The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

The young, friendless daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed befriends her father's dead first wife and an aging, reclusive actress.

Directors:

Gunther von Fritsch (as Gunther V. Fritsch), Robert Wise

Writer:

DeWitt Bodeen (screenplay)

Stars:

Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph

2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Simone Simon	...	Ghost of Irena
Kent Smith	...	Oliver 'Ollie' Reed
Jane Randolph	...	Alice Reed
Ann Carter	...	Amy Reed
Eve March	...	Miss Callahan
Julia Dean	...	Mrs. Julia Farren
Elizabeth Russell	...	Barbara Farren
Erford Gage	...	Police Captain
Sir Lancelot	...	Edward

Storyline

This mostly unrelated sequel to Cat People (1942) has Amy, the young daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed. Amy is a very imaginative child who has trouble differentiating fantasy from reality, and has no friends her own age as a result. She makes an imaginary friend though, her father's dead first wife Irena. At about the same time, she befriends Julia Farren, an aging reclusive actress who is alienated from her own daughter Barbara.

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Plot Keywords:

imaginary friend | sequel | child in peril | child's point of view | ghost | 

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Taglines:

Strange, Forbidding, Thrilling

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amy and Her Friend

Filming Locations:

900 West Adams Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "magic mailbox tree" fantasy/lie told to Amy by her dad mirrors a story Val Lewtons dad told him when he was a kid, only Lewton had put his sister's birthday party invites in the tree not his own as Amy does in the film

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Goofs

The vehicle that passes Amy on the bridge leaves no tracks in the snow next to her.

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Quotes

Alice Reed: Amy's never been punished before. Not that way.
Miss Callahan: It's best for you not to interfere... After all, the first spanking-it's an important occasion.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Referenced in The Canal (2014)

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Soundtracks

Il est né, le divin Enfant
(Traditional French Christmas carol)
Sung by Simone Simon during the Christmas scene.

User Reviews

Charming and sweet movie, but don't look for any horror

In "Curse of the Cat People," the beautiful child, Ann Carter, who looked so much like Veronica Lake, plays Amy, the daughter of the now-married Oliver (Kent Smith) and Alice (Jane Randolph) from the film's predecessor, "The Cat People." This is a sweet film about a lonely young girl's fantasy life, showing her to be a highly imaginative and creative child. Unfortunately for Amy, she's the child of two complete duds. Her father, former husband of Irena, sees in his daughter an eerie mental and emotional resemblance to his late wife, and it makes him nervous. He gets even more nervous when Amy sees a photo of Irena and claims Irena is her "friend" who has been meeting her. He has burned all the photos of Irena except for one photo that shows him and Irena together, looking happy, though one wonders a) why he kept it since he told Irena he was in love with Alice and was thinking of having her, Irena, committed; and b) when exactly were they happy? They couldn't even consummate the marriage because she was afraid of turning into a vicious cat.

Irena's appearances are interesting but to my mind, it's left open as to whether Irena was actually talking to the child or not. We probably are supposed to think it's Amy's imagination, but I like to keep an open mind. After all, Amy gives her a pin and Irena puts it on her cloak - anyone ever find said pin? It is strange, though, that now she's singing in French instead of Serbian, and there is no sign of the cat stuff.

If you remember "The Cat People," there was a scene at the wedding celebration where the exotic, cat-eyed actress Elizabeth Russell greets Irena in Serbian as "sister." (Actually, Simone Simon dubbed the Serbian.) In "Curse of the Cat People," Russell plays Barbara, the daughter of an old actress whom Amy visits. It doesn't seem like Russell is playing the same character because her mother is not Serbian. Nice to see her, though, and at least in this film, she receives a credit.

"Curse of the Cat People" is a good film, but you'll be disappointed if you go in expecting another "Cat People." Take this lovely movie on its own merits, and feel sorry for Amy - with Oliver and Jane as parents, she's going to need all the help she can get.