by Ted Davis
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: The clumsy and aggressive attempt by unpublished author Stephen Byrne (Louis Hayward) to seduce servant girl Elsa Gaunt (Dorothy Patrick) results in her tragic death. Immediately after his crime, Stephen is genuinely shocked and horrified, but the act unleashes something rotten and twisted in the core of his being, which has always been there, and the feckless ne’er-do-well, who at first doesn’t seem to be a very bad sort, reveals yet another dark corner of his soul at each new opportunity. He manipulates his older and more responsible brother John Byrne (Lee Bowman) to help dispose of Elsa’s body in the bordering river, and sets off a chain of events that endangers Marjorie Byrne (Jane Wyatt), Stephen’s wife, and which will claim at least one more victim.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): The same evening of the crime, Stephen attends a local party and is in high spirited form, calling out the songs, and dancing and gently flirting with multiple women. During the first song, a long haired tortoiseshell cat naps on a pillow set next to the gramophone.
At the music’s conclusion, the cat promptly and resolutely leaves the party.
Final Mewsings: Cats prefer peace and quiet to the riotous company of boisterous neighbors.
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