Black Zoo (1963)

A sociopath (Michael Gough) owns a private zoo in the San Fernando Valley. He literally worships his menagerie which includes big cats and primates and he has trained them to kill anyone who stands in his way. Directed by Robert Gordon (IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA), this is a rather subdued horror film. Most of the violence is done off screen or shown very briefly and not graphic. Nicely shot in wide screen Panavision by the Oscar winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby (OLD MAN AND THE SEA), much of the footage is devoted to the big cats and while they're quite majestic, it does make for tedious scenes. The script is poorly written and most of the actors are defeated by the dialogue. Exceptions include Jeanne Cooper as Gough's abused wife and Virginia Grey as her theatrical agent (their one scene together is the best acted scene in the movie) who somehow manage to make the dialogue sound natural. Lucky Rod Lauren is playing a mute so he's spared. Gough snarls and spits his dialogue out as if he were playing a junkyard dog and after awhile one can't help wondering why he isn't in a padded cell somewhere. With Marianna Hill, Jerome Cowan, Edward Platt and Elisha Cook Jr.