THE CAT CREEPS (1946)

The publisher of the Morning Chronicle gets a letter from a Cora Williams saying that the suicide of bootlegger Eric Goran many years ago was actually a murder, and she has evidence: $200,000 that she ran across in her house on an island that was owned by Goran. She sends a thousand dollar bill as proof. Years ago, politician Walter Elliott was suspected of having a hand in Goran's death, but was never indicted. Now, the publisher assigns reporter Terry Nichols to head out to talk to Cora, accompanied by his sidekick, photographer Pidge Laurie. Terry tells Elliott what he plans, and soon Elliott, his lawyer Tom McGalvey with his secretary Connie, detective Ken Grady (known as the Irish Charlie Chan), and Elliott's daughter Gay wind up on the island with Terry and Pidge. They find a creaky old house, a black cat roaming the premises, and Cora unconscious in her bed, muttering about money in "the little house." We see Cora, alone in her room as a man's shadow passes over her, and soon she is found dead. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a exotic woman named Kyra appears, dressed in black, claiming to be Goran's daughter and also claiming that Cora's spirit has settled into the black cat. As they all search for the money and try to figure out the meaning of "the little house," a couple more people die before the villain is unmasked.

Despite its title, this B-film (not directly related to the 1930 The Cat Creeps or the work it was based on, The Cat and the Canary) is not really horror, despite the occasional evocation of 'old dark house' atmosphere, but a mystery. At not quite an hour, it's a fairly painless watch with a handful of good moments and some fine cinematography. The story is so-so, and the acting is strictly second-string. The hero, Terry, is played by Frederick Brady who is colorless and passive, though I admit it is a bit of a novelty to have a hero who tends to fade into the background. Noah Beery Jr. is a little better as Pidge, the comic relief sidekick. You’ll recognize Paul Kelly (Grady) and Douglass Dumbrille (McGalvey), neither a standout, but the movie is given a nice jolt of energy when Iris Lancaster (credited as Iris Clive) enters as the otherworldly Kyra. This was the next-to-last movie she made, and it's too bad because she seemed to have promise. The cat doesn't have quite as much to do as you would think based on the title. A nice, mild, run-of-the-mill 40s B-mystery. Pictured are Brady and Beery. [Criterion Channel]