Sick Product of a Sick System

Just perfect...

best movie i've ever seen.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

I enjoyed this film very much. Jay North does a fine job as a child who has raised a mountain lion from birth but because he has to move with this family to the city, the mountain lion has to be put in a zoo that is poorly funded and with tiny cages. As a result, Jay North's character frees all the animals there 45 minutes into the film. The middle part then is more comedic as the animals enjoy their time away from the cages. Longtime character actor Andy Levine and Martin Milner are wonderful in their roles as the zoo caretaker and zoo director, respectively. Now zoos are more animal-friendly but when this film was made, many zoos were like jails with cramped cages and the rights of animals was an afterthought in zoos. This film enlightens the public in that regard and does so in an entertaining and heartfelt way.

Chris (Jay North) lives on a California ranch with his parents and two pets, a German Shepherd dog and a tamed mountain lion, Sunshine. However, one morning, his parents tell him that they are moving to the city, they can't turn a profit on the ranch. Talk about disappointment! Mostly, Chris is worried about Sunshine, who, unlike other big cats, doesn't know survival techniques. So, Chris sneaks him onto the trailer and takes him to their new home in Southern California. Almost immediately, Sunshine is discovered and taken to the local zoo, over Chris' zealous objections. When the young boy goes to visit, he sees the zoo is horridly small and the animals' cages are too confining. One of the nice zookeepers (Andy Devine) lets Chris work at the zoo, part time. Another zookeeper (Martin Milner) also has a caring heart and knows the zoo needs improvements but he can't convince the owners to put forth the dollars. Therefore, one day, Chris lets the animals loose, after a feeding, to make a point. Soon, zebras, chimps, a tiger, a lion, an ostrich and other animals are walking around town. Only the head zookeeper keeps the police from terminating the animals, asking for time to tranquilize the creatures and take them back. But, as the hours go by, will the zoo animals be saved and will Chris' misguided effort to improve the zoo bring results? This is a very nice family film, nearly unknown, but with a great cast of character actros and, naturally, a slightly older version of Dennis the Menace. North is enjoyable, as is the entire cast. Also wonderful are the animals, who put on a show to set everyone to knee-slapping fun. Just watch a chimp imitate a man watching Laurel and Hardy on television and you will be laughing, too. But, alas, there are a couple of problems. First, some evil boys throw lit cigars to the hippos, causing one to die. Nasty and unnecessary. Also, no one, no matter what the goal, should release wild and dangerous animals on the public. Its not a prank, so you and yours should discuss this during and after a watch. But, all in all, most folks of all ages will like this one and happily sing the catchy title song, too.

"Zebra In The Kitchen" may look at first glance to be a wholesome family movie, seeing that it was made by Ivan Tors of "Flipper" fame, and that it was made in the innocent '60s, long before humor like breaking wind becoming popular. Yet when you examine it closely, it has some disturbing messages that may give kids the wrong ideas. It has the idea that it's okay that truly wild animals like cougars should be domesticated and kept around the house. The movie also feels that it's okay for the child protagonist to free all the animals kept in a zoo and let them run riot in the adjoining town. And get this - the kid doesn't really get punished for this in the end! Besides disturbing messages like this, we get stupid characters and situations, like a family driving 800 miles between sunup and sunset. And I think even kids will find the child protagonist very annoying with his constant whining about his cougar named "Sunshine" (!) Only for viewers who want to see animals sprayed with whipped cream.

How bizarre!This was one of the first films I recall seeing as well.And I do remember how much I laughed. Like another commenter here, I do not wish to see it again as I just know it will spoil the memory for me. And like the same commenter, I too was in South Africa at the time and was only about 6 or 7 years old. However, as I now have a six-month old daughter of my own, I will try to get it for her to see, and perhaps she too will laugh as much as I did all those years ago. Funny how we remember such simple things. I'm sure there are many, many movies that are far better, but I just remember this one in particular. Perhaps it was because my mother was in the hospital at the time giving birth to my baby (35 now) brother and I watched this to keep me occupied.If you have youngsters yourself, rent it for them if you can. They'll love it!