''The Panther's Claw'' is a 1942 American film directed by

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres. Life and car ...

and distributed by

Producers Releasing Corporation Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoestr ...

. It is a loose sequel to two

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

films of the 1930s, ''

The Night Club Lady ''The Night Club Lady'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Adolphe Menjou, Mayo Methot and Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher.Backer p.187 It was followed by a sequel '' The Circus Queen Murder'' in 1933 w ...

'' and ''

The Circus Queen Murder ''The Circus Queen Murder'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Adolphe Menjou, Donald Cook and Greta Nissen. It is the sequel to the 1932 film '' The Night Club Lady'' in which Menjou had also st ...

.''

Plot

After a policeman catches Everett P. Digberry leaving a cemetery in the middle of the night, Digberry explains that he was instructed to leave $1,000 on his aunt's grave. He is brought to police headquarters where he explains that he received a letter with instructions from someone called the Panther, and several others who received similar letters are with the police as well. The police commissioner determines that the group members are all connected with an opera company. They suggest a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

named Enrico Lombardi who may have a motive, as he was recently banished from the company. Lombardi is enraged to find his name in the newspaper as the prime suspect and confronts Nina Politza, who had received a letter from the Panther. Digberry intervenes but Lombardi chokes and strikes him. The police attempt to identify the Panther by comparing the typewritten letters to samples from various typewriters. The killer is revealed to be Captain Edgar Walters.

Cast

Sidney Blackmer Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, t ...

as Police Commissioner Thatcher Colt *

Rick Vallin Rick Vallin (born Eric Efron; September 24, 1919 – August 31, 1977) was an actor who appeared in more than 150 films between 1938 and 1966. Early years Born in Feodosia, in the Crimea, Russia, Vallin came to the United States at age there ...

as Anthony 'Tony' Abbot *

Byron Foulger Byron Kay Foulger (August 27, 1898 – April 4, 1970) was an American character actor who over a 50-year career performed in hundreds of stage, film, and television productions. Early years Born in Ogden, Utah, Byron was the second of four ...

as Everett P. Digberry *Billy Mitchell as Nicodemus J. Brown *

Herbert Rawlinson Herbert Banemann Rawlinson (15 November 1885 – 12 July 1953) was an English-born stage, film, radio, and television actor. A leading man during Hollywood's silent film era, Rawlinson transitioned to character roles after the advent of sound f ...

as District Attorney Bill Dougherty * John Ince as Police Captain Mike Flynn *Martin Ashe as Officer Murphy *

Walter James Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

as Police Captain Tim Henry * Frank Darien as Samuel Wilkins *Joseph DeVillard as Antonio Spagucci *Jack Van as Giuseppe Bartarelli *Willy Castello as John Martin George * Harry Clark as Officer Lou Levinsky *Lew Leroy as Apartment Manager

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Panther's Claw, The 1942 films American mystery films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films Films directed by William Beaudine Producers Releasing Corporation films 1942 mystery films 1940s American films