Kevin Hooks

J.T. 1969 (ghetto NYC) a black kid befriends a cat

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• published: 22 Jun 2010
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A film from 1969 "CBS Children's Television Workshop" reviews: I cant believe I found this movie. I used to watch this movie every year faithfully when I was 6 or 7 yrs old. I cried each time. And I mean I CRIED - bcz I connected immediately & directly with the entire movie - character(s), surroundings and especially the cat. J.T. was from harlem, i grew up in the Bronx, NY. I lived in poverty just as he did - he kept his cat in a stove in an abandoned building. We used to turn our ovens on daily to keep the apt warm bcz we had no heat. My bedroom window faced the back of another building and alley, and in that alley lived a large poor family that always had stray cats. These cats used to breed litters of kittens & I used to always go to their house to play with the kittens. I was ALWAYS bringing a kitten home - always a black kitten - and would beg my mom to let me keep the kitten but she'd always say no. The one or two times she let me have the kitten, after some time, she'd wind up telling me I had to get rid of him. To this day I have a resentment towards her for that - I remember too the stupid boys on my block used to hurt and kill cats - swing 'em by their tail off rooftops or chase the dogs/cats till they got hit by cars. I used to cry all the time, especially because I experienced so much sadness when I saw the stray cats in my neighborhood who I wanted to bring home but couldn't & I'd see these kittens/cats every day. I would play with them, give them what I can to eat. I grew into adulthood acting and feeling the same way towards cats/dogs - feeding strays, feeling sadness because they are strays, wishing I can bring every last one of them home, I'm one of the biggest animal lovers you could know. When J.T. took care of his cat I swear I related so much to him ... the ending of the movie I would cry so hard and I'd be sad for days. This movie stuck me deeply - to the point now, I'm 46 yrs old & still think about this movie, happened to look it up to see if I can purchase it somewhere & found some leads (I hope). I'm definitely buying the DVD & I guarantee you when I watch it again I will be crying just as I did when I was a kid. Today, I am happy as hell to say I own a cat (smiles) - and my cat is black .... just as the kittens were that I used to always bring home & the same as J.T.'s cat (minus the white markings, my cat has a white tip at his tail) .... I still love J.T. and his cat ..... "J.T" is a simple, hour-long story of a young boy living in a New York ghetto, but it tackles some weighty issues. Kevin Hooks is an amazing, natural actor; he feigns indifference to everything in his life, but in his eyes you see his true feelings when he mentions the sick and abandoned cat he has found. Ja'Net Dubois is also great as his worried, exhausted mother, who is firmly mired in poverty, despite working many hours at a store day after day. She sees her son sliding hopelessly downhill into a life of crime, when he comes home with a radio he's stolen. This stolen radio provides the catalyst for the heartache that follows. Theresa Merritt plays Mama Meley, who arrives from down south to visit her daughter and grandson for Christmas, and she's so warm and down-to-earth that her voice can sooth any ill. Merritt was a wonderful actress, and a very under-appreciated one; she gives this show a very real and loving center. J.T. builds a paradise for the cat, when his mother won't let him bring the animal home; he creates an oasis of comfort for his pet in an abandoned tenement, showing that he still has a huge capacity for love despite his harsh surroundings. This is also a story of a mother's struggle to be independent and support herself and her son, and how such a life can blind her to the suffering her own child is enduring. There is a small subplot with a kind local grocer and his wife; he provides the wonderful surprise at the end of the story, and his actions show that ghetto life has not broken his optimism. He still has hope, and through his gift he gives hope to J.T. and his mother. She sees at last just how hard she's been on the boy and is ashamed. Everyone who watches this will have tears in their eyes at some point, but that's okay because "J.T." is, in the end, an upbeat film that will make you feel good. It isn't shown on TV much; the last time was 1987 on CBS when they were still committed to showing programs that meant something to young people. If you can find it, don't pass it up; it's marvelous at Christmastime.