October 18, 2026

152 Cats Audition for a Horror Movie

In 1961, Hollywood put out a casting call for a black cat. More than 150 showed up, including one white cat who was just there to keep a friend company.

On November 27, 1961, the sidewalk outside a Hollywood film studio was packed with black cats. Big cats, little cats, kittens, and their owners gathered in response to a newspaper advertisement looking for a black cat for a horror movie.

The movie, called Tales of Terror, was directed by Roger Corman and featured actors like Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone. It was based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, and they needed a cat that looked pretty spooky for the adaptation of The Black Cat.

152 cats showed up for the audition. Some were quickly disqualified for having white paws or noses. Interestingly, the cats seemed a lot calmer than their anxious owners, according to LIFE magazine. Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and actress Joyce Jameson were there to meet the candidates, but they didn't know a professional cat had already been cast in the lead role.

The casting call wasn’t a total waste. Seven cats were selected as backups and for publicity appearances, mainly because they had the "meanest-looking" faces.

Among those black cats was one white cat. According to a contemporary Los Angeles Times report, the white cat wasn't auditioning at all. The cat just showed up to keep a black cat friend company. LIFE photographer Ralph Crane captured the whole scene, from the cats waiting with their owners to the unusual casting process.

See Ralph Crane's photographs in LIFE's original gallery

Tales of Terror was released in July 1962. It’s unclear if any of the seven backups ever made it on screen, but at least the cats got their Hollywood moment. And somewhere among the 152 hopefuls was one white cat who had no interest in becoming a horror movie star. The kitty was just there for a friend.

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