The Case of the Black Cat
The Case of the Black Cat | |
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Directed by |
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Screenplay by | F. Hugh Herbert[1] |
Story by | Erle Stanley Gardner[1] |
Based on | The Case of the Caretaker's Cat 1935 novel by Erle Stanley Gardner |
Produced by | Bryan Foy[2] |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.[2] |
Release date |
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Country | United States[2] |
Language | English |
The Case of the Black Cat is a 1936 American mystery film directed by William C. McGann and an uncredited Alan Crosland, based on the 1935 Perry Mason novel The Case of the Caretaker's Cat by Erle Stanley Gardner. The film stars Ricardo Cortez as Perry Mason and co-stars June Travis and Jane Bryan in her film debut. The film is the fifth Perry Mason adaptation distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures in the 1930s and the first in the series not to feature Warren William as Mason.
Plot
Mason is summoned to the Laxter mansion in the dead of night to write granddaughter Wilma out of invalid Peter Laxter's will, to keep her from marrying suspected fortune hunter Doug. Peter dies in a mysterious fire and Laxter's two grandsons, Sam Laxter and Frank Oafley, inherit his estate on the condition old caretaker Schuster and his cat Clinker are kept on. When cat-hating Sam threatens Clinker, Perry steps in and learns Laxter's death was suspicious and the family fortune and diamonds are missing.
Cast
- Ricardo Cortez as Perry Mason
- June Travis as Della Street
- Garry Owen as Paul Drake
- Jane Bryan as Wilma Laxter
- Wild Bill Elliott as Sam Laxter
- Harry Davenport as Peter Laxter
- Craig Reynolds as Frank Oafley
- Clarence Wilson as Mr. Shuster
- Guy Usher as District Attorney Hamilton Burger
- Harry Hayden as Reverend Stillwell
Production
The Case of the Black Cat was the penultimate of six Perry Mason features films Warner Bros. made between 1934 and 1936.[1] Despite promotional material connecting the film to Edgar Allan Poe and horror-like image, Michael R. Pitts described the film as a fast-paced murdery mystery.[1] Ricardo Cortez and June Travis take over from Warren William and Claire Dodd as criminal attorney Perry Mason and his faithful secretary Della Street respectively.[3] Although the characters had been married in the previous film, The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936), they are unattached again here.[3]
Production began on the film in early July 1936 and was developed under the working title The Case of the Caretaker's Cat.
Release
The Case of the Black Cat was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corp. on October 31, 1936.[2]
Critical response
From contemporary reviews,
From retrospective reviews, Pitts stated that the film will be "a disappointment to horror fans, The Case of the Black Cat is a fairly pleasing mystery."[1][6] Hans J. Wollstein of AllMovie declared that the film was "better than its B-movie reputation" and that the film "may not deliver the glib repartee of its predecessors, but a strong and rather intricate plot that keeps the audience guessing makes up for this shortcoming."[7] Wollstein continued that Ricardo Cortez "makes a fine Mason, closer, perhaps, to Erle Stanley Garner's original character than his suave predecessor, Warren William." and that the film suffered when it changed directors noting that William McGann "seems to have been little more than a competent traffic cop."[7]
References
Footnotes
Sources
- Pitts, Michael R. (2018). Thrills Untapped: Neglected Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1928-1936. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476632896.
- Wollstein, Hans J. "The Case of the Black Cat (1936) – William McGann, Alan Crosland | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- Erickson, Hal. "The Case of the Black Cat (1936) – William McGann, Alan Crosland | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie. Retrieved June 1, 2020.