The Black Cat (1941)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Albert S. Rogell

Writers:

Robert Lees (writer)
Robert Neville (writer)

Release Date:

2 May 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery

Plot:

Elderly Henrietta Winslow lives in an isolated mansion with her housekeeper and beloved cats. As her health fails, her greedy relatives gather in anticipation of her death.

Plot Keywords:

Cat | Greedy Heir | Heir | Fortune | Scream

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Montague Hartley
Hugh Herbert	...	Mr. Penny
Broderick Crawford	...	Hubert A. Gilmore 'Gil' Smith
Bela Lugosi	...	Eduardo
Anne Gwynne	...	Elaine Winslow
Gladys Cooper	...	Myrna Hartley
Gale Sondergaard	...	Abigail Doone
Cecilia Loftus	...	Henrietta Winslow
Claire Dodd	...	Margaret Gordon
John Eldredge	...	Stanley Borden
Alan Ladd	...	Richard Hartley

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Marlene Dietrich's from-the-back cameo in the film is due to her stopping by on a break from filming The Flame of New Orleans (1941) to visit her then-boyfriend, Broderick Crawford. She graciously volunteered to fill in for Claire Dodd in a non-dialog scene after the actress left the studio for the day.

Quotes:

Hubert Smith: [driving in the rain over a bumpy road] As an antique dealer, Mr. Penny, what do you think of this road?
Mr. Penny: Oh, I'd hate to meet the worms that made these holes. Whoo-hoo!

Movie Connections:

Version of The Black Cat (1934)

Good scares, laughs and mystery.

Rating: *** (of of five)

Greedy family heirs stay at their grandmother's mansion and wait for her to die, so they can collect her money and estate. They later discover that they cannot collect a dime until all of her pet cats are dead as well. Someone in the mansion then begins to murder them one by one. This film has all of the elements of horror. Although it bears a notch below many of the popular horror films released by Universal Pictures, director Albert Rogall's The Black Cat has the "haunted" house scene, a rain storm, secret passage ways and plenty of laughs and scares to make it a good horror film. Basil Rathbone and Broderick Crawford are also both good as the leads, as well as Hugh Herbert providing the laughs. Oscar winner Gale Sondergaard and Bela Lugosi, both playing the servants looked wickedly evil and sinister, and it was my surprise that they were not the murderers when both of their characters were murdered as well. The real killer was a surprise, especially with the premise of the black cat being around at the time of the murders often throws the viewers off. The Black Cat is a good horror film classic with intriguing mystery.