Walter Van Tilburg Clark's novel The Track of the Cat proved to be a gripping episode of Suspense when the series adapted it on February 18, 1952. Richard Widmark stars as the boldest of three brothers who toil together on the family ranch. However, when he sets out into the snow to hunt a mountain lion, his courage is gradually sapped away. You may download the episode from archive.org here.
"The Track of the Cat" was also adapted into a 1954 feature film starring Robert Mitchum (from whence the above image originates), but it is by no means suspenseful or thrilling. Rather than getting inside the mind of a brave man who crumbles, the film assumed audiences would be more interested in the petty family squabbles back at the ranch. And you wonder why classic Hollywood was brought down by television! Good as Mitchum was, his "leading" role is actually kind of minor - nowhere near the exposure Widmark received in the vastly more entertaining Suspense episode.
Tomorrow: "But before I got into bed I-I locked the door - just in case."
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