Track of the Cat
Encyclopedia
Track of the Cat is a William A. Wellman
film starring Robert Mitchum
and Teresa Wright
. The film is based on a 1949 adventure novel of the same name by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
. This was Wellman's second adaptation of a Clark novel, the first being The Ox-Bow Incident
. Track of the Cat was produced by John Wayne and Robert Fellows for their Wayne/Fellows production company
.
) and his brother, Arthur (William Hopper
), track down the panther which has killed many of the cattle on his family's ranch. At the same time their family begins to (further) fall apart at home while awaiting their return. The discovery of Arthur's body further fractures the family and sends Ma and Pa Bridges further into each of their respective personal problems.
, Washington and Mitchum regarded shooting in the deep snow and cold as the worst filming conditions he had ever experienced.
Director William A. Wellman
had always intended to film a black & white movie in color. The photography of William Clothier
was designed to highlight black and white and downplay colors. Only key elements like the blue matches, the fire, and Mitchum's red coat stand out.
William A. Wellman
William Augustus Wellman was an American film director. Although Wellman began his film career as an actor, he worked on over 80 films, as director, producer and consultant but most often as a director, notable for his work in crime, adventure and action genre films, often focusing on aviation...
film starring Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
and Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright was an American actress. She received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1942 for her performance in Mrs. Miniver. That same year, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her performance in Pride of the Yankees opposite Gary Cooper...
. The film is based on a 1949 adventure novel of the same name by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
Walter Van Tilburg Clark
Walter Van Tilburg Clark was an American novelist, short story writer, and educator. He ranks as one of Nevada's most distinguished literary figures of the 20th century and is known primarily for his novels, his one volume of stories, as well as his uncollected short stories...
. This was Wellman's second adaptation of a Clark novel, the first being The Ox-Bow Incident
The Ox-Bow Incident
The Ox-Bow Incident is a 1943 American western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell...
. Track of the Cat was produced by John Wayne and Robert Fellows for their Wayne/Fellows production company
Batjac Productions
Batjac Productions is an independent film production company founded by John Wayne in the early 1950s as a vehicle for Wayne to produce as well as star in movies. Its first release was Big Jim McLain with Warner Brothers in 1952, and its final film was also with Warner Brothers, McQ, in 1974...
.
Plot
Curt Bridges (Robert MitchumRobert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
) and his brother, Arthur (William Hopper
William Hopper
William Hopper, born DeWolf Hopper, Jr. was an American actor. He is best-remembered for playing Paul Drake on television's Perry Mason.-Early life:...
), track down the panther which has killed many of the cattle on his family's ranch. At the same time their family begins to (further) fall apart at home while awaiting their return. The discovery of Arthur's body further fractures the family and sends Ma and Pa Bridges further into each of their respective personal problems.
Cast
- Robert MitchumRobert MitchumRobert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
as Curt Bridges - Teresa WrightTeresa WrightTeresa Wright was an American actress. She received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1942 for her performance in Mrs. Miniver. That same year, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her performance in Pride of the Yankees opposite Gary Cooper...
as Grace Bridges - Diana LynnDiana LynnDiana Lynn was an American actress.Born Dolores Marie Loehr in Los Angeles, California, Lynn was considered a child prodigy because of her exceptional abilities as a pianist at an early age, and by the age of 12 was playing with the Los Angeles Junior Symphony Orchestra.-Film career:Dolores Loehr...
as Gwen Williams - Tab HunterTab HunterTab Hunter is an American actor, singer, former teen idol and author who has starred in over forty major films.-Background:...
as Harold Bridges - Beulah BondiBeulah BondiBeulah Bondi was an American actress.Bondi began her acting career as a young child in theater, and after establishing herself as a stage actress, she reprised her role in Street Scene for the 1931 film version...
as Ma Bridges - Philip TongePhilip TongePhilip Tonge was a stage, film, and television actor.Born in London, England, Tonge became an actor at a young age. Fellow child actor Noel Coward stated he had his first sexual experience at age 13 with the slightly older Tonge.Tonge made his film debut in 1913 in the short The Still Voice, and...
as Pa Bridges - William HopperWilliam HopperWilliam Hopper, born DeWolf Hopper, Jr. was an American actor. He is best-remembered for playing Paul Drake on television's Perry Mason.-Early life:...
as Arthur Bridges - Carl SwitzerCarl SwitzerCarl Dean "Alfalfa" Switzer was an American child actor, professional dog breeder and hunting guide, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series as Alfalfa, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters.-Early life and family:Switzer was born in Paris,...
as Joe Sam
Production
The outdoor scenes were filmed on Mount RainierMount Rainier
Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...
, Washington and Mitchum regarded shooting in the deep snow and cold as the worst filming conditions he had ever experienced.
Director William A. Wellman
William A. Wellman
William Augustus Wellman was an American film director. Although Wellman began his film career as an actor, he worked on over 80 films, as director, producer and consultant but most often as a director, notable for his work in crime, adventure and action genre films, often focusing on aviation...
had always intended to film a black & white movie in color. The photography of William Clothier
William H. Clothier
William H. Clothier, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer.Born in Decatur, Illinois, Clothier entered the film industry painting sets at Warner Bros., and at the end of the silent era began photographing such films as Wings and Ernst Lubitsch's The Patriot...
was designed to highlight black and white and downplay colors. Only key elements like the blue matches, the fire, and Mitchum's red coat stand out.
DVD Reviews
- Review by Glenn EricksonGlenn EricksonGlenn Erickson is an American film editor and film critic. He started in the film industry in 1975 as an editor of low budget films and later worked in minor technical crew capacities in such major films as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1941...
at DVD Savant a part of DVD Talk - Review by Erik Rupp at Vista Records
- Review: Track of the Cat (Special Collector's Edition) at The-Trades.com