R F Brown

Cat’s Eye (1985, d. Lewis Teague)

An anthology of three shorts based on stories by Stephen King and written for the screen by Stephen King.  The connecting device is a stray cat that is traveling to save a little girl.

Quitters Inc. –  A cigarette smoker attends a quit smoking clinic using mafia-like intimidation methods on its clients.  If Dick smokes a cigarette, violence will befall his family.  Ultimately he can’t resist the temptation.

The Ledge –  A former tennis pro is about to run off with woman whose jealous husband is a ruthless crime boss.  The husband kidnaps the lover and blackmails him into a wager that he can’t walk the exterior ledge of  a skyscraper penthouse apartment.  This is the best of the three shorts.

The General –  The stray cat is adopted by a little girl, and must protect her from a malevolent troll who’s trying to steal the sleeping child’s breath.  This is definitely the worst of the three shorts.