This film is really bad. An old woman is killed by one of her greedy relatives; she is very fortunate, she gets out of the film in the first ten minutes. Some terrible director named Beebe was unable to overcome this horrible script. Even more horrible than the plot were the attempts at humor by Broderick Crawford, who played sort of a virile Lou Costello. His sidekick was trying to be funny, also, but he did as well as grandmother. I liked all of Crawford's other films; he should have bought the copies of this one and had it burned. This is also the worst thing ever done by Basil Rathbone, a very decent actor, who could not escape strangulation from a horrible script. And you thought Ed Wood was a bad director and that Bela Lugosi hit bottom with Plan 9 From Outer Space. Wrong on both counts. Ed Wood is Hitchcock compared to this amateur who tried to direct this film. And Lugosi, as bad as he was in Plan 9, was much better in that film than this one. The script was written during a lunch break at the studio lot; or maybe not even that long.I understand that this film opened in Tokyo one week before Pearl Harbor; I am pretty sure it was the primary reason that Japan started a war against the US. Actually one star is too high a rating, but I felt sorry for Broderick.

Any relation between the 1934 masterpiece of the same title and this rubbish, is simply non- existent!This 1941 film is a bore and painfully unfunny. Abbott and Costello might have made something of this plot but as it is, this is one of "Universal's" worst horror films. Basil Rathbone and Alan Ladd are wasted and Bela Lugosi has nothing to do except scowl once in a while.

I like this one. It's a far cry from 'The Black Cat' (1934) - two completely different films in every way minus the title and Bela Lugosi being in both of them.The one unfortunate thing about this movie is Bela Lugosi and Basil Rathbone's parts are smaller than I would have liked for them to be. I wish the two of them had more screen time but the movie is fun to watch regardless.The mystery in this film is kinda easy to solve but still has you wondering if your guess is right or not as to whodunit.The movie seems more like an Abbott and Costello film as other reviewers mentioned - it really does. Something about the particular style of comedy. So if you like Abbot and Costello films then I think you might get a kick out of The Black Cat 1941.7/10

Before I discuss the film in depth, I want to point out that this film wasted two talented actors. In the case of Alan Ladd, I can't blame the studio too much--after all, he was still a bit player and it wouldn't be for another year or two until he achieved notoriety. But for Universal Pictures to cast Bela Lugosi and place him in such a small and insignificant role in an old house-type movie is crazy and a real shame. It's really a shame they didn't give obnoxious Hugh Herbert one of these smaller roles, as he really, really hams it up and just doesn't fit into the overall tone of the film (likewise, he was horrible and out of place in SH!THE OCTOPUS). As for the rest of the class, with such wonderful stars as Basil Rathbone and Gladys Cooper among others, the film has some exceptional performances for such a "small" film.Despite the title, this film has nothing to do with the earlier Lugosi film of the same title nor does it compare in almost any way to the Poe short story (except for the cat stuck behind something concept). Instead, it's a murder mystery with a hint of comedy. An old lady is beset with greedy relatives who can't wait to take her fortune after she dies. She's apparently dying and one of the family even called in some people (Hugh Herbert and Broderick Crawford) to buy the contents of the old home. However, unexpectedly the lady recovers--prompting someone to kill her so they no longer need to wait! However, inexplicably, no one seems to notice when Crawford insists the lady was murdered--everyone seems very eager to accept that it was an accident--even though shortly before the lady died, there was an attempt to poison her!! This is a bit of a plot hole, as no sane people (even greedy ones) would be so quick to dismiss the possibility of murder. So, it's up to Crawford to stick around, solve the mystery and avoid a "cat-astrophe".Overall, it's a fun but relatively unremarkable Universal picture that perhaps the other reviewers have been a bit too kind to. However, it did give Crawford one of his first starring roles and is a decent time-passer. PS--Towards the end, get a load of how strong Gladys Cooper is supposed to be! Considering her age and frail look, having her exerting herself in the hidden passages is really silly. Also, had this been made just a year or so later, it probably would have been an Abbott and Costello film and probably would have worked a bit better with them in Crawford's and Herbert's roles.