Paramount Pictures
Starring: Fredric March, Holmes Herbert
Directed by: Rouben Mamoulian
Synopsis: The genial and humanitarian Dr. Jekyll (Fredric March) attempts to discover a means to separate a man’s good side from its evil side and succeeds all too well, running amok as the sinister Mr. Hyde.
Purr Blur: In one scene, Dr. Jekyll and his colleague, Dr. Lanyon (Holmes Herbert) are walking in a low rent area after Dr. Jekyll has rescued Ivy Pearson (Miriam Hopkins) from a brutal man. As the two men are walking, a cat runs across a beam in front of them.
Kitty Cameo: Later in the film, Dr. Jekyll has vowed never to drink the potion that turns him into Mr. Hyde again. As he walks in a park he sees a bird singing on a branch. He stops to admire the beauty of the bird but is then stunned when he spots a black cat creeping through the tree branches toward it.
Dr. Jekyll makes a move as if to scare the cat away but it is too late. The black cat leaps from one branch to another and off screen kills the bird.
Final Mewsings: Cats don’t need potions to change into ruthless killers.
Thanks to T.j. Dotson for recommending this wonderful film!
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