Jigsaw (1949)

Jigsaw poster

Tower Pictures Inc.
Starring: Franchot Tone, Jean Wallace
Directed by: Fletcher Markle

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

Synopsis: Assistant District Attorney Howard Malloy (Franchot Tone) sets out to uncover the people behind an extremist hate group and ends up involved with femme fatale Barbara Whitfield (Jean Wallace).

Kitty Cameo: At the beginning of the film a mysterious man is seen entering a print shop. A tuxedo cat is looking into and then jumps up onto a garbage can as the man passes.

Jigsaw - tuxedo cat looking into garbage can as man passes

Jigsaw - tuxedo cat jumping up on garbage can as man passes

Moments later shots ring out from the shop and the tuxedo cat runs away.

Jigsaw - closer of tuxedo cat on garbage can

Featured Feline: After Barbara and Howard get to be closer during the course of the film, there is a scene where she is in a pet shop holding a long-haired black cat she intends to buy. The clerk informs Barbara that the cat’s name is Bennie, short for Benvenuto. Barbara says she used to have a cat called Hadrian the VII and they ended up calling him Harry. The clerk asks if that wasn’t the cat that Mr. Pemberton bought for her, which leads to an awkward moment.

Jigsaw - Barbara Whitfield Jean Wallace holding long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto in pet shop

Jigsaw - Barbara Whitfield Jean Wallace holding long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto in pet shop with Howard Franchot Tone

When Howard asks what happened to Hadrian the VII she says she got tired of him. She then gets Howard to pay for Bennie and the clerk puts the cat into a very small carrier for her.

Jigsaw - Barbara Whitfield Jean Wallace holding long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto in pet shop with Howard Franchot Tone

Jigsaw - Barbara Whitfield Jean Wallace with Howard Franchot Tone and clerk placing long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto into carrier

Barbara’s thug boyfriend Angelo Agostino (Marc Lawrence) expresses the fact he’s not happy with how cozy Barbara is getting to Howard. In the background Angelo’s bodyguard, Knuckles (George Breen) is holding and petting Bennie.

Jigsaw - Barbara Whitfield Jean Wallace with Angelo Agostino Marc Lawrence and Knuckles George Breen petting long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto in background

Jigsaw - Barbara Whitfield Jean Wallace with Angelo Agostino Marc Lawrence and Knuckles George Breen petting long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto in foreground

Angelo thens stops and pets the cat as well.

Jigsaw - Angelo Agostino Marc Lawrence and Knuckles George Breen petting long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto

The scene match cuts to Howard holding and petting Bennie. He then sets the cat down.

Jigsaw - close up of long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto being petted in lap

Jigsaw - Howard Franchot Tone petting long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto in lap

A short time later Barbara is killed and the killer hears Bennie meowing. The cat is sitting nearby and the killer reaches for a poker but Bennie wisely runs away.

Jigsaw - long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto sitting on floor

Kitty Cameo: While in the pet shop the clerk brings another light-colored long-haired cat over for Barbara to consider, but she wants Bennie.

Jigsaw - Barbara Whitfield Jean Wallace holding long haired black cat Bennie Benvenuto in pet shop with Howard Franchot Tone and clerk with light colored long haired cat