The Book, Cat, & Cat Book Lovers Almanac

of historical trivia regarding books, cats, and other animals. Actually this blog has evolved so that it is described better as a blog about cats in history and culture. And we take as a theme the advice of Aldous Huxley: If you want to be a writer, get some cats. Don't forget to see the archived articles linked at the bottom of the page.

March 15, 2017

March 15, 1909

John Roeburt (March 15, 1909 to May 22, 1972) was a writer with a law degree. He started out as a crime reporter for 'The Brooklyn Eagle.' His books, often in the film noir genre, include There are dead men in Manhattan (1946.) Roeburt was described as the Theodore Dreiser of the detective genre. We read that he was often found wandering the streets of New York.

Of course he was a screen writer too. He did the script for St. Benny the Dip,(1951) a film directed by his good friend Edgar Ulmer. And he wrote stories for which others did the script. Like Jigsaw, which was released as a movie in 1949.

Jigsaw
darkened the hue in film noir. The final scenes were shot in a museum at night with a shoot em up finale set in the dark of huge columns. A society matron, the secret linchpin of a subversive organization, has murdered the blonde lead (Jean Wallace as Barbara Whitfield). Amid gun shots and bizarre shadows, the good guys win.

I don't know how. It is possible the film I saw was missing scenes. But I love Jigsaw because it has, to my knowledge, the first pet shop portrayal in cinematic history. Not a breeder's business. But a place with a counter and equipment and, pets. Earlier we had seen Barbara Whitfield, and Howard Malloy (Franchot Tone, playing the reporter detective) stop there. She buys a black Persian cat. She refers to a previous cat of hers named Hadrian VII. Malloy asked what happened to the latter; the blonde replies something faintly ominous.Then Malloy totes the cat inside a large cat carrier into a taxi with her.

I don't know how this fits into the movie. I would feel bad about it, but nobody else thinks the movie makes sense either. Talk about a darker shade.

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