Cat, Dog & Co. (1929) - A weirdly dark animal rights lesson

You should watch this if you like seeing how kids actually played a hundred years ago. It’s a great slice of history for people who like the Little Rascals or just want to see some cool 1920s junk-pile engineering. 🐶

If you get stressed out by seeing dogs pull heavy things, you might want to skip the first five minutes. It is all meant to be funny, but some of it feels a bit rough by today's standards.

The whole thing starts with the kids building these 'roadsters' out of crates and old wheels. They use their dogs to pull them along like little engines.

Farina and Joe look like they are having the time of their lives steering these things. The way the dogs just sort of trot along while the kids yell is pretty funny, even if it’s a bit chaotic.

There is a lady from the Be Kind to Animals Society who shows up to ruin the fun. Adele Watson plays her, and she has this very intense schoolteacher energy.

She gives them a lecture about being nice to their pets. Suddenly, the gang decides they are animal rescuers.

They start 'rescuing' every animal they see, which basically means stealing them from their owners. It is a very kid-brained way to handle a moral lesson. 😂

Joe Cobb has this long scene with a flea that is biting him. He actually talks to the flea and tries to be patient with it because of the lady's lecture.

It goes on for a while. Maybe too long. But Joe is such a good physical actor that he almost makes you believe there is a tiny bug jumping around his arms.

He even tries to feed the flea. It’s weird and kind of gross, but also sweet in a dumb way.

Then we get to Wheezer. Wheezer is the little one who is always causing trouble, and in this short, he is being a real jerk to the animals.

He is poking them and making them do things they don't want to do. It’s hard to watch because Wheezer is usually the cute one.

But the movie has a plan for him. He goes to sleep and has this absolutely wild nightmare sequence.

Suddenly, the animals are the ones in charge. There is a giant duck that acts as a judge in a courtroom. 🦆

The costumes in this dream are super creepy. They look like something out of a low-budget horror movie from the 70s, but it's 1929.

The animals put Wheezer on trial for being mean. The set design here is surprisingly cool for a short comedy film.

It reminds me a bit of the weirdness in The Little Intruder. There’s a certain logic to these silent shorts where things can get very dark very fast.

The dream sequence is the best part of the whole movie. It has high energy and the camera tricks are actually pretty clever.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Cat, Dog & Co. (1929) through its definitive frames.

You can tell the director, Robert A. McGowan, wanted to do something more than just a standard 'kids playing' story. He really leans into the surrealism.

• The dog pulling the lead car looks like he wants a nap more than a race.
• Farina’s hat is iconic as always.
• The kid playing 'Beezer' has some great reaction shots when the 'Be Kind' lady is talking.
• The giant duck costume in the dream is actually terrifying. Seriously.
• The way they filmed the roadsters makes them look faster than they probably were.

I think the pacing gets a little slow in the middle. The transition from the racing to the 'rescue' mission feels a bit clunky.

It’s not as tightly scripted as something like Camping Out. That one feels like a more complete adventure from start to finish.

But Cat, Dog & Co. has more heart. Or at least, it tries to have a message, even if it’s a bit preachy.

Joe’s acting during the flea bit is honestly some of his best work. He doesn't have any dialogue, but you know exactly what he’s thinking.

The way he looks at his arm when the flea bites him... it's just perfect comedic timing. He was such a pro even at that age.

I wonder if they actually had a real flea or if he was just staring at a speck of dirt. Probably dirt.

The ending comes up pretty fast. Wheezer wakes up and he's a changed kid. It’s a bit of a cliché, but it works for a 20-minute short.

I noticed the film quality is a bit grainy in the dream sequence. It adds to the spooky vibe, though.

If you’ve seen Hitting the Trail, you’ll recognize the same kind of outdoor energy here. They really loved filming in those dusty California lots.

"Be kind to your four-footed friends!"

That seems to be the big takeaway. Even if it takes a giant duck judge to convince you.

It’s a solid short. Not the best the gang ever did, but the dream sequence makes it worth the price of admission. Or the time spent on YouTube.

One thing that bothered me was the editing during the race. Sometimes a car is on the left, then suddenly it's on the right. It’s a bit confusing.

But hey, it was 1929. They were still figuring out how to make these things flow properly.

The music in the version I watched was a bit repetitive. Just the same piano riff over and over. I eventually just muted it and played some jazz in the background.

Overall, it's a fun little time capsule. It shows a world where kids were left to their own devices with some wood, some wheels, and a few dogs.

It’s definitely better than some of the later talkie shorts. There is a charm to the silence here that lets the kids' faces do all the work.

If you have twenty minutes, give it a look. Just watch out for that duck judge. 🦆⚖️