Panther’s Claw, The

265S. THE PANTHER’S CIAW (1942-USA). With SIDNEY BLACKMER, BYRON FOULGER. Some of the employees of the New York Opera Company are being harassed by intimidating letters sent them by the chilling and mysterious “Black Panther.” Those who have been receiving the notes include the company’s diva, her husband and her manager and a wigmaker named Everett P. Digberry (played by popular character actor Byron Foulger, whose face you are sure to recognize even if you are unfamiliar with his name). The obvious suspect is Enrico Lombardi, a temperamental and boorish baritone with a drinking problem who had recently left the company. “There’s a lot more to this case than meets the eye,” declares New York Police Commissioner Thatcher Colt, a sharp-eyed Sherlock Holmes-like sleuth who is determined to uncover the Black Panther’s identity. Before he can do so, a murder is committed, and all of the evidence points to Digberry. Colt’s fellow law enforcers are convinced it is an open-and-shut case, but the commissioner thinks otherwise. You will never guess the true culprit as this engrossing and neatly plotted mystery unfolds. 71 minutes. Crime Mystery Suspense