I hate this episode. So let's talk about the cat. I like the cat, but for all the wrong reasons. Usually when you see a cat in a movie or TV show, it plays its part well. Of course you don't see the million and one takes that were required to get the cat to do a 10-second scene correctly, and Dan Curtis wasn't about to waste money on a second take even for a cat. So the cat lies on its pillow looking uncomfortable, and halfway through any given scene, it finally gets fed up and walks off. I sit watching it, wondering how it was persuaded to stay on the pillow for any length of time at all. It can't be catnip in the pillow; catnip would make it frisky, and this cat never loses his dignity. Or her dignity. Has anybody noticed if it's male or female? If the Countess didn't agree with Abigail that a cat is the devil's pet, I can easily imagine her inspecting its hindquarters and giving her verdict to the world. (I can't imagine any other circumstances under which the Countess would care to inspect Joshua's hindquarters.)
Is there any record of where Dan Curtis Productions got this cat from? I never notice any disclaimer in the credits to the effect that the Animal Rescue League - or whoever - monitored the proceedings to make sure the cat was not abused, but perhaps everybody felt it was obvious that this cat was taking no guff from anybody. Did it belong to one of the crew? Or to Dan Curtis himself even?
Description of cat: black and white. Well nourished. Clean. I keep thinking, "How many cats looked this well-cared for in 1795?" I also think the cat looks sulky, but it's hard to say with certainty exactly what a cat's expression is intended to convey. If the cat were Vicky instead of Joshua, would I say that it looked imbecilic?
