Hollywood, 1961. Following a newspaper casting call, black cats are waiting for audition for a low budget horror movie adaption of ‘Tales of Terror’ by Edgar Allan Poe. The film was released as a double feature with Panic in Year Zero!
In the film Montresor Herringbone (Peter Lorre) hates his wife Annabelle (Joyce Jameson) and her black cat. One night on a ramble about town, he happens upon a wine tasting event and challenges the world’s foremost wine taster, Fortunato Luchresi (Vincent Price), to a contest. Herringbone becomes drunk.Luchresi escorts him home and meets his wife.
Time passes, and Annabelle and Luchresi become intimate. The cuckolded Herringbone then entombs them alive in an alcove in the basement. The authorities become suspicious and two policemen (John Hackett and Lennie Weinrib) visit the house to investigate.
Hearing screeching behind a basement wall, they knock the wall down to discover the dead lovers — and Annabelle’s black cat, which Herringbone had accidentally walled up with the lovers.
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
Ralph Crane, Black Cat Auditions In Hollywood, 1961. Source: LIFE Photo Archive via
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