Warner Bros.
Starring: Ricardo Cortez, June Travis, George Rosener
Directed by: William McGann

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

Synopsis: A Perry Mason film adaptation of the original story The Case of the Caretaker’s Cat.  Perry Mason (Ricardo Cortez) is called by an eccentric elderly millionaire to change his will before he is killed in a fire and his family members come under suspicion.

Featured Feline: The caretaker’s cat is named Clinker and is an adorable white, black and gray tabby.  Yes, the black cat of the title is not actually black!  The theater gossip section writer for the December 12th, 1939 edition of The Evening Independent also pondered the obvious discrepancy between the cat in the title and the cat in the actual film.  They wrote: “One thing that puzzled me.  That was why they did not use a black cat.  The name of the picture was ‘The Case of the Black Cat’ and it would have been just as easy to get a black cat to play the part as it was to use the gray one.  But that is another of the mysteries of Hollywood and its methods.”

Black or not, Clinker steals the show and also tolerates a lot of annoying behavior on the part of the human actors and a very complicated script to do so.  Clinker even appears in the very first shot, sitting atop a sign post in front of the Laxter estate.

Sam Laxter (Bill Elliott) hates the cat and is constantly threatening to kill it.  When the cat starts yowling outside, Sam throws his shoe at him, shattering a pane of glass and sending Clinker flying (or rather the board that Clinker is sitting on is pulled out from beneath him!)

Clinker hurries to the caretaker Charles Ashton (George Rosener) and climbs through the window into the man’s arms.

The old man, Peter Laxter (Harry Davenport) calls Perry Mason to the estate and Ashton opens the door.  When Mason tries to pet the cat, Clinker yowls and strikes at him.

Sam continues to threaten Clinker so when Peter Laxter dies and stipulates in his will that Ashton and Clinker should stay on at the estate, Ashton seeks help from Mason to protect the cat.  Perry Mason agrees to protect the interests of the cat, Clinker (even though Ashton didn’t bring Clinker into the office and Clinker didn’t sign any official documents retaining Mason as his attorney.)

Eventually Clinker ends up being brought over to Wilma Laxter (Jane Bryan), an heir to the estate who has opened a waffle shop.  Mason finds Clinker there in a little makeshift cat carrier (with no door on it!)

Perry Mason takes Clinker and delivers him to his secretary Della Street (June Travis) in the little carrier (still without a door!)

Later Clinker is found and brought to the district attorney’s office in the carrier (now with a door!)

Clinker appears at the end of the film as Perry Mason and Della are sitting in the waffle place eating.  Della thinks Mason is flirting with her under the table by touching her leg.  She then realizes it is Clinker under the table and picks him up as she and Mason have a good laugh.

Final Mewsings: Clinker was too talented to end up in this clunker.

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