by Linda Kay

Starring: Bessie

Directed by: Jean Yarbrough

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

Synopsis: Marcel De Lange (Martin Kosleck) is a struggling sculptor who becomes angry with the lousy reviews of his work by art critics. When he rescues a gargantuan killer nicknamed The Creeper (Rondo Hatton) from drowning he not only finds inspiration for his work but a means by which to destroy his enemies.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Marcel’s companion is an adorable and clingy grey tabby cat named Pietro who follows him practically everywhere. The cat is tagging along after Marcel in the character’s introductory scene in which he is carrying a tray of cheese to a table.

Marcel speculates that his cat is hungry but only has the cheese to offer, at which Pietro turns up his nose.

Bemoaning his impoverished state, Marcel points out that Pietro can catch mice if he’s hungry but that he must catch new clients who want to buy his bizarre statuary. As Marcel sets Pietro down from the table he adds, “And Pietro, be very thankful that nature is so kind to little cats like you.”

After rescuing The Creeper, Marcel complains vocally about one of the art critics who has panned his work. Without any encouragement, the Creeper gets up and leaves as Pietro watches from under the table.

In a later scene, Marcel enters his home with Pietro at his feet.

The cat follows him throughout some of the next scene.

Art critic Joan Medford (Virginia Grey) arrives and while the Creeper hides Marcel offers her some wine with Pietro again following close behind. He refuses to show Joan the bust he is working on of the Creeper but she snoops around anyway and even steals a sketch Marcel has made of the man.

After sending the Creeper out to kill Joan, Marcel holds Pietro tightly as he admires his finished bust.

There is a knock at the door and Marcel sets Pietro down on the pedastal next to the statue.

He is shocked to find Joan at the door (the Creeper having killed the wrong woman) and she invites herself in, looking to finish her story. She spots the finished statue and stares at it while Pietro preens.

When Marcel walks into the other room, Joan quickly replaces the sketch she stole as Pietro continues to ignore her.

The Creeper returns and Marcel tries to sic him on Joan, but she turns the tables and points out that Marcel is just using the Creeper and cares nothing about him. She finally goads the Creeper into attacking Marcel and in a really clever shot the cat Pietro runs down the stairs behind the main action.

After killing Marcel, the Creeper stares in horror as Pietro sniffs at Marcel’s hand and body.

In a somewhat sad shot (well, sad for the cat anyway), Pietro curls up next to his lifeless master and friend.

Behind the Scenes

According to the press kit for the film, three cats were used in the role of Pietro, one on-screen actor and two stand-ins:

Cats at Work

    Human actors aren’t the only ones in Hollywood who have stand-ins. Many animal actors, highly-trained and temperamental, have doubles to pose while lights and cameras are being adjusted. Bessie, the grey tiger cat, appearing in Universal’s “House of Horrors” had two stand-ins; Bessie, who is named the same so that actual scenes can be rehearsed with her, and Bessie Lee who just stood while the scene was being prepared.

This was cat actor Bessie who belonged to trainer Henry East and became one of his most prolific cat stars next to Whitey. In reality, Bessie may have been a catch-all name for several grey tabbies owned by East, as her looks change a bit from picture to picture (not unlike Frank Inn’s star cat Orangey.)

The only other reference to the cat actor we could find came from an interview with actress Virginia Christine who had a brief role as a prostitute targeted by the Creeper. The quote reads, “It was a very short scene. They had a cat following me down the street. And in order to get the cat to follow me they put some anchovies or sardines on the back of my heel! And that’s all I remember about that film!” Which is strange because the cat does not follow her in the finished film. But it is very likely this is how Bessie was prompted to follow actor Martin Kosleck around so faithfully.

Ted Davis provided this additional bit of information about Koslock’s audition for the film from Tom Weaver’s Universal Horrors: The Studio’s Classic Films, 1931-1946, co-written with Michael Brunas and John Brunas:

    “I gave a completely memorized audition and got the part immediately.” The scene that Martin was to enact was the poignant little monologue that Marcel speaks to his cat. A lifelong animal lover, Kosleck fondly remembered how well the scrawny little alley cat behaved in front of the camera, particularly in the scene where the feline performer was required to nestle closer to his dead master’s body at the film’s finale.

Final Mewsings: Marcel seems clueless about how nature actually treats little cats.

Many thanks to Jim Pierson and Mark Murton for letting us know about the cat in this film.

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