The Long Night (1947)

Directed by: Anatole Litvak

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Joe Adams (Henry Fonda) is barricaded in his apartment after shooting a magician named Maximilian the Great (Vincent Price) who performs a magic act with his trained dogs. During the siege Adams recalls, via flashback, what brought him to this life-and-death situation.

Purr Blurs: When Joe Adams first goes to the greenhouse shop where a girl named Jo Ann (Barbara Bel Geddes) works, there is a small cat sitting in the middle of the road (note the cat was not in the road in the long shot of the street seconds before!) Another cat, closer to the house, jumps up onto a pail or can of some kind.

The Long Night - Joe Henry Fonda standing on dark street with two cats nearby

Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): When the police have surrounded Joe, two women from his building are standing in the crowd watching the events unfold. One of them is Mrs. Tully (Queenie Smith) who is holding her black cat Napoleon.

The Long Night - Mrs. Tully Queenie Smith holding black cat Napoleon on street with woman holding bird cage Ida Moore

The other woman, who is holding a birdcage (Ida Moore), listens as Mrs. Tully talks about just seeing Joe just a few hours before and how he stopped and asked how she was doing. “He even petted the cat,” she sighs.

The Long Night - Mrs. Tully Queenie Smith holding black cat Napoleon on street with woman holding bird cage Ida Moore animated gif

In a flashback scene, Joe stops to talk to Mrs. Tully, picking up and petting Napoleon and asking how he is.

The Long Night - Joe Henry Fonda holding black cat Napoleon with Mrs. Tully Queenie Smith on stairs

Mrs. Tully explains that Napoleon hasn’t been the same since Josephine was hit by a garbage truck. In this scene Joe Adams shows great affection for kis kitty neighbor.

The Long Night - close up of black cat Napoleon

The Long Night - Joe Henry Fonda holding black cat Napoleon with Mrs. Tully Queenie Smith on stairs animated gif

Mrs. Tully is also clutching Napoleon nervously in the crowd as the standoff with Joe approaches a tense climax.

The Long Night - Mrs. Tully Queenie Smith holding black cat Napoleon in crowd

In yet another flashback scene Jo Ann tells Joe about her relationship with Maximilian. When they cut back to them sitting outside she is holding and petting a small tabby and white cat.