Black Cat Contests and Auditions
Any cat lover cruising the internet for stories about cats, especially black cats, will likely have come across the now-famous Life Magazine photo shoot referred to as “Black Cat Audition” in which black cats and their owners line sidewalks in the hopes of being discovered for the impending horror film Tales of Terror.
The Los Angeles Mirror published the casting call on November 23, 1961:
Studio Seeks A Black Cat
With human casting completed for American International’s Edgar Allan Poe trilogy, “Tales of Terror,” producers James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff are appealing to Los Angeles-area cat owners for assistance in filling the title role in “The Black Cat” segment of the thriller.
Nicholson and Arkoff today announced launching of a search for a living counterpart of the unusual black cat which plays an important part in the Poe story, production of which starts Tuesday.
Even more enticing was this ad placed in The Los Angeles Times on November 26, 1961:
Lured by dreams of fame, owners and felines lined up along a Hollywood street hoping for stardom. The Los Angeles Times covered the event on November 28, 1961 this way:
Sagacious Felines Seek Role in Film
The sidewalk in the 600 block of N. Bronson Avenue in Hollywood turned into a cat walk Monday.
More than 100 black cats lined up — as much as cats will line up — for an audition for a movie part in response to a newspaper ad seeking “a sagacious black cat.”
There were big black cats, little black cats, black black cats, gray black cats, black kittens, black and white cats, white and black cats, nervous black cats, gentle black cats.
There was even a white cat. It was there to keep a pal, a black cat, company.
One woman needed first aid after a cat next to her decided he didn’t like her leg and scratched it.
Each cat had its turn to (line missing?) in which the lucky one will have a big part.
The producer-director — Roger Corman — was looking for a sagacious black cat to star in “The Black Cat,” part of a trilogy called “Trilogy of Terror” based on three short stories by Edgar Allan Poe and being filmed at Producers’ Studio, 650 N. Bronson Ave.
The movie’s stars — Joyce Jameson, Vincent Price and Peter Lorre — played with each cat. To see if it was sagacious enough, someone said.
Of course the Life Magazine article covered the auditions in great detail and with wonderful photographs (you can enjoy the full story at the Life Magazine website).
According to the Life Magazine article a professional cat had already been cast for Tales of Terror and only a few understudies were chosen from those that “auditioned”.
Apparently some theaters followed what was likely a promotional suggestion from the film’s promoters and held Black Cat contests, such as the one advertised with the movie in the July 24, 1962 edition of The Dayton Daily News:
But none of this was a new phenomenon by any means.
Some 27 Years Earlier . . .
Public cat auditions for films, while on rare occasions lead to a starring role for a newly discovered kitty, were mainly publicity gimmicks used to drum up interest in a motion picture featuring cats.
In 1934, Universal Pictures was planning to team horror film icons Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in a film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Black Cat. Although the resulting picture bore little resemblance to the original story (and indeed many involved with the film were not overly fond of the deeply disturbing ending) the titular feline noir did have a notable presence. And in an event similar to the one that would later be staged for Tales of Terror, the call went out for kids with black cats. This piece was published in The Los Angeles Times on March 13, 1934:
Much less subtle was this notice appearing in The Illustrated Daily News on March 13, 1934:
HEY, KIDS!
Black Cats will find tomorrow a particularly eventful day if they believe in what the stars promise.
For tomorrow afternoon at 4 o’clock the stars in “Black Cat,” headed by Karloff, will entertain any little boy or girl who carries a black cat in his or her arms to the gate at Universal Studios.
The cats will be given milk and catnip.
Their owners will have cakes and ice cream and candy and all sorts of things, while newsreel cameramen will take their pictures. This is all a part of the big campaign on the part of the studios to make “Black Cat” a big picture.
What child could resist such an offer? And indeed kids and cats appeared in droves at the Universal Studio lot and were filmed parading their cats past Karloff and Lugosi, who dutifully but briefly acknowledged the participants, both human and feline.
