Cristi_Ciopron A drama with Jean Brooks, O'Keefe, Isabel Jewell as the fortuneteller, James Bell as Galbraith, Abner Biberman as the owner of the leopard, Ben Bard as the police officer, Brandon Hurst, to mention only what have been the acting highlights for me. Tourneur knew, with the surest sense of subtleness, nuance, degree, how to elicit their performances, even for bit parts, in a movie as graceful, as it is refreshing in its eeriness and lightness, in its exciting sharpness. It intrigued and delighted me.Margo's evening with William Halligan represents exquisitely this masterful sense of the graceful semitone. O'Keefe was, as I wrote elsewhere, a mediocre player, the director doesn't change this, but uses to good effect his handsomeness, J. Tourneur takes and enhances what was needed for the movie; O' Keefe doesn't reveal a hidden depth (like Heston in an Welles masterpiece), but gets the occasion to do his best. All the players are advantaged by the graceful direction.I answered to people being obliged, needing to work in an insignificant, smothering town, and longing for Chicago, for distant urban life, though in J. Tourneur's movie the town is carefully shown as a stylish place, and even has a museum, with a curator like Galbraith played by James Bell.Tourneur's movie is a disclosure of what the cinema may be meant to be.

Woodyanders An escaped leopard terrorizes a small town in New Mexico. However, stage performer Kiki Walker (a spirited and appealing portrayal by the fetching Jean Brooks) and her dashing manager Jerry Manning (a fine and likable performance by Dennis O'Keefe) suspect that something else might be responsible for the killings that have been occurring.Director Jacques Turner relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, milks plenty of nerve-rattling tension during the murder set pieces (the first one involving a little girl looked outside of her house is positively harrowing), and nicely captures the sleepy atmosphere of the poor Mexican hamlet. Cinematographer Robert De Grasse's masterful use of light and shadow further enhances the overall spooky mood. The solid acting by the capable cast qualifies as another significant asset: Brooks and O'Keefe make for personable leads, with sound support from Margo as bitchy and ambitious dancer Clo-Clo, Isabell Jewell as cynical fortune teller Maria, James Bell as friendly museum curator Dr. Galbraith, Margaret Landry as doomed teenager Teresa Delgado, and Abner Biberman as the leopard's easygoing owner Charlie How-Come. The tight 66 minute running time ensures that this picture never gets dull or overstays its welcome. Well worth seeing.

SimonJack "The Leopard Man" is one of many so-called "B" movies that Hollywood churned out in between its "A" films. The difference between "A" and "B" films was usually the cast (level of stars), and the budget. The screenplay is another matter. There were as many "A" pictures that flopped as there were those that became hits -- mostly because of the plot and/or screenplay. So, likewise for the "B" films. It seems to me that the many good "B" films that the studios cranked out were the bread and butter of the studios. They kept actors, technicians, writers, directors, makeup, wardrobe and stage crews employed, as well as the studio bosses. Of course, there were a lot of stinkers in that category too. This movie is a good example of a bread-winning "B" film. It was made on a budget of $150,000. I don't know what the box office was, but it likely was a good moneymaker. The film has a nice plot, based on a novel, "Black Alibi" by Cornell Woolrich. The cast are all quite good. The story is a simple one, yet it has some great mystery about it – which the audience is led to suspect early on by two characters – Dennis O'Keefe as Jerry Manning and James Bell as Dr. Galbraith. Without showing any gore, "The Leopard Man" succeeds in keeping a viewer on the edge of her or his seat. That's done by excellent direction with a set and masterful camera work that reminds one of Alfred Hitchcock's style. It's a nice entertaining film. While the cast and technical work are all quite good, there is nothing spectacular or great that would make up for the lesser quality of the set and other things.

GManfred A great story from a great storyteller, "The Leopard Man" has all the earmarks of a Tourneur film. He creates tension and suspense without allowing it on screen - all the dread and horror is in the mind of the viewer. This, of course, is diametrically opposed to the way horror is portrayed in movies nowadays, which is to drench the screen with buckets of blood and gore.This is a Val Lewton low budget picture, Lewton being the man who could produce quality films at bargain prices for RKO. He chose Dennis O'Keefe as the hero of the piece, one of Hollywood's most unsung and underrated actors. O'Keefe had not yet hit his stride as a top 'B' film actor, and "Raw Deal" and "Woman On The Run" were yet to come. Good support comes from Margo, Isabel Jewell, and James Bell, one of the most recognizable faces in movies and on TV.The only flaw in this picture is the weak ending, which dropped my rating from an eight to a seven. Can't have everything, I guess, but this picture comes very close. That came with "Out Of The Past", several years later, which to my mind is the best Noir film ever made.