''The Big Cat'' is a 1949 American outdoor action film in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

directed by Phil Karlson. The cast included Lon McCallister, Peggy Ann Garner, Preston Foster, Forrest Tucker, Skip Homeier, and Gene Reynolds. Karlson said the film "was a complete social statement. That was my answer to

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

's ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...

''."

Plot

Drought during the 1930s forces a large

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

to come down from the high country in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

to prey on farmers' cattle. This has prompted many farmers to pursue and kill the cat, but so far all have failed. Danny Turner (

Lon McCallister Herbert Alonzo "Lon" McCallister Jr. (April 17, 1923 – June 11, 2005) was an American actor. According to one obituary, he was best known for "playing gentle, boyish young men from the country."Obituaries: LON MCCALLISTER Anonymous. Variety; ...

) arrives in the area to move into his mother's birthplace now owned by his stepfather Tom Eggars (

Preston Foster Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Early life Born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

). Tom is constantly threatened by a hostile neighbor, Gil Hawkes (

Forrest Tucker Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films. Tucker worked as a vaudeville straight man at the age of fifteen. A mentor provided fund ...

). Shortly after Danny arrives Tom and Gil have a scuffle, a sure sign of a soon-to-be war. When Danny arrives he meets Doris Cooper (

Peggy Ann Garner Peggy Ann Garner (February 3, 1932 – October 16, 1984) was an American child actress. As a child actress, Garner had her first film role in 1938. At the 18th Academy Awards, Garner won the Academy Juvenile Award, recognizing her body of c ...

), whom he develops a crush on. After some close calls with Gil, the drought and the cougar become such big issues that the mayor of a nearby town announces that a hunt be started for the big cat. The hunt is unsuccessful, with the Eggars' dog chasing the cougar back to its lair and the party left behind. Tom tells Danny that he may have to move away and live with the Hawkes family due to the troubles he is having around the farm. The next day he goes to the hill to show Gil and his family that he will come live with them. Gil's son Jim (

Skip Homeier George Vincent Homeier (October 5, 1930 – June 25, 2017), known professionally as Skip Homeier, was an American actor who started his career at the age of eleven and became a child star. Career Child actor Homeier was born in Chicago, Illino ...

) teases Danny about his failure to kill the cougar and their dislike of Tom. Danny then refuses to live with them because he remembers Gil is the one who mistreated his mother and refused to let her marry Tom. Tom hears this and attacks Gil, and the two fight. Danny and Jim also get into a fight when the angered Jim accuses Danny of starting the fight. Danny and Tom win both fights and Tom tells Gil that Danny will continue living with him. The next morning Tom takes Danny hunting, but due to his dislike of killing animals Danny refuses to take a shot at a

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

. Understanding this, Tom takes the gun and shoots the deer himself. However, the cougar hears the noise and follows them to Tom's cabin. While Tom and Danny are in the shed, preparing to cut up the deer, the cougar enters the farm and nibbles at the carcass. Tom fires at the cougar and pursues it into the woods. Meanwhile, Danny goes back into the woods to retrieve a gun he left there. Tom chases the cougar, firing at it, but the cougar then surprises him by attacking from above. The cougar kills Tom and runs off into the wilderness. Grieved at Tom's death, Doris pleads for Danny not to go after the dangerous cougar, but the vengeful Danny vows to do so. With his dog, Danny leaves in search of the cougar. He and his dog have an eventful chase with the cat before they corner it inside a small cave. Unable to see in the dark, Danny and his dog are at a disadvantage and are attacked by the cougar. In the ensuing battle, Danny's dog is almost killed, but Danny is able to kill the cougar. Later Danny and Doris celebrate the cat's defeat. With the cat gone, Gil and Jim will no longer be a threat to Danny and Doris, now possible lovers.

Cast

as Danny Turner *

as Doris Cooper *

as Tom Eggers *

as Gil Hawks *

as Jim Hawks, Gil' Son *

Sara Haden Sara Haden (born Catherine Haden, November 17, 1898 – September 15, 1981) was an American actress of the 1930s through the 1950s and in television into the mid-1960s. She may be best remembered for appearing as Aunt Milly Forrest in 14 entrie ...

as Mrs. Mary Cooper *

Irving Bacon Irving Bacon (born Irving Von Peters; September 6, 1893 – February 5, 1965) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 500 films. Early years Bacon was the son of entertainers Millar Bacon and Myrtle Vane. He was born in St. Jose ...

as Matt Cooper the Mailman *

Gene Reynolds Eugene Reynolds Blumenthal (April 4, 1923 – February 3, 2020) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. He was one of the developers and producers of the TV series ''M*A*S*H''. Early life Reynolds was born on April 4, 1923, ...

as Wid Hawks, Gil' Son

Production

Scenes were shot in Cedar Breaks, Parowan Canyon, Hoosier Lake, and Strawberry Point in Utah. On February 12, 1954, it was reissued by Carroll Pictures. The film was released for theatrical and screenings on March 26, 1954, by Samba Pictures, Inc. The film, which entered the public domain in 1976, has been released on DVD.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Cat Films directed by Andrew McLaglen 1949 Western (genre) films 1949 films American Western (genre) films Films directed by Phil Karlson Films with screenplays by Dorothy Yost Films set in Utah Films shot in Utah Films set in the 1930s Films about hunters Films about cougars Eagle-Lion Films films Articles containing video clips Films scored by Paul Sawtell 1940s English-language films 1940s American films