A brilliant film that helped define a genre

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Blistering performances.

Gravel-voiced zoo-keeper Andy Devine (as Branch Hawksbill) tells the heart-warming tale of young Jay North (as Christopher "Chris" Carlyle) and his mountain lion. "Sunshine" is an outside pet, which works out well because young North lives with his mom and dad on a farm. But that's about to change. After his father suffers an unseen mishap, the family must move to the city. North secretly brings the lion along. Sunshine startles the neighbors and must be sent to live at the local zoo. North is devastated. He is allowed in Sunshine's cage and gets the distressed feline to eat. A natural with animals, North gets a summer job as junior zoo keeper. He feels his pet and the other animals are in something like a "jail" and longs to set them free..."Zebra in the Kitchen" is confusingly titled. You're expecting it to be about a pet zebra. That animal is barely seen. The title is just the first line of song played over the opening credits, written by Hal Hopper (North's uncle and a show business veteran) and sung by The Standells...North is freshly free of his series "Dennis the Menace". He's got a different shade of hair color and successful sheds many of the TV character's quirky mannerisms. Producer-director Ivan Tors did much better with this fare on TV, with animal and kid adventure shows. So did earnest zoo manager Martin Milner (as Del Hartwood), herein between "Route 66" and "Adam-12". Best of the cameos is seeing Eddie Quillan enjoy watching Laurel and Hardy on TV, in the old film "Hollywood Party" (1934). Mr. Quillan was in that original movie, and his "I've Had My Moments" song and dance upstaged most, if not all, of his co-stars.***** Zebra in the Kitchen (6/65) Ivan Tors ~ Jay North, Andy Devine, Martin Milner, Jim Davis

"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.

This was the first film I saw at the cinema too,the film came out in 1965 ,but I saw it in about 1973. It was in South Africa and back then our parents never came in with us they just dropped us off I was about 10 and my brother was about 7. We really loved it it was so hilarious ,I never thought of trying to rent it now ,but I would love to show it to my daughter and niece's. The cinema was a riot of unruly kids chucking sweets popcorn etc..what fun !! I remember coming home with a half chewed up toffee stuck in the back of my hair.. ahhh those were the days . Rent it for the kids they will love it ,I may watch it again too ..

This is the first movie I ever saw in a theatre (with my brother and cousins). I was about five or six years old, and I remember laughing 'til I cried. I went home and told Mom all about the funniest moments. Also, that huge screen up there, glowing bright and the people so big: it was all magical! Nowadays, I see this movie on the video store shelf and I refuse to rent it: apparently this movie is not very good, and I don't want the realization of its mediocrity to obliterate my magical childhood memory. We need to keep those memories intact: we retain them as little nuggets of magic, optimism and fun in our jaded adult hearts. If this wasn't YOUR first movie, rent it for your kids today (though I'd rather they see it on the big screen, of course!).