The Cat from Outer Space

The Cat from Outer Space is a 1978 Disney film, starring Ronnie Schell, Ken Berry, Sandy Duncan, Harry Morgan, Roddy McDowall and McLean Stevenson.

Plot
An unidentified flying object makes an emergency landing on Earth and is taken into custody by the United States government. The occupant of the "flying saucer" turns out to be a cat-like alien named Zunar-J-5/9 Doric-4-7, or Jake (voiced by Ronnie Schell) as he is called by his human friends (a tawny Abyssinian cat; a role shared by two cats named Amber and Rumple).

Using a special collar, he is able to communicate with humans (as well as perform feats of levitation and even take a wrecked plane into the air). The cat wants American scientists to help him find some "Org 12" so that his craft may rendezvous with his mother ship, and eventually settles on Dr. Frank Wilson (Ken Berry).

After Frank determines that "Org 12" is gold when Jake tells its atomic weight (196.967), Jake uses his collar's powers to affect the outcome of various sporting events, including horse races and pool games, to win money to buy the needed gold and repair his saucer. In the end, Jake sends his flying saucer back to the mother ship, staying on Earth with Frank, Frank's girlfriend Liz (Sandy Duncan) and Liz's cat Lucy.

Production notes

 * NBA Hall of Famer "Pistol" Pete Maravich and Pat Riley are seen on a clip of a 1971 NBA Hawks-Lakers basketball game.
 * At a crucial scene near the half-mark of the film, Jake levitates Frank and a motorcycle across an army barricade to escape pursuit. This type of visual gag had been used before in both Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain and Return from Witch Mountain and the sequence resembles a similar one later seen in Steven Spielberg's E.T..

Cast

 * Ronnie Schell: Jake (voice)/Sgt. Duffy
 * Ken Berry: Dr. Franklin 'Frank' Wilson
 * Sandy Duncan: Dr. Elizabeth 'Liz' Bartlett
 * Harry Morgan: Gen. Stilton
 * Roddy McDowall: Mr. Stallwood
 * McLean Stevenson: Dr. Norman Link
 * Jesse White: Earnest Ernie (the Gambling Dealer)
 * Alan Young: Dr. Winger (veterinarian)
 * Hans Conried: Chief Dr. Heffel
 * James Hampton: Capt. Anderson
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Howard Platt: Col. Woodruff
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">William Prince: Mr. Charlie Olympus
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Ralph Manza: Weasel
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Tom Pedi: Honest Harry
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Hank Jones: Officer
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Sorrell Booke: Judge
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Fred Whalen: Sarasota Slim (Pool Hustler)

Production Credits

 * Directed by Norman Tokar
 * Produced by Ron W. Miller
 * Written by Ted Key
 * Music by Lalo Schifrin
 * Cinematography Charles F. Wheeler
 * Editing by Cotton Warburton
 * Release date June 9, 1978
 * Running time 104 minutes