Footage of the original newsreel can be found at the end of Antonia Carlotta’s video in which she tells the story about her Great Uncle Carl Laemmle’s idea for this contest:
It isn’t hard to imagine that kids anxious to partake of the promised cakes, ice cream and candy would go to great lengths to find a black cat to bring to the studio, so the story Antonia tells about the black cats being abandoned on the lot is completely plausible. In fact, a newspaper article which appeared shortly after this event, in The California Eagle on March 23, 1934 to be precise, essentially confirms the story:
Hunt for Cats at Universal
While the rest of America searches for Dillinger, the bandit, Universal City has launched an extensive search of its own for two members of the feline tribe.
During a black cat contest held last Wednesday afternoon on the Universal lot to determine the cat to be used in the picture “Black Cat”, featuring Karloff and Bela Lugosi, two felines escaped the clutches of their child owners and disappeared among the sound stages.
Only recently Universal spent a considerable sum to rid the sound stages of cats when several pictures were spoiled by the meowing of the animals and an iron bound rule, “no cats allowed” was posted.
It isn’t clear whether or not any of the cats brought to the contest actually ended up playing a screen part in The Black Cat but chances are that, as was the case with Tales of Terror, a trained cat was ultimately hired for the big role.
As with Tales of Terror, the promotion continued at select theaters where Black Cat Contests were held on The Black Cat’s opening day.
If you wonder what the results of such a contest would be, and what kind of experience this would be for the cats who didn’t exactly volunteer to enter, this will give you an idea! The follow up to this particular contest was covered in the June 29, 1934 edition of the Latrobe Bulletin (Pennsylvania):
A Fine Display If You Like Cats
Over 200 Carried to Local Theatre
Over two hundred cats of every conceivable variety from the poorest alley cat to the red haired Angora and the lovely Persian cat were entered in the contest at the Grand Theater, this morning. All dressed up in their Sunday best with perky bright bows around their necks, some of the cats made a fine appearance trying to win the prize for the prettiest. Others were proudly thrust forward as the ugliest after their master or mistress had surreptitiously mussed up their hair and tried to make them as ugly as the proverbial duckling.
There were cats as young as three days old, cats just opening their eyes, others looking wisely as if they had lived at least nine lives and a possible ten. Since the cash prizes were offered for black cats, the dark variety predominated but there were others as white as snow and still others as grey as a blanket of dust.
Most of the cats were on their good behaviour, but one cat evidently getting too much heat decided to throw a fit and its little six year old mistress began to cry fearing that she might not receive a free ticket from her entry. She was reassured, promptly, and one of the boys in the crowd put the cat into a box with air holes, carrying it around and exhibiting its scowling face to the other children before it was taken home.
For fear this wasn’t enough excitement for one day four other cats in succession decided to take fits and there were little knots of children here, there and everywhere in the downtown section watching with interest the antics of the sick pussies.
When it came time to distribute the prizes the children crowded about the judges holding their prize pet in the air and frantically waving their hands to attack (sic) the attention of the referees, Michael Hughes, Robert Kuhn and Jack Miller.
Sam O’Barto, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles O’Barto, of Lloydsville, won the first prize when he exhibited a huge three year old black cat named “Pop Eye.” There was so much interest in who would receive the next prize that the children forgot to cheer and only crowded closer around the judges while they attempted to select the smallest black cat. Thomas Sprock, of 118 Irving Ave. exhibited a little cat carried easily in a box not bigger than 2 1/2 x 4 inches and the pussy, named “Blackie” just four days old, won the second prize.
Frieda Frye, of Spruce street, was the winner of the 5 theatre tickets given for the prettiest cat. Her cat named “Teddy,” was a 7 months old Persian wearing a bright ribbon in the hopes of winning the judges’ approval.
Betty Jane Bridge, aged 9 years of 19 First Ave. captured the prize for the ugliest cat. Her pet had no name, she said, and when she wanted it she just called “Kitty” and the cat came a-running. “Kitty” could boast of no pedigree, either.
Children of all ages, boys and girls and “grown up” children too brought cats to the contest, for there was no age limit and when they had gone home obligingly loaned their prize cats to their neighbors for the second showings.
For some time after the contest had closed children kept coming up to the window of the theater offering their borrowed pets for a free movie ticket and at least thirty were on hand at 11:30 o’clock just after the tickets had been given out.
