The Cat's-Paw Page #2

Synopsis: A naive missionary brought up in China returns to America to seek a wife. Corrupt politicians enlist him to run for mayor as a dummy candidate with no chance of winning.
Genre: Comedy
Director(s): Sam Taylor, Harold Lloyd
Production: Fox Film Corporation
 
IMDB:
6.9
NOT RATED
Year:
1934
102 min
99 Views


Thank you.

And look out for that jack.

That!

That vest pocket mint of yours.

Oh! Well, frankly,

I'm worried about this.

I'm sure

it's exceedingly valuable...

Ha!

Well, I'm in constant

fear of losing it.

Ha! Well,

would you like to have me...

take care of it for you?

Why, I'd deem it a great favor.

Say, are you kiddin' me?

Oh, I'm sure it'd be much safer

in your keeping.

Well, I'll be...

I suppose you'd give this

to the first one that asked.

Certainly not.

Only to a person

of self-evident integrity.

Of which?

He who gazes upon the sun

need not debate its brilliance.

Uh, Ling Po.

- Ling who?

- Ling Po.

I quote a great

Chinese poet and philosopher.

Oh, uh, may I introduce myself?

I'm Ezekiel Cobb.

Mayo's my name. Jake Mayo.

Look me up tonight

at the Good Government club.

Thank you. I will.

Unless I've been dreaming

all this.

Oh, Mrs. Noon's boarding house,

18th and Flint.

May I bid you good day, sir?

So long.

You poor sap.

Extra! Extra!

Reform candidate dies.

Hold it, sonny.

Reform leader dies!

Extra! Withers drops dead!

Extra! Reform leader!

Extra! Extra!

Extra! Extra!

Evening, Mr. Strozzi.

Good evening, Mr. Strozzi.

Good evening, Mr. Strozzi.

Mayor Morgan's here, ain't he?

Yes, sir, at his private table.

Say, chief, look!

What do you think of that?

"Withers drops dead."

- Can you imagine that?

- When did it happen?

Honey,

I guess the poor sap...

just got tired of

running against you.

And can you beat it?

With next Tuesday election day!

Yeah, they'll have to work fast.

Excuse me.

Follow me.

I want to make a telephone call.

I wonder who they'll nominate

in his place?

Don't lose any sleep

over it, dearie.

Why, Ed Morgan could commit

murder on the city hall steps...

and still be re-elected.

Get me

the Good Government League.

Have you heard the news?

Withers... he's dead!

Yeah, you're tellin' us?

A fine time he picked

to pass out, the old gas bag.

Yeah.

Two days before election...

us without a candidate.

Lord, what a mess.

Morgan on the phone

for you, Jake.

Oh, this is terrible.

The best candidate we ever had.

He never had a chance.

Hello?

Mr. Mayo? I want to offer

my condolences...

on the death

of Junius P. Withers...

a fine public-spirited citizen.

Your Good Government League

has lost a standard bearer...

whom I highly respected

as a rival candidate.

Say, listen,

you don't have to make a speech.

This is a private wire.

Oh. Well, listen, Jake...

you gotta replace

that old fool in a hurry.

I'd say we do...

and we got to decide on

another man tonight.

What we want to know is...

Another candidate?

Lmpossible!

Why, Withers was

the idol of the Reform element!

And just a sap to the regulars.

That's the idea. Morgan loses

the Reform vote anyway.

Yeah, well, we'll do that.

OK, Ed.

What are the orders, Jake?

Morgan says we can substitute

any candidate we want...

so long as

we're sure he's a pushover.

But that ought to be easy!

Yeah?

Well, I'm not so sure of that.

Folks are getting fed up

on Morgan...

with his dames and his drinkin'.

We may need an especially

weak candidate this time.

Fella named Cobb

to see you, Jake.

Cobb? Cobb? Who's he?

Search me.

Said he met you this afternoon.

Cobb? Cobb?

Oh! Hello, Cobb. How are you?

A cordial greeting, sir.

Say, listen, Cobb,

we're very busy.

Do you mind

coming 'round tomorrow?

See, we got

a committee meeting here and...

Oh, I'm sorry I intruded...

but I just read

of the untimely death...

of my friend Mr. Withers.

Your friend?

Are you a friend of Withers?

Well, I had expected

to be his guest.

Oh, yeah?

Well, why didn't you

tell me that?

Say, Jake!

We got a lot of work to do,

you know.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, come in and

meet the boys just a minute.

Fellas, this is

a friend of mine, Mr. Cobb.

