Anthony Abbot's fictional detective, Police Commissioner Thatcher Colt, inspired only two little known Columbia features, 1932's "The Night Club Lady" and 1933's "The Circus Queen Murder," so after a decade's passing, Poverty Row's PRC took a crack at the character with "The Panther's Claw," intended to be only the first in a new series that came to naught. Replacing two-time Colt Adolphe Menjou with dependable Sidney Blackmer (an excellent choice), the often comic story is derived from Abbot's 1940 short story, "About the Perfect Crime of Mr. Digberry." In keeping Digberry (Byron Foulger) at the forefront, Blackmer's Colt is reduced in stature, conducting a too leisurely investigation as other annoying suspects get an abundance of screen time until he comes on strong at the end. Sadly missing from this PRC Colt are his faithful assistant Miss Kelly, delightfully portrayed by Ruthelma Stevens, and his unique lip reading abilities, which at least made him stand out from his inspiration, Van Dine's Philo Vance. Speaking of which, this would be the screen finale of Thatcher Colt, just as PRC also brought Philo Vance to his end, in a three picture series from 1947. Both characters suffered the same fate on television, as neither were ever revived for small screen incarnations. In hindsight, I believe that PRC was not only better than Monogram with mysteries (Charlie Chan), but also the horror genre, as their stories usually wasted no time getting underway; feel free to disagree.

The misleading title features no panther (pink or otherwise), only the cute kitty-cat of milquetoast Byron Foulger accused of murdering an aging opera star. There are plenty of other suspects, but circumstances point to him, having himself set up a fake blackmail scheme to fool his (unseen) wife in regards to their joint bank account. He is first seen at his mother's grave, staring at her stone with a hysterical limerick written on it. There really isn't much plot, but it's pretty entertaining with Sidney Blackmer as the main cop on the case and some confusion concerning Foulger's constant disappearance and sudden reappearance which make his comings and goings seem suspicious. PRC has had some pretty rare classics (or pretty rotten cinema) and shouldn't be taken for art. But if you compare these low-budget films to early television dramas, you'll find them to be compact entertainment, worthy of non-pretentious storytelling and not overloaded with frills that sometimes are out of place.

Byron Foulger stars as Everett Digberry, a mild-mannered wigmaker for theatrical folks who, in the film's opening scene, is picked up by the cops climbing out of a cemetery late at night. Taken downtown, he finds a number of acquaintances in the commissioner's office; all of them, like him, have received mysterious letters demanding money and signed only with a panther's paw print.Sidney Blackmer investigates as police commissioner Thatcher Colt with suavity and humor. He is ably assisted by Ricki Vallin as Anthony Abbot. (Somewhat bizarrely, the original story is also credited to "Anthony Abbot," the pen name of a mystery writer who was not the first to insert "himself" into a story.) The mystery plot holds interest but doesn't create a huge amount of suspense, although it does take a few interesting turns, including one major shift that arguably renders the film's title misleading (but catchy!).I would like to know, having watched these characters spend no little time looking over wigs, if Mr. Digberry is correct when he tells the commissioner, "One wigmaker can usually tell another's knot."

I was very happy to be able to buy this movie and watch it last weekend. I last saw this movie over 30 years ago. I remember it being good, and I was not disapponted. It has a fairly good mystery, but what makes this movie special is that it's very funny. It has several scenes which I think are classic. The line up scene is hilarious. Byron Foulger gives a great comedic performance.