Three Little Kittens
Three Little Kittens is a short film from 1938 released on 16mm. It is held in the Prelinger Archives collection.
Contents. The story of three little kittens from shortly after the time they are born until they are old enough to "work."
A farm wife finds a mother cat with three newborn kittens in their nest in the barn. After the kittens have had their breakfast of mother's milk, the mother cat goes to the kitchen door, climbs up on the screen, and is rewarded with a breakfast of cream. Then she carefully washes her face and goes to the cellar where she sometimes catches mice.
When the kittens are two weeks old, their eyes are open and they are still living on a pile of hay in the barn. A hen scratches and pecks near them, so mother cat moves her family one at a time to a sunny spot on the seat of an old buggy outside. When one of the kittens, Curly Tail, is left alone, he is threatened by the hen, but he is soon rescued by the mother cat.
After three more weeks have passed, one of the kittens attempts to get milk from the mother cat and is refused. But a pan of milk set on the floor furnishes them all with so large a meal that their sides bulge. After dinner, the mother cat washes the kittens' faces, and then they frolic with each other and play with a ball of yarn.
At the age of two months, all the kittens have learned to wash their own faces after each meal. When the mother cat goes for a walk, all three follow. On the soft bark at the base of an apple tree, the mother cat sharpens her claws. Then she looks up and leaps into the lower branches. By this time the kittens are far behind, but they soon catch up and all but Curly Tail join their mother in the tree. Left alone on the ground, he stiffens and spits when a big dog comes close. Curly Tail is brave, but finally decides to climb the tree to safety.
When the kittens are old enough to work, there is not enough for all of them to do. So the farm wife takes two of them to town to give them away -- one to a shoemaker and the other to the postmaster. After they have been received into their new homes, the farm wife returns to the farm and picks up the third little kitten. The commentator says that this is the luckiest kitten of all.
Appraisal. Reported excellent for (1) telling the story of the experiences of three little farm kittens and (2) furnishing the basis for oral and written expression and other creative classroom activities. Found useful in (1) encouraging better care of pets and (2) instilling a desire to play together.
Teachers noted that the film was within the realm of children's experiences, was not sentimental, moved at a rate suitable for children, and did not "talk down" to the young audience. Student responses to the film were described as enthusiastic. A showing before a slow primary group, where the teacher had been unable to arouse interest or initiative, left the children eager to participate in classroom activities and initiated a change in class attitude. Slow groups in more advanced grades showed similar interest.
Photography and sound are excellent.| Three Little Kittens | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | ERPI Classroom Films, Inc. |
Production companies | ERPI Classroom Films, Inc. |
| Distributed by | ERPI Classroom Films, Inc. |
Release date | 1938 |
Running time | 10:04 |
| Language | English |
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