not pay. Smith was approached by other producers - one wanted to change the cat to a dog, another wanted to change the baseball team to a football team so as to appeal to Britain. The project was optioned to another producer who did not pay the option fee and another producer wanted the cat to inherit a burlesque house. There was no interest in the project for two years, then film rights were bought by Arthur Lubin who had just made Francis the Talking Mule and was looking for another animal story. In December 1949 it was reported Arthur Lubin had hired Frank Cockrell to write a script based on the novel, intending to film it after Francis In January 1950 Lubin had hired Dorothy Reid to work on the script and wanted Glenn Ford to star; Reid and Lubin had collaborated numerous times, most recently on Francis. Lubin pitched the project to Universal, who made Francis but they passed. So too did several other studios. In August 1950 Lubin sold the project to Paramount. In September the film was assigned to a production unit at Paramount run by William Perlberg and George Seaton. The following month Ray Milland signed to star. A nationwide talent search was held to discover a cat to play the title role. It went to Moody, who belonged to Agnes Murray of Sherman Oaks. Moody had twenty three different stand ins. Filming took place in March 1951. Fourteen different cats portrayed Rhubarb at different points in the film. Each cat was trained to do a different trick. Three of the most similar looking cats appeared in the courtroom scene where Polly Sickles has to choose which one is the real Rhubarb. Lubin recalled that on the first day of filming the cat who played Rhubarb "deliberately bit me in the leg. I was quick enough to retaliate with a quick kick that sent me spinning. Fortunately the Humane Association representative was not looking. From then on the cat and I had a good actor-director relationship. He was cruel and nasty to everyone on set but he respected me and kept his distance." The film prompted Smith to write a sequel. Strother Martin and Leonard Nimoy have uncredited roles in this film. William Frawley began portraying "Fred Mertz" in the I Love Lucy television series with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz initially broadcast two months