The Case of the Black Cat

The Case of the Black Cat

66 mins | Crime, Mystery | Oct. 31, 1936

Lawyer Perry Mason is summoned to the Laxter mansion in the dead of night to write granddaughter Wilma out of invalid Peter Laxter's will, to keep her from marrying suspected fortune hunter Doug. Peter dies in a mysterious fire and Laxter's two grandsons, Sam Laxter and Frank Oafley, inherit his estate on the condition old caretaker Schuster and his cat Clinker are kept on. When cat-hating Sam threatens Clinker, Perry steps in and learns Laxter's death was suspicious and the family fortune and diamonds are missing. Schuster's found dead in his basement apartment, Laxter's nurse Louise is murdered with Schuster's crutch, and circumstantial evidence brings Doug to trial for Louise's death. Mason's investigation produces a surprise witness who turns the trial around. Written by Sister Grimm

The Case of the Black Cat

66 mins | Crime, Mystery | Oct. 31, 1936

The Case of the Black Cat
Lawyer Perry Mason is summoned to the Laxter mansion in the dead of night to write granddaughter Wilma out of invalid Peter Laxter's will, to keep her from marrying suspected fortune hunter Doug. Peter dies in a mysterious fire and Laxter's two grandsons, Sam Laxter and Frank Oafley, inherit his estate on the condition old caretaker Schuster and his cat Clinker are kept on. When cat-hating Sam threatens Clinker, Perry steps in and learns Laxter's death was suspicious and the family fortune and diamonds are missing. Schuster's found dead in his basement apartment, Laxter's nurse Louise is murdered with Schuster's crutch, and circumstantial evidence brings Doug to trial for Louise's death. Mason's investigation produces a surprise witness who turns the trial around. Written by Sister Grimm
IMDb rating 6.3
Producers Warner Bros. Pictures, First National Pictures
Original title The Case of the Black Cat
Directors William C. McGann
Writers Erle Stanley Gardner, F. Hugh Herbert

Cast

Ricardo Cortez

as Perry Mason

June Travis

as Della Street

Jane Bryan

as Wilma Laxter

Craig Reynolds

as Frank Oafley

Carlyle Moore Jr.

as Douglas Keene

Bill Elliott

as Sam Laxter

Nedda Harrigan

as Nurse Louise DeVoe

Garry Owen

as Paul Drake

Harry Davenport

as Peter Laxter

George Rosener

as Charles Ashton

Gordon Hart

as Dr. Jacobs

Clarence Wilson

as Mr. Shuster

Guy Usher

as District Attorney Hamilton Burger

Lottie Williams

as Mrs. Pixley

Harry Hayden

as Reverend Stillwell

Earl Askam

as Desk Officer (uncredited)

Don Downen

as Newsboy (uncredited)

Kenneth Gibson

as Clerk (uncredited)

Sol Gorss

as Poker Player (uncredited)

Harrison Greene

as Worried Client (uncredited)

Chuck Hamilton

as Bailiff (uncredited)

Milton Kibbee

as Brandon - Oafley's Butler (uncredited)

Paul Kruger

as Reporter (uncredited)

John Marston

as Judge Robert Fellows (uncredited)

Edward McWade

as Keene's Apartment Manager (uncredited)

Lyle Moraine

as Reporter (uncredited)

Paul Panzer

as Poker Player (uncredited)

Ferdinand Schumann-Heink

as Mason's Driver (uncredited)

John Sheehan

as Sergeant Holcomb (uncredited)

Billy Wayne

as Poker Player (uncredited)

Claire White

as Woman (uncredited)

Tom Wilson

as Waffle Shop Construction Foreman (uncredited)

Frank Bruno

as Construction Foreman (uncredited)