The Case of the Black Cat

Very entertaining entry in the Perry Mason series. This is due mainly to the appearance of Ricardo Cortez who brings a whole new persona to the role. Affable and good-natured and with a ready smile, Cortez makes Mason seem easy-going and not dependent on alcohol as was the Warren William interpretation. William almost seemed embarrassed but Cortez is like an old shoe, comfortable in the role. Time and again he manages to come off as sympathetic in thankless roles.

"The Case Of The Black Cat" also has a very imaginative script in its favor, so much so that you won't guess the surprise twist ending. Once you see it you might feel the movie doesn't play fair by introducing hitherto undivulged information, but you will agree it is extremely clever. The cast is comprised of some Hollywood backbenchers but they are a very capable group. This picture is as good as "The Case Of The Howling Dog" which starred Warren William, which I thought was the best of the series. So you could make a pun about cats and dogs - if only I could think of one.

This movie is called "The Case of the Black Cat" because horror films were popular money-makers at the time of its release and the use of "black cat" in the title made it sound more ominous. An alternate moniker was "The Curse of the Black Cat." Apparently the producers thought that title was too misleading. The Erle Stanley Gardner Perry Mason story on which it is based was labeled, "The Case of the Caretaker's Cat," which was the title of the TV version when it played on the old Raymond Burr series. The cat and its caretaker owner are at the center of the plot; so that title makes more sense. Why not use a black cat in the 1936 film version? When the movie was being made, the "black cat" reference in the title had not been proposed; that the cat in the story was gray and white spotted determined the kind of cat to use in the picture.

To most fans of the Erle Stanley Gardner character, the definitive Perry Mason will always be Raymond Burr. The first big screen Perry Mason was Warren William and he made a dandy. His "The Case of the Howling Dog" is one of the very best in the William series. Unfortunately, the three follow-ups in which William played, while entertaining, were not up to the standards of the premiere feature. Ricardo Cortez, said to be a difficult actor with whom to work, does very well with the Perry Mason character, making "The Case of the Black Cat" one of the best translations of Perry Mason from book to screen.

The initial screen perception of Perry Mason was one of a debonair, skilled, yet at times unscrupulous, counselor-at-law who would use almost any trick to win a case. His courtroom shenanigans were part of the show. Even Raymond Burr began his TV program in that vein, becoming more law respecting and less law bending as the series progressed. Ricardo Cortez assays the role more along the lines of the later Raymond Burr personification of Perry Mason, though still willing to bend the law a bit when it helps his client, in this case a gray and white-spotted cat.

That the Perry Mason mysteries were not one-dimensional but at times highly complex was one reason for their popularity with amateur armchair sleuths. "The Case of the Black Cat" is no exception. A rich invalid, Peter Laxter, hires Mason to help him rewrite his will. Not long after the will has been changed, Laxter's mansion burns to the ground with Laxter in it. Perry convinces District Attorney Hamilton Burger (Guy Usher) to conduct an investigation. The findings show that Laxter had been dead for some time before the house burned. His heirs become the prime suspects, including Wilma Laxter (Jane Bryan) who runs a waffle house, since she had been disinherited by the new will.

Another prime suspect is heir Sam Laxter (Gordon Elliott aka Wild Bill Elliott). The caretaker, Charles Ashton (George Rosener), has a cat, Clinker, who meows at the moon so much it keeps Sam Laxter awake. He throws items at the cat, threatening to poison it if the mewing doesn't stop. The caretaker appeals to Mason for help after receiving yet another threat from Sam Laxter, this time in the form of a note. Thus Perry takes the cat as a client and the fun begins.

Personally, I am not fond of this film, although Cortez is fine as Mason. The 1930s hosted a brief Warner Brothers series, with three different men in the lead. This is the only movie I have seen from the period.

The plot is convoluted, with a few too many characters. I am assuming that all were in the original story - I would love to see the Burr television take that was apparently shot over twenty years later. Speaking of which, I am one of those who grew up on Burr's Mason, so it is strange to experience another actor in the role.

This film wastes Della and Drake, in my opinion.

Harry Davenport provides his usual supporting role professionalism, albeit in a B movie a few notches below what he was probably accustomed to.

Definitely worth a viewing.

Case of the Black Cat, The (1936)

*** (out of 4)

Fifth film in Warner's Parry Mason series now features Ricardo Cortez in the role of the attorney. This time out an old man calls Mason to his house so that he can change his will since he's worried someone in his family is about to kill him. A few days later the old man dies in a fire but after the autopsy it turns out he was dead hours before the fire. This is a pretty solid little crime picture from start to finish and I was surprised to see it didn't suffer any from not having Warren William in the lead. Cortez actually delivers a very strong performance as the attorney and manages to come off looking and sounding like a real detective and someone with a brain in their head. The supporting cast doesn't feature any huge stars but they all fill their roles nicely. One interesting note is that the cat from the title plays a big part in the film but it's a black and white cat. One has to wonder why Warner didn't use a black cat.

For those of you who were convinced that Raymond Burr was the consummate Perry Mason, please take a gander at Ricardo Cortez in that role. You might be surprised at your reaction. This certainly doesn't mean that Burr was not great in the television series......it just gives us a different take on the character. Cortez, who is wonderful in most of his roles, truly shines as an urbane sophisticated Mason in a typical Erle Stanley Gardner tale of murder and mayhem. The Della Street (June Travis) and Paul Drake (Gary Owen) roles are very different from those portrayed on television and could have been fleshed out just a bit more, but I'm not complaining. It's Cortez, with those bedroom eyes and dark good looks who steals the show. I have seen the other Mason films with Warren William in the lead role and in my opinion it's no contest.

The story line gets a little convoluted at one point but it all works itself out in the capable hands of our hero. It's unfortunate that this was the only outing as Perry Mason for Cortez but it is worth the watch. Catch it on TCM which may be the only place where is will be shown. You'll like it!!!!