Rhubarb (1951)

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Francis M. Cockrell (writer)
Dorothy Davenport (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

8 February 1952 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Sport

Tagline:

It's the Funniest Picture in Nine Lifetimes!

Plot:

Rich, eccentric T.J. Banner adopts a feral cat who becomes an affectionate pet. Then T.J. dies, leaving...

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Cat | Feral | Feral Cat | Brooklyn Dodgers

Cast

Ray Milland	...	Eric Yeager
Jan Sterling	...	Polly Sickles
Gene Lockhart	...	Thaddeus J. Banner
William Frawley	...	Len Sickles
Elsie Holmes	...	Myra Banner
Taylor Holmes	...	P. Duncan Munk
Willard Waterman	...	Orlando Dill
Henry Slate	...	Dud Logan
James Griffith	...	Ogelthorpe 'Oggie' Meadows (as James W. Griffith)
Jim Hayward	...	Doom
Donald MacBride	...	Pheeny
Hal K. Dawson	...	Mr. Fisher
Orangey	...	Rhubarb
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brooks Benedict	...	Dill's Lawyer #1 (uncredited)
Sedal Bennett	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Edward Biby	...	Weather Forecaster (uncredited)
Billie Bird	...	Mona Lizzie (uncredited)
Larry J. Blake	...	Police Radio Voice (uncredited)
Madge Blake	...	Mrs. Emily Thompson (uncredited)
Oliver Blake	...	Cadaver Jones (uncredited)
Herman Boden	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Gail Bonney	...	Woman with Dog (uncredited)
John Breen	...	Western Union Boy (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Dill's Lawyer #2 (uncredited)
Charles D. Campbell	...	Announcer (uncredited)
Douglas Carter	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Harry Cheshire	...	Mr. Seegle - Board Member (uncredited)
Edward Clark	...	Judge Loudermilk (uncredited)
Tristram Coffin	...	Dr. Henry J. Stillman (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Sporting Goods Store Customer (uncredited)
Jack Daly	...	Officer (uncredited)
Mike Donovan	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Paul Douglas	...	Man on Park Bench (uncredited)
Jimmie Dundee	...	Pencil Louie's Driver (uncredited)
Al Ferguson	...	Policeman in Garden (uncredited)
Frank Fiumara	...	Ball Player (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	O'Leary, Manhattan Police Chief (uncredited)
Howard Gardiner	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Adda Gleason	...	Maid (uncredited)
Roy Gordon	...	Golfer (uncredited)
Sandra Gould	...	Housewife Bettor (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Baseball player (uncredited)
Mack Gray	...	Suspect in Polo Coat in Line-Up (uncredited)
Don Haggerty	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Detective (uncredited)
Tom Hanlon	...	Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Buck Harrington	...	Proprietor (uncredited)
Hans Herbert	...	Doctor (uncredited)
F. Herrick Herrick	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Golfer (uncredited)
Wally Hood	...	Umpire (uncredited)
Jerry James	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Curtis Jarrett	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Dolly Jarvis	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Richard Karlan	...	Pencil Louie (uncredited)
Harold J. Kennedy	...	Sporting Goods Salesman (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Michele Lange	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Grace Lenard	...	Kitty (uncredited)
Arthur Lovejoy	...	Minister (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Golfer (uncredited)
Strother Martin	...	Michael 'Shorty' McGirk (uncredited)
Edwin Max	...	Fish Eye (uncredited)
Paul Maxey	...	Mr. Reese - Board Member (uncredited)
Stanley McKay	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Bill Meader	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Lee Miller	...	Ball Player (uncredited)
Rex Moore	...	Caddy (uncredited)
Howard Negley	...	Process Server (uncredited)
Leonard Nimoy	...	Young Ball Player (uncredited)
Will Orleans	...	Hoodlum (uncredited)
Stanley Orr	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Ruth Packard	...	Minister's Wife (uncredited)
Sam Pierce	...	Barber (uncredited)
Joe Ploski	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Hilda Plowright	...	Katie (uncredited)
Anthony Radecki	...	Ball Player (uncredited)
Roberta Richards	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford	...	Eddie - Brooklyn Police Chief (uncredited)
Carl Saxe	...	St. Louis Ball Player (uncredited)
Frank J. Scannell	...	Hamburger Harry, Bookie (uncredited)
George Sherwood	...	Mr. Thompson (uncredited)
Jack Stoney	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Fan with Binoculars (uncredited)
Frank Sully	...	Big Head Charlie, Bookie (uncredited)
Gus Taillon	...	Sexton (uncredited)
William Thourlby	...	Ball Player (uncredited)
Harry Varteresian	...	Elbert (uncredited)
Dorothy Vernon	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Sailor Vincent	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Billy Wayne	...	St. Louis Manager (uncredited)
Ben Welden	...	Oily Moe - Bookie (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Golfer (uncredited)
Hank Wise	...	Baseball Pitcher (uncredited)
Douglas Wood	...	Mr. Carroll - Board Member (uncredited)

Directed by
Arthur Lubin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Francis M. Cockrell		writer
Dorothy Davenport		writer
H. Allen Smith		novel
David Stern		additional dialogue

Produced by
William Perlberg	....	producer
George Seaton	....	producer

Original Music by
Van Cleave

Cinematography by
Lionel Lindon

Film Editing by
Alma Macrorie

Production Design by
Henry Bumstead
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ross Dowd

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Geraldine Cole	....	hair stylist
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Francisco Day	....	assistant director (as Chico Day)

Sound Department
John Cope	....	sound
Harry D. Mills	....	sound (as Harry Mills)

Special Effects by
Gordon Jennings	....	special effects

Other crew
Frank Inn	....	cat trainer
Arthur Jacobson	....	assistant to producers

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• Legend Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Silver Screen Archive (????) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Wrigley Field - 42nd Place & Avalon Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Fourteen different cats portrayed Rhubarb at different points in the film. Each cat was trained to do a different trick. Three of the most identical cats appeared in the courtroom scene where Polly Sickles has to choose which one is the real Rhubarb.

Quotes:

Ball Player: A Rhubarb. It's a donnybrook... a dust-up...
Eric Yeager: [takes phone] Lady, you know what happens at a sale, when two women get hold of the same dress? THAT's a Rhubarb!
[slams phone down]

Soundtrack:

FRIENDLY FINANCE COMPANY

Miss you, Rhubarb!

I saw this movie first on TV in the 70's(I think). The story follows a multi-millionaire-baseball team owner who wishes his team would show some spunk. He meets Rhubarb, a golf ball stealing feral cat, and in the process of trying to eradicate the cat, finds just what he is looking for in a team player, all fight. He takes in the cat, and after the man passes away, the cat is willed ownership of the baseball team. (this has actually happened in real-life a few years ago, a cat inheriting millions.) Once the superstitious ball players are convinced the cat is good luck, the team begins to win, angering gangsters betting on the games. Battling them and his fiance's alergy to cats, the hero finally manages to conquer all. This movie is simply fun. I really wish it could be revived and sold as VHS or DVD. I would think it could make quite a lot of money, considering the millions of loving cat owners (including myself) who would enjoy seeing this show. If you want a simple and cute story,see this movie!