Cat-Women of the Moon (1953)
Director - Arthur D. Hilton
The Plot
An American space expedition made up of four men and one woman lands on the moon. On the border between the light and dark side of moon they discover an underground city populated by women in black leotards. Telepathic mind control, cross species romance and exotic pre-beatnik dancing make up the rest of a film that never fails to not surprise.
Film Notes
Purrfect Night for a Moonlight Flight
Sonny Tufts' desire was to become an opera singer. Instead he became a male pin-up and leading man in B movies, before he was sued in the mid '50s by several showgirls for allegedly biting their thighs. The alleged thigh bitings were perhaps the result of post-traumatic induced stress from his work on Cat-Women of the Moon. His career never quite recovered.
Marie Windsor and the Hollywood Cover Girls
Originally this film was exhibited in 3-D. However, the plot, special effects, and acting were actually less than two-dimensional. But still, a viewing of "classic" is not for naught, for it contains Marie Windsor and the Hollywood Cover Girls.
Ms. Windsor was too tall and sexy for A-List movies and became known as "Queen of the B's." She starred in a number of film-noirs (The Killing, Narrow Margin, Force of Evil), but also served above and beyond in many a western and sci-fi movie.
The Hollywood Cover Girls pioneered the Diana Rigg/Emma Peel look. As the movie preview stated, "They lived a fevered fury of life without love... Where only the flaming desire and wild lust to conquer all men and destroy the world brings satisfaction!"
Arthur, Arthur!
Cat-Women is one of only three films directed by prolific film editor - Arthur Hilton. He in fact was the editor of Scarlet Street, an Alameda TV Crime Street favorite. Another of his directorial efforts was the Return of Frank James starring John Ireland, a low budget but quite interesting Western.
-- Ed SchneiderIngmar Ozu-Bresson on Cat-Women of the Moon
"Femme, elle est un chat noir. Douce, avec des dents et des griffes, elle rôde jamais l'intérieur-espace inconscient d'homme."
("Woman, she is a dark cat. Soft with teeth and claws, she ever prowls the unconscious inner-space of man.")
Cast & Production Credits
| Sonny Tufts | Laird Grainger |
| Victor Jory | Kip Reissner, copilot |
| Marie Windsor | Helen Salinger, navigator |
| Carol Brewster | Alpha |
| Susan Morrow | Lambda |
| Douglas Fowley | Walt Willis |
| William Phipps | Douglas Smith |
| Suzanne Alexander | Zeta |
| Judy Walsh | CatWoman |
| Ellye Marshall | CatWoman |
| Roxann Delman | CatWoman |
| Astor Pictures Corporation | |
| Arthur D. Hilton | Director |
| Jack R. Rabin | Producer / Story Author / Special Effects |
| Al Zimbalist | Producer / Special Effects |
| Roy Hamilton | Screenwriter |
| Wm. Whitley | Cinematographer |
| Elmer Bernstein | Composer (Music Score) |
| John A. Bushelman | Editor |
| William Glasgow | Production Designer |
| C. Fay Babcock | Set Designer |
| Harry Thomas | Makeup |
For more information on women and cats:
Cat People (1942)
Cat People (1982)
Curse of the Cat People (1944)