Track of the Cat

Track of the Cat
Directed by	William A. Wellman
Produced by	Robert Fellows John Wayne
Written by	Walter Van Tilburg Clark (novel) A.I. Bezzerides
Starring	Robert Mitchum Teresa Wright
Music by	Roy Webb
Cinematography	William H. Clothier
Editing by	Fred MacDowell
Studio	Wayne/Fellows Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	November 27, 1954
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Track of the Cat (1954) 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.

Plot

Curt Bridges (Robert Mitchum) 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.

Cast

• Robert Mitchum as Curt Bridges
• Teresa Wright as Grace Bridges
• Diana Lynn as Gwen Williams
• Tab Hunter as Harold Bridges
• Beulah Bondi as Ma Bridges
• Philip Tonge as Pa Bridges
• William Hopper as Arthur Bridges
• Carl Switzer as Joe Sam

Production

The outdoor scenes were filmed on Mount Rainier, 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.

External links

• Track of the Cat at the Internet Movie Database

DVD Reviews

• Review by Glenn Erickson 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