ThrillerMysteryCrime

The Panther's Claw

- A Shriek Of Death - As The Sleek Nocturnal Prowler STRIKES Again!

The police arrest a man climbing over the wall of a cemetery after midnight. He claims that he is being blackmailed and is following instructions he received by mail to leave $1000 on a certain grave. It turns out that he's not the only one who got a blackmail letter from the same person--calling himself "The Black Panther"--and it also turns out that all the recipients are connected to an opera company.

Release Date : 1942-03-03

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : PRCMotion Picture Associates

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Shake Hands with Murder

Cast

Character Name : Police Commissioner Thatcher Colt

Original Name : Sidney Blackmer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Anthony 'Tony' Abbot (as Ricki Vallin)

Original Name : Rick Vallin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Everett P. Digberry

Original Name : Byron Foulger

Gender : Male

Character Name : District Attorney Bill Dougherty

Original Name : Herbert Rawlinson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miss Spencer

Original Name : Lynn Starr

Gender : Female

Character Name : Capt. Edgar Walters / Frank Galloway

Original Name : Barry Bernard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nina Politza

Original Name : Trude Rosen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Enrico Lombardi

Original Name : Thornton Edwards

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Captain Mike Flynn

Original Name : John Ince

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Murphy

Original Name : Martin Ashe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Captain Tom Henry

Original Name : Walter James

Gender : Male

Character Name : Samuel Wilkins

Original Name : Frank Darien

Gender : Male

Character Name : Antonio Spogucci (as Joseph M. De Villard)

Original Name : Joseph DeVillard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guiseppe Bartarelli (as Jack Vanaire)

Original Name : Jacques Vanaire

Gender : Male

Character Name : John Martin George (as William Castello)

Original Name : Willy Castello

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Lou Levinsky (as Harry Clarke)

Original Name : Harry Clark

Gender : Male

Character Name : Apartment Manager (as Lou LeRoy)

Original Name : Lew Leroy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nicodemus J. Brown

Original Name : Billy Mitchell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Petunia

Original Name : Florence O'Brien

Gender : Male

Character Name : Coroner

Original Name : Harte Wayne

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joe Morgan

Original Name : Pat McKee

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Sergeant Flanagan (as Casey McGregor)

Original Name : Casey MacGregor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hotel Manager Stevens

Original Name : Billy Snyder

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lombardi's Police Escort (uncredited)

Original Name : Sam Lufkin

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-06-26

As cheap and cheerful B-features go, this is actually quite quickly paced and entertaining. It all centres around wig-maker "Digberry" (Byron Foulger) who is apprehended up to no good in a cemetery after hours. His explanation makes little sense to the police officer - he is being blackmailed by the mysterious "Panther" into leaving $1000 on the graveyard of one of his aunts. Turns out that he is not the only recipient of such a letter - many of his friends have also, and this leaves Police Commissioner "Thatch" (Sidney Blackmer), and his sidekick "Abbott" (Rick Vallin) to try to get to the bottom of things. The story is a bit far-fetched, but Foulger is on quite good form as the plot offers intrigues from the operatic to a bit of skull-wiggery, and it passes 70 minutes effortlessly. The ending is a bit obvious, but still - it shows what can be done with a tiny budget if the story is decent and the performances are too.