Jane Randolph, a willowy beauty who was memorably terrorized by shadow and sound in one of the great suspense films of all time, the original “Cat People,” died May 4 at a hospital near Gstaad, Switzerland, after breaking her hip. She was 93.
Miss Randolph appeared in more than 20 films and starred in low-budget fare such as “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (1948).
“Cat People” (1942), a movie revered by film enthusiasts for its high artistry under a strained budget, brought Miss Randolph her greatest public renown. Its acclaimed atmospherics – dimly lighted swimming pools and city streets that act as shadowscapes – were matters of necessity by filmmakers who could not afford better sets.
The movie was enormously popular, reportedly earning more than $4 million and establishing many horror techniques that were startlingly effective at the time but have since become cliches. “Cat People” suffered a remake in 1982 by director Paul Schrader.
