Cinema: The Smash Menagerie

In Hollywood's Carthay Circle Theater, movie folk watched and applauded last week as seven animals got their "Patsy" awards (the annual animal "Oscar") for outstanding performances. The first-prize winner: Rhubarb, a stealthy, orange-colored cat which starred in the picture of the same name. The other winners: Diamond and Smoky (horses), Corky and Chinook (dogs), Cheta (a chimpanzee playmate of Tarzan), and Francis (the "talking" mule). There were minor disturbances—Smoky was frightened and frisky; Diamond was nervous enough to misbehave onstage—but, all in all, the evening was a success. Moreover, it was a true sign of a new Hollywood trend: movies starring...