Macavity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)

Macavity
Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw - For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law. He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair: For when they reach the scene of crime - Macavity's not there! Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity, He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity. His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare, And when you reach the scene of crime - Macavity's not there! You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air - But I tell you once and once again, Macavity's not there! Mcavity's a ginger cat, he's very tall and thin; You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in. His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed; His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed. He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake; And when you think he's half asleep, he's always wide awake. Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity, For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity. You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square - But when a crime's discovered, then Macavity's not there! He's outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.) And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard's. And when the larder's looted, or the jewel-case is rifled, Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke's been stifled, Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair - Ay, there's the wonder of the thing! Macavity's not there! And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty's gone astray, Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way, There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair - But it's useless to investigate - Macavity's not there! And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say: 'It must have been Macavity!' - but he's a mile away. You'll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs, Or engaged in doing complicated long-division sums. Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity, There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity. He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare: At whatever time the deed took place - MACAVITY WASN'T THERE! And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known (I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone) Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!
T. S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Macavity

Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw -
For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime - Macavity's not there!

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime - Macavity's not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air -
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity's not there!

Mcavity's a ginger cat, he's very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he's half asleep, he's always wide awake.

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square -
But when a crime's discovered, then Macavity's not there!

He's outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard's.
And when the larder's looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke's been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair -
Ay, there's the wonder of the thing! Macavity's not there!

And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty's gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair -
But it's useless to investigate - Macavity's not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
'It must have been Macavity!' - but he's a mile away.
You'll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long-division sums.

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place - MACAVITY WASN'T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!

T. S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Macavity is a fictional character who is described in a poem in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, by T. S. Eliot. He also appears in the musical, Cats, which is based on Eliot's book.

1 Macavity, the Mystery Cat
2 Musical
3 Plato
4 Popular culture
5 Commuting cat
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Macavity, the Mystery Cat

Macavity (also called the Mystery Cat, the Hidden Paw and Napoleon of Crime) is a master criminal who is responsible for a multitude of crimes, but in the book he is too clever to leave any evidence of his guilt. There is an uncanny resemblance with Professor Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes story The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle. In the book, Sherlock Homes describes Moriarty as, "the Napoleon of Crime. He is the organizer of half that is evil, and nearly all that is undetected in this great city."

The poem accuses Macavity of misbehaviour that would be within the capabilities of an ordinary cat, such as stealing milk, but also holds him responsible for major crimes. He is referred to as a "fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity" and has been suspected of stifling Pekes, vandalism, theft, cheating at cards, espionage and controlling an organized crime ring with Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer and Griddlebone among the members. He also possesses the mystical power of levitation, effectively "breaking the law of gravity."

Macavity is described as being a ginger cat who is very tall and thin with sunken eyes. "His brow is deeply lined in thought, his head is highly domed; His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed." The

[edit] Musical

In the musical, he is the villain of the play and kidnaps Old Deuteronomy, the Jellicle leader. Within the musical, he makes several attempts to do little more than scare the tribe, but eventually manages to kidnap Old Deuteronomy. As seen in the video of Cats and most stage performances, he appears capable of performing some form of hypnosis. In all productions of the musical, he appears to be an excellent fighter, taking on Munkustrap and Alonzo along with other Jellicles before making an escape.

In the musical, he is typically depicted as a cat with a chaotic array of red, orange, white, and sharp black stripes. He is often portrayed with very long claws and wild dark hair.

The part of Macavity was originally created by John Thornton in the original West End production, and by Kenneth Ard on Broadway. He is portrayed by Bryn Walters in the Cats motion picture.

[edit] Plato

The character of Macavity only appears briefly in the musical; for the majority of the performance the actor who portrays Macavity is seen as an ensemble dancer, named "Admetus" in the London production, or "Plato" in Broadway and subsequent productions. His costume is ginger and white, and specifically includes a simple make-up design that the actor transforms into the elaborate Macavity makeup, and then re-applies after the featured scene. His is also often recognisable as being one of the tallest cast members, as the fight scene between Macavity and Munkustrap requires him to able to lift other male dancers.

[edit] Popular culture

The award given by Mystery Readers International for the best crime fiction in various categories is named for Macavity.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been compared to Macavity by Liberal Democrat Shadow Leader of the House, David Heath, who labelled the then-Chancellor of the Exchequer "the Macavity of the Cabinet" when talking about tax credits during Business Questions on 23rd June 2005.^[1] Lord Turnbull echoed this, opining that "the chancellor has a Macavity quality. He is not there when there is dirty work to be done".^[2]

Gillian Robert's schoolteacher detective Amanda Pepper has an elderly male companion cat whose métier seems to be relaxation. However, he wakes up and purrs when the other male in Amanda's life, her significant other C.K. Mackenzie, is present. Macavity is a big fan of police detective Mackenzie-maybe the kitty will even coax Mackenzie to reveal what "C.K." stands for, something Amanda has yet to discover.

Following books by Roberts feature Macavity the cat

Claire and Present Danger, 2003
Helen Hath No Fury, 2001
Adam and Evil, 1999
The Bluest Blood, 1998
The Mummer's Curse, 1996
How I Spent My Summer Vacation, 1995
In the Dead of Summer, 1995
With Friends Like These…, 1993
I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia, 1992
Philly Stakes, 1989
Caught Dead in Philadelphia, 1987

[edit] Commuting cat

Macavity is the name given by several bus drivers from the West Midlands, United Kingdom to a white cat which, since January 2007, has been observed to regularly use the local bus service on its own.

The cat was nicknamed Macavity after the mystery cat in T. S. Eliot's poem "Macavity", contained in his Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (Macavity is also a character in CATS the musical).

Macavity's fur is completely white, he has a green left eye and a blue right eye, and he wears a purple collar. His owner and true name are unknown.

Since January 2007, Travel West Midlands drivers on the number 331 Walsall to Wolverhampton bus route have observed Macavity running to catch their bus at a stop on Churchill Road near a row of 1950s semi-detached houses, two or three times a week. He originally escaped attention by running underneath the seats. After travelling some 400 metres, he routinely alights at the next stop, located near a row of shops. The Daily Mail newspaper has speculated that his possible destination could be a nearby fish and chip shop.^[3]

Commenting on the mysterious cat, bus driver Bill Khunkhun says:

“

As soon as I open the doors he jumps on. He seems to like it. It was quite strange at first but now seems normal. He is the perfect passenger. The only problem is he never pays.^[4]

”