Though Chief of Police George Brubaker was on hand to keep order his services were not needed and the crowd consisting largely of children was excited but orderly.
The contest was staged to attract attention to the picture “The Black Cat” being shown at the Grand Theater. The first prize was $1.00 in cash and five theater tickets, the second 50 cents in cash and five tickets, while the other two prizes consisted of five tickets apiece. Everyone proffering a cat at 11 o’clock received a free ticket whether the pet proved to be a prize winner or not.
What’s Good for Film is Good for the Stage
Hollywood wasn’t the only one getting in on the black cat action. On October 11, 1950, comedians Olsen and Johnson put out the call for their own mascot, as mentioned in The Daily News:
Olsen and Johnson want the largest black cat in the city and will install it as mascot at the Broadway Theatre Friday. The comedians are holding a contest, open to all school boys and girls, today at noon in front of the Broadway Theatre, where they are currently appearing in “Pardon Our French.” The boy or girl with the winning beast will get a pair of seats to the show.
And then there was this Black Cat Audition held in London’s West End for a black cat to play a part in an unnamed stage play, which we covered earlier on this site:
The Popularity of Black Cat Contests
But Black Cat Contests were not exclusively a Hollywood or a Broadway creation. Such contests have been held for many years all around the U.S., usually in connection with Halloween or Friday the 13th, to promote everything from store sales to community events. A few examples of such competitions are presented below for the reader’s amusement and wonder.
And our favorite Black Cat contest story by far, from the Daily Record, June 14, 1997:
Casino Defies Superstition with its Black Cat Contest
by John Curran, Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY — It was just like that other beauty pageant, only different. The contestants were . . . cattier.
There were custom-made dresses, a distinguished panel of judges, a talent competition, cheering spectators looking on from the rafters — even back-biting and grumbling about the winner’s qualifications.
Thumbing their noses at superstition, Harrah’s Casino Hotel officials staged a beauty contest for black cats yesterday, offering $100 and a “kitty condo” to the winners.
In a city famous for Miss America and casino gambling, what better way to celebrate Friday the 13th?
“It’s completely tongue in cheek,” said Harrah’s spokesman Michael DiLeva. “We thought that the best way to deal with superstition was by flouting it.”
Twenty cats were entered, but only 16 showed up. “I guess the other four were scaredy-cats,” DiLeva said. Gamblers were unfazed by the bad luck symbols. They lined up to watch the proceedings. “It doesn’t bother me at all,” said craps player Tom Gredesky, 60, of Cherry Hill, taking a break from the table.
The cats were to be judged on a scale of 1 to 10 for attitude, appearance, talent, movement, costume and owner participation.
Jade, a 4-year-old domestic longhair, wore a black satin cape, a black feather boa and a black cone-shaped hat. Jinxy, a 2-year-old, donned a pink cape trimmed with pink feathers.
Good thing they dressed well.
The finicky felines had stage fright. Not one would walk down the white carpet runway or demonstrate their alleged talents, which were said to include chasing moths, hunting, winking and dancing on their hind legs.
Unable to get their pets to walk the runway, the owners sheepishly picked them up and walked it themselves as a disc jockey played “Alley Cat” over the sound system.
“It would’ve gone better if we held it at the Fantasea Reef buffet,” cracked judge Tom Reagan.
When the owners, holding their cats, gathered for a group photo on stage, a cat named Pepper attacked another cat before turning on her owner, pawing aggressively and baring her teeth.
So much for winning Miss Congeniality.
When the votes were tallied, the winner was Dipstick, an 8-week-old kitten that was white with black spots.
The owner, 7-year-old Robert Gladulich of Egg Harbor City, looked like the cat’s human clone: He wore a painted face, white shorts and a white T-shirt upon which his mother had sewn patches of fake black fur.
“How can a white cat win a black cat beauty contest?” said one disgruntled owner.
Gladulich said he would keep the $100, but his mother quickly corrected him: “It’s going into a savings account,” she said.
As for Dipstick’s future, having won the coveted title? “Dipstick plans to conquer world hunger and help people who can’t read,” said emcee John Speeney.
Dipstick may not have been a black cat, but we have no doubt that he or she earned first prize by being sagacious.
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