PANTHER GIRL was filmed in Sep 54 and released on 1/3/55. It was Republic Pictures' next to last serial and, has been pointed out, borrowed extensive stock footage from JUNGLE GIRL (Republic, 1941), and Ms. Coates was outfitted in matching costume for obvious reasons. CLAW MONSTER wasn't an alternate title, but a TV movie cut from the serial, one of 26 such seial telefeatures put out in 1966 by the all-but-dead, and renamed, Republic Corporation, before it closed up shop completely. Prints were also made available to 16mm rental companies (e.g. Ivy Films).

Altho I never gave it much thought, I don't find it incongruous to find Phyllis Coates in this sort of role. She was unceremoniously dumped in favor of Noel Niell as Lois Lane after the first season of "Superman", and was a single parent with a disabled child to support. She was also, as I recall, a "hoofer" before getting in movies, so doing cheesecake shots was hardly anything new for her. She did numerous latter-day B films and series TV episodes and, aspiring though she may have been, I'm not recalling that she was ever in a major role in a major motion picture. Which is too bad, but I think resulted from the fact that she neither was nor does she project a frail feminine figure, and despite her great looks, her smarts, serious mien and visibly strong & assertive personality attributes ran against the grain of 50s Hollywood for femme-lead types.