I saw this movie for the very first time on Vudu last night. In 1965, I was only 3 years old, and my folks didn't think my younger sister and I were ready to go to any movies yet.
I thought "Zebra in the Kitchen" was very enjoyable. Sure, the plot was rather simple, but there were some funny moments, such as when the ostrich swallowed the transistor radio and changed stations every time he hiccuped, the citizens of the city ran from the animals in fast motion, and when a young boy thanks his parents for the pony they bought him, which turns out to be the zebra in the kitchen (hence the film's title).
I also enjoyed this film because it took me back to a simpler time in my life, when all I had to worry about was missing cartoons on Saturday mornings, going to bed early, or punishment. And it seemed life in the mid-60's was also simpler (before all the riots that were to come, etc.). Sometimes I think my folks (may they rest in peace) had it good back then also. (I *do* remember when MGM rereleased "Zebra in the Kitchen" in 1971 as part of their "Children's Matinees" series. I had begged and pleaded with my mom to have her take me and my younger sister to see the film, but she couldn't, especially since we only had one car then and my dad was very skittish about my mom wanting to borrow the car for unimportant reasons.)
Also being an avid oldies buff, I sometimes see the 45 of the theme song by the Standells on Ebay or other record-related sites (I believe it *didn't* chart on Billboard's Hot 100). Sundazed Music rereleased the 45 of "Zebra in the Kitchen" as an item for Record Store Day in the mid-2010's. Now that I own a fully-restored Seeburg Sunstar jukebox, I'll eventually seek a copy of that 45. I think that would sound rather cool on the jukebox.
They certainly *don't* make films like this anymore. "Zebra in the Kitchen" is pure family escapism at its best. I'll give it an 8.
(And for the record, the very first movie I ever remember seeing in a theater was Walt Disney's "The Jungle Book." That was in late 1967 and I was only 5 then.)
I thought "Zebra in the Kitchen" was very enjoyable. Sure, the plot was rather simple, but there were some funny moments, such as when the ostrich swallowed the transistor radio and changed stations every time he hiccuped, the citizens of the city ran from the animals in fast motion, and when a young boy thanks his parents for the pony they bought him, which turns out to be the zebra in the kitchen (hence the film's title).
I also enjoyed this film because it took me back to a simpler time in my life, when all I had to worry about was missing cartoons on Saturday mornings, going to bed early, or punishment. And it seemed life in the mid-60's was also simpler (before all the riots that were to come, etc.). Sometimes I think my folks (may they rest in peace) had it good back then also. (I *do* remember when MGM rereleased "Zebra in the Kitchen" in 1971 as part of their "Children's Matinees" series. I had begged and pleaded with my mom to have her take me and my younger sister to see the film, but she couldn't, especially since we only had one car then and my dad was very skittish about my mom wanting to borrow the car for unimportant reasons.)
Also being an avid oldies buff, I sometimes see the 45 of the theme song by the Standells on Ebay or other record-related sites (I believe it *didn't* chart on Billboard's Hot 100). Sundazed Music rereleased the 45 of "Zebra in the Kitchen" as an item for Record Store Day in the mid-2010's. Now that I own a fully-restored Seeburg Sunstar jukebox, I'll eventually seek a copy of that 45. I think that would sound rather cool on the jukebox.
They certainly *don't* make films like this anymore. "Zebra in the Kitchen" is pure family escapism at its best. I'll give it an 8.
(And for the record, the very first movie I ever remember seeing in a theater was Walt Disney's "The Jungle Book." That was in late 1967 and I was only 5 then.)