This is Slattery, McGee,

Mulligan, Burke.

Mr. Cobb's from China.

Darned if I don't believe it.

Say, Cobb, how'd you happen

to know Withers?

Well, it was his church

that maintained...

my father's mission in China.

Are you a missionary?

I assisted my father

in that work, yes.

Say, what is

this missionary racket?

Sort of cleaning up a joint,

you know.

Oh, the old Reform gag, eh?

Yeah. The kind of a guy...

we're looking for

as a candidate.

I was deeply grieved

over Mr. Withers' demise.

A splendid character.

Say, listen, Cobb,

did you figure on doing...

any missionary work over here?

Not exactly...

but I had hoped

to be associated...

with Mr. Withers

during my stay here.

Oh, sort of an assistant, eh?

"Reformer's assistant

to carry on his noble work."

"Famous missionary

returns from China...

"to clean up his home town."

"Stockport needs me

more than China."

I beg your pardon?

Never mind. We were just

thinking of something.

Say, Cobb, we're very busy.

Do you mind if

you just sort of mosey along?

Oh, I really must apologize.

May I bid you good night?

Well, never mind that now.

You trot over

to your boarding house.

I'll telephone you about 10:30.

See, I want to talk to you

about something.

- Telephone?

- Yeah.

How interesting.

You know, I've never conversed

over a telephone.

May I bid you good night?

Holy cats,

he's got me doing it now.

Boys, he's it!

A missionary...

an expert at reforming.

Won't the longhairs eat that up?

He came all the way

from China...

but nobody

ever heard of him, Jake.

Ell, what do you suppose

they invented brass bands for?

Now, I can handle that sap...

and here's the way

we go about it.

Oh, uh, pardon me, Mrs. Noon.

Uh...

I expect a communication

by telephone.

I presume you have

such an instrument?

In the parlor.

Shove over the "Journal,"

will you, sweetheart?

There you are, Pet.

Thanks.

Perhaps if the gentleman's

your sweetheart...

you'd rather he sat next to you.

That's not very funny.

- Well, l... l...

- Pet's her name.

What a charming name.

So... intimate.

- Intimate?

- Yes.

Uh-huh.

Fast worker, aren't you?

Not especially...

but I fancy I can work

as rapid as another.

You see, for years

I assisted my father...

What did he do,

play a saxophone?

Oh, no. My father...

Well, let's not get into

an argument over it.

But, Miss Pet, l...

My name's not Pet.

But he just said...

Well, they call me Pet

because I'd slap 'em down...

if they called me

by my right name.

What's that?

My mother kept a window box

on the fire escape...

so she called me Petunia.

Eminently proper.

The Chinese frequently...

name their girl children

for flowers.

You know, I believe

that's the telephone.

You wouldn't kid me?

If you'll excuse me...

I'll hold a brief discourse

over the instrument.

A cordial greeting,

my worthy friend.

A cordial greeting,

my worthy fri...

A cordial greeting...

Aw, cut the clowning!

A cordial greeting,

my worthy friend.

Speak up!

Hello!

Uh, that you, Cobb?

Say, I'd like

to see you tomorrow.

Oh, no, nothing important.

Just a friendly little chat.

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Clarence Budington Kelland

Clarence Budington "Bud" Kelland (July 11, 1881 – February 18, 1964) was an American writer. He once described himself as "the best second-rate writer in America".Although largely forgotten now, Kelland had a long career as a writer of fiction and short stories, stretching from 1913 to 1960. He was published in many magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post and The American Magazine. A prolific writer, his output included sixty novels and some two hundred short stories. His best known juvenile works were the Mark Tidd series and the Catty Atkins series, while his best known adult work was the Scattergood Baines series. Other notable adult books by Kelland include Conflict (1920), Rhoda Fair (1925), Hard Money (1930), Arizona (1939), and Dangerous Angel (1953). Kelland was the "literary idol" of the teenaged John O'Hara. He was referred to in a 1995 installment of Harlan Ellison's television commentary, Harlan Ellison's Watching for the program Sci-Fi Buzz, wherein Ellison laments what he perceives as a prevailing cultural illiteracyKelland's work resulted in some thirty Hollywood movies, including Speak Easily (1932) starring Buster Keaton. Opera Hat, a serial from The American Magazine, was the basis for the film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) starring Gary Cooper. Opera Hat later was turned into the short-lived television series Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1969–70), and the movie Mr. Deeds (2002). One of Kelland's best-known characters was featured in the Scattergood Baines series of six films from 1941 to 1943, starring Guy Kibbee. more…

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