At about 1:40 appears 30-yr-old Strother Martin dressed as a bellhop, one of his very first film appearances. The history of Orangey pre-Hollywood can be found in certain news stories from back about 1951. He was a very WILLING cat and would do things I never thought cats would do. I just saw him in a 1967 episode of Mission: Impossible. He was almost 17 by then and his performance truly deserved a PATSY, which he did win at the 1952 Patsies. Orangey was a talented presence for almost 20 years.
Lots of info comes from old newspaper articles. Just a pasttime. Orangey was a farm cat in a nearby California small town. I think movie studio placed an ad and Orangey won. Eventually he was owned by Frank Inn, famous trainer. @@heroeshorrorscats1888
Buddy Ebsen played Daddy Golightly in the film. Elly Mae loved Orangey and he was in 21 episodes of Beverly Hillbillies as Rusty, with his last acting role being a 1971 episode. At 17, he also played Rusty in a 1967 episode of Mission: Impossible, where he walks across a thin piece of wood carrying sumpin' in his malf. 23 when he died of failure to keep living. Orangey had 90 lives instead of 9.
Originally owned by Agnes Murray of Sherman Oaks, CA, Orangey was judged meanest looking, ugliest, most bad tempered cat in a nationwide talent contest involving 3,000 cats & won the role of Rhubarb, a millionaire cat in the 1951 movie of the same name. He won the 1952 Patsy Award ("animal Oscar"). Murray sold him to legendary Hollywood trainer Frank Inn. Orangey was annoyed when he had to affix his pawprint to his $450 per week Paramount contract. Also won Patsy 10 yrs later for Breakfast at Tiffany's. There were dozens of news articles on Orangey in the early 1950's, but I have Genealogy Bank & know some of his history from reading the old news articles. I had no idea, however, that he lived to be 23, which he would have been circa 1972.
Just watched This island earth, orangey was excellent in his portrayal of Neutron. He's a real scene stealer. Thank you for giving this insight into his life.
WOMAN'S WORLD; What Happened to Audrey Hepburn’s Cat Co-star After ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s? By Jaclyn Anglis, March 6, 2019-In the iconic film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the cat called Cat was described as a “poor slob without a name” by Audrey Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly. But in real life, the feline actor behind the furry role had a totally opposite reputation. Not only did this cat have a name - Orangey - he was also quite the kitty celebrity. According to the book Cat Lover’s Daily Companion, Orangey was one of Hollywood’s most widely demanded feline actors back in the day. A marmalade tabby trained by famous animal wrangler Frank Inn, Orangey already had a decade of acting experience before he became Audrey Hepburn’s onscreen companion. Orangey made his movie debut in the 1951 film Rhubarb, in which he plays the namesake character, a “millionaire” cat who was gifted an entire baseball team by his late owner. Although that might sound humorous, Orangey also appeared in more serious roles, such as a fugitive cat in the 1959 film Diary of Anne Frank. It’s no question that this kitty had the chops to appear in what would become one of the most famous movies of all time - Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961. According to the book Cats’ Most Wanted, one of the reasons why Orangey made such a successful feline actor was due to his ability to “stay” for indefinite hours while a movie was in production. But like some human celebrities, Orangey reportedly exhibited diva behavior after his scenes wrapped up. Once the cameras stopped rolling, Orangey would often run away, shutting down production until he was found again. One unnamed movie executive even called him “the world’s meanest cat” for scratching and spitting on costars after a scene ended. However, in Orangey’s defense, his job wasn’t exactly easy. Remember that moment in Breakfast at Tiffany’s when Holly Golightly tosses Cat out of a cab in the pouring rain? (Audrey Hepburn, known for being an animal lover in real life, later called that scene one of “the most distasteful things” she ever did in a movie.) That said, Orangey’s hard work on Breakfast at Tiffany’s paid off big-time in the long run. He ended up winning his second Patsy award - the animal equivalent of an Oscar - for his role as Cat after the movie was over. (His first Patsy was for his role in Rhubarb.) To this day, he remains the only cat to ever win a Patsy award two times - what an accomplishment! One might think that after the success of Breakfast, Orangey might’ve gone into kitty retirement. Not so! This fierce feline continued to appear in a variety of movies and TV shows until the late 1960s, including The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Beverly Hillbillies. It’s unclear when Orangey passed away, but what is clear is that he left a major paw-print on the entertainment industry while he was alive - and his adorably furry legacy will live on forever. Today, he rests in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.
At about 1:40 appears 30-yr-old Strother Martin dressed as a bellhop, one of his very first film appearances. The history of Orangey pre-Hollywood can be found in certain news stories from back about 1951. He was a very WILLING cat and would do things I never thought cats would do. I just saw him in a 1967 episode of Mission: Impossible. He was almost 17 by then and his performance truly deserved a PATSY, which he did win at the 1952 Patsies. Orangey was a talented presence for almost 20 years.
Impressive! You really did your due diligence on this!
Lots of info comes from old newspaper articles. Just a pasttime. Orangey was a farm cat in a nearby California small town. I think movie studio placed an ad and Orangey won. Eventually he was owned by Frank Inn, famous trainer. @@heroeshorrorscats1888
Buddy Ebsen played Daddy Golightly in the film. Elly Mae loved Orangey and he was in 21 episodes of Beverly Hillbillies as Rusty, with his last acting role being a 1971 episode. At 17, he also played Rusty in a 1967 episode of Mission: Impossible, where he walks across a thin piece of wood carrying sumpin' in his malf. 23 when he died of failure to keep living. Orangey had 90 lives instead of 9.
I LOVE this video. I had no idea that this cat was in so many movies. He looks so miserable in that Breakfast at Tiffany's scene.
Doesn’t he? Orangey was a pretty cool cat! 🐈
Cannot beat a doc on a cat. Nothing better to make you smile.
Bib, Glad we could make you smile! We’re working in some new cat docs, too!
Originally owned by Agnes Murray of Sherman Oaks, CA, Orangey was judged meanest looking, ugliest, most bad tempered cat in a nationwide talent contest involving 3,000 cats & won the role of Rhubarb, a millionaire cat in the 1951 movie of the same name. He won the 1952 Patsy Award ("animal Oscar"). Murray sold him to legendary Hollywood trainer Frank Inn. Orangey was annoyed when he had to affix his pawprint to his $450 per week Paramount contract. Also won Patsy 10 yrs later for Breakfast at Tiffany's. There were dozens of news articles on Orangey in the early 1950's, but I have Genealogy Bank & know some of his history from reading the old news articles. I had no idea, however, that he lived to be 23, which he would have been circa 1972.
He was unneutered too!
😺
Just watched This island earth, orangey was excellent in his portrayal of Neutron. He's a real scene stealer. Thank you for giving this insight into his life.
Yes, we agree! Riveting to watch!
WOMAN'S WORLD; What Happened to Audrey Hepburn’s Cat Co-star After ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s? By Jaclyn Anglis, March 6, 2019-In the iconic film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the cat called Cat was described as a “poor slob without a name” by Audrey Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly. But in real life, the feline actor behind the furry role had a totally opposite reputation. Not only did this cat have a name - Orangey - he was also quite the kitty celebrity. According to the book Cat Lover’s Daily Companion, Orangey was one of Hollywood’s most widely demanded feline actors back in the day. A marmalade tabby trained by famous animal wrangler Frank Inn, Orangey already had a decade of acting experience before he became Audrey Hepburn’s onscreen companion. Orangey made his movie debut in the 1951 film Rhubarb, in which he plays the namesake character, a “millionaire” cat who was gifted an entire baseball team by his late owner. Although that might sound humorous, Orangey also appeared in more serious roles, such as a fugitive cat in the 1959 film Diary of Anne Frank. It’s no question that this kitty had the chops to appear in what would become one of the most famous movies of all time - Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961. According to the book Cats’ Most Wanted, one of the reasons why Orangey made such a successful feline actor was due to his ability to “stay” for indefinite hours while a movie was in production. But like some human celebrities, Orangey reportedly exhibited diva behavior after his scenes wrapped up. Once the cameras stopped rolling, Orangey would often run away, shutting down production until he was found again. One unnamed movie executive even called him “the world’s meanest cat” for scratching and spitting on costars after a scene ended. However, in Orangey’s defense, his job wasn’t exactly easy. Remember that moment in Breakfast at Tiffany’s when Holly Golightly tosses Cat out of a cab in the pouring rain? (Audrey Hepburn, known for being an animal lover in real life, later called that scene one of “the most distasteful things” she ever did in a movie.) That said, Orangey’s hard work on Breakfast at Tiffany’s paid off big-time in the long run. He ended up winning his second Patsy award - the animal equivalent of an Oscar - for his role as Cat after the movie was over. (His first Patsy was for his role in Rhubarb.) To this day, he remains the only cat to ever win a Patsy award two times - what an accomplishment! One might think that after the success of Breakfast, Orangey might’ve gone into kitty retirement. Not so! This fierce feline continued to appear in a variety of movies and TV shows until the late 1960s, including The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Beverly Hillbillies. It’s unclear when Orangey passed away, but what is clear is that he left a major paw-print on the entertainment industry while he was alive - and his adorably furry legacy will live on forever. Today, he rests in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.
Excellent info!
❤ one cool cat😻
Is this the cat in Breakfast in tiffany?
Good guess. Been in quite a few films.