The Cat Gang

The underlying notion of the movie is surely familiar to many viewers - a group of kids, exploring and playing, innocently discover odd goings-on and have a role in investigating criminal activity. Small clues lead to hypotheses, and ultimately concrete revelations. There's unmistakable simplicity and ham-handedness in much of the picture, denoting that this is clearly made a young audience, and families - cemented, of course, by the centering of three school age kids as protagonists. At that, however, 'The cat gang' is also enjoyable for all ages; it's hardly a must-see, but it's charming, and well made.

George Evans' story, written for the screen by John Eldridge, bears all the hallmarks of books and short stories that have long preceded television programming and full-length features. We have the plucky kids, adults as supporting characters with exaggerated personalities, slick baddies, and persistent obstacles for the children to overcome. The cast is duly capable as they inhabit their roles - including Francesca Annis, in her debut at only 14 years old! - and Darrell Catling's direction is quite fine. The writing and orchestration of each scene claim just enough cleverness to keep the movie interesting, and a small hint of suspense that survives the easily predictable outcome.

I can appreciate that this perhaps would fail to appeal to broad modern audiences, not even young ones; one could argue it's a sliver too hokey, or just not as exciting as more recent fare. Still, I watch 'The cat gang' and see a distinct through-line from the oldest of all stories about and for kids, to the most recent TV shows or web series that a young teen or adolescent may view. From the low-key sense of mystery to minor stunts, from Edwin Astley's uncomplicated original music to the prominence of cats in the plot, this is pleasing and entertaining even through the restrictions of its stylings. You don't need to go out of your way for 'The cat gang,' I don't think, but if you have the opportunity to watch it, then at only 50 minutes, this is a steal!

A pair of smugglers pay dearly for the delinquent act of carelessly discarding a cigarette end by attracting the attention of three frightfully well-spoken and well-behaved teenaged sleuths including a chipmunk-faced young Francesca Annis and Jeremy Bulloch (who recently died aged 75) in this slightly grittier than usual Children's Film Foundation production attractively shot on location on the south coast but with an excessively noisy score by Edwin Astley recycling great swathes of his music for 'The Aventures of Robin Hood'.

It's easy to be cynical in these more worldly-wise times, and, yes, it's very Secret Seven/Famous Five (well Three actually!) but, as reviewers have pointed out before, these little films are valuable records of those innocent post-War times.

Empty roads, small shops with friendly, trusting, eccentric owners, children (not "kids") dressed in shorts and jumpers at loose all day, scanty evidence of any "health and safety" measures...

The crooks are as inept as ever, and the authority figures like the customs officers don't really convince here. Still, it cracks along at a brisk pace and offends no-one.

Not in the same league as "Skid Kids", "Salvage Gang" or the go-kart films, but this one at least has a rare Allard sports car!

When a man in a sports car almost runs over Francesca Annis' cat, she grows alert to the driver's cat mania. Later, while mapping all the interesting things like gulls' nests near their seaside town, she, John Pike, and Jeremy Bulloch notice recurrences to the motif. This leads them and her indulgent uncle, John Stacy, to alert and help the coast guard thwart the Cat Gang, a bunch of smugglers.

Like other Children's Film Foundation shows, it's handsomely shot and edited, although I find the willingness of the authorities to put 15-year-olds at risk to be a trifle unlikely. In like manner, the youngsters seem to shout every line, betraying some unfortunate looping. It didn't affect their show business careers, John Pike's recorded career died out after about 1965, and Bulloch was a frequent actor in the Star Wars franchise. Miss Annis is still going strong at 75.