Lured (1947)

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The acting in this movie is really good.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

It's pretty obvious from the beginning who the shadow is, and the only clues to the sinister crimes come from a series of poetry letters. The poor victim of the final walk to fate gets the opening, and as soon as you see his silhouette, it's obvious that the end might not be imminent, but certainly soon. A lack of opening credits deliberately adds to the intrigue, with Charles Coburn leading the investigation into unknown crimes involving a series of letters, while the innocent lass (ironically named Lucy) tells her pal, Lucille Ball, about the mysterious gentleman she's been seeing. Lucy soon disappears, leading Lucille to begin her own search. While this brilliant thriller is set in modern times, it could easily be set in the days of Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, and Queen Victoria. The fog is thick, the gaslights are barely lit, and the thick sound of cockney accents fill the air. When Coburn and Ball get together, the chemistry he shared with Jean Arthur is almost immediately forgotten. He's seemingly lecherous (with a cause) and she's no nonsense and filled with the cynical wisecrack of a showgirl who's obviously been around. In short, she's as far from McGillicuddy, Ricardo, Carmichael and Carter as she can get, basically a nicer version of her showgirl from "The Big Street".The colorful characters she meets along the way are brilliantly constructed, a character actor's dream. From Coburn to dashing George Sanders to urbane Sir Cedric Hardwicke to Boris Karloff, anything is possible in this shadowy night world where courageous Lucy proves herself to be any of these men's equals. Had she not gone onto TV comedy, she may have had a shot at real dramatic acting, directed here by none other than Douglas Sirk, a master of melodrama. Karloff (along with Anne Codee as his partner in lunacy) is hysterically funny, although certainly not sane. What makes this film so much fun is the combination of Gothic mystery, light farce, a bit of film noir and of course, Lucy, makes this a must. It features an outstanding technical look with an incredible set design, superb photography, a wonderful musical score and unsurpassed pacing. The film gets episodic as it moves along, with George Zucco and Alan Mowbray popping in for amusing bits. Coburn, totally adorable in every nuance of his performance, plays well opposite Lucy, and it's a shame that this was their only pairing. Once you begin this film, you'll be lured in as I was, and there is no return until it is all over.

Yes, Ball and Sanders are neutered by falling in love, but Sanders has a wonderful moment when he discovers that his fiancée is an undercover cop, and he sarcastically accuses himself of the murders. The starry cast are terrific: Ball, Karloff, Coburn, Sanders, Zucco and Hardwicke. LB is also great in Dark Corner, another noir including Clifton Webb and William Bendix. (It's tