Curse of the Cat People (1944)

30k jpg of Amy and her father, Oliver Reed, in Curse of the Cat People

Amy, the young child of Oliver and Alice (from Cat People) meets an imaginary friend (Irena, also from Cat People) and two dangerous real friends. Basically unrelated to Cat People although nominally a sequel, this is more a moody fantasy than a bloody chiller.

Director: Gunther von Fritsch, Robert Wise. Assistant Director: Harry D'Arcy. Script: DeWitt Bodeen. Photography: Nicholas Musuraca. Editor: J.R. Whittredge. Art Directors: Albert S. D'Agostino, Walter E. Keller. Set Decorators: Darrell Silvera, William Stevens. Music: Roy Webb. Musical Director: C. Bakaleinikoff. Songs: 'Ruben Ranzo' (Edward), 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear' (Carolers), 'Shepherds Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep' (Carolers, and also Irena in a counterpoint French version). Costumes: Edward Stevenson. Sound Recordist: Francis M. Sarver. Sound Re-recordist: James G. Stewart.

Simone Simon (Irena), Kent Smith (Oliver Reed), Jane Randolph (Alice Reed), Ann Carter (Amy), Elizabeth Russell (Barbara), Julia Dean (Julia Farren), Eve March (Miss Callahan), Erford Gage (Captain of Guard), Sir Lancelot (Edward), Joel Davis (Donald), Juanita Alvarez (Lois), Charley Bates (Jack), Gloria Donovan, Ginny Wren, and Linda Ann Bieber (Little Girls), Sarah Selby (Miss Plumett), Mel Sternlight (State Trooper).

Notes:

• Another title that Lewton hated, he decided to call back some cast members from Cat People and let the studio think he was doing what he was told, making a sequel to Cat People. With that as a cover, he made a sensitive childhood fantasy.
• Gunther von Fritsch began the film as director, but midway through he was drafted into the Army, and replaced by Robert Wise. At least that's the official explanation, the unofficial one is that he got so far behind schedule that RKO had him replaced.
• Some episodes from the movie were taken directly from Lewton's own childhood, such as when Amy puts the invitations to her birthday party in a hollow tree trunk that she believes is a "magical mailbox."
• Since the movie lacked the horror RKO wanted, they ordered many scenes re-shot or just edited out. One such omission had Amy looking at a picture-book of a princess in an elaborate medieval gown. When her imaginary friend appears later, she is wearing that gown which seems quite strange without the earlier scene.
• "The Beast-Woman Haunts the Night Anew!" and "Strange Adventures in Evil!" were a couple gems the RKO publicity people came up with to advertise this movie. What movie were they watching?
• In the excellent 1952 movie The Bad and the Beautiful, Kirk Douglas plays movie producer Jonathan Shields. As a person, Shields has no similarity to Lewton, but his work in B movies (specifically the projects Doom of the Cat Men and Son of the Cat Men) contains some obvious Lewton references.
• One title that Lewton preferred to Curse of the Cat People was Amy and her Friend, but for marketing reasons, the studio refused. An interesting effect of that would have been that the role of l'amie d'Amy (French for Amy's friend) was played by none other than Simone Simon.
• The AFI OnLine tribute to Robert Wise has pages on Curse of the Cat People with pictures, film clips, and much information.

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