris Coffin, Vince Barnett…

Of course the film is actually designed to appeal mainly to those juveniles who love animal antics. Alas, for all its wealth of animalia, it's shot in an extremely pedestrian style. Not only is every jest and gag situation milked thoroughly dry, but the obvious plot is unraveled at the pace of a tortoise. In addition, Tors employs a relentlessly close-up after close-up, television method of shooting and even falls back on such jaded devices as speeded-up action. There's even a long storyboard introduction with the words of the hokey title song displayed for our edification.

Unflatteringly photographed Martin Miller makes a rather wet hero. The girls don't impress either, while Andy Devine looks far too old even for a sinecure job as head keeper at the zoo. His fans, however, will be glad to find he has a major role, not a fleeting part or a cameo. Young Jay North registers mildly and occasionally even manages to surmount the impossible script.

Production values are firmly on the el cheapo side. As well as a bit of stock footage, Tors even treats us to a generous excerpt of Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel in their famous encounter with Lupe Velez in "Hollywood Party". This turns out to be the funniest scene in the whole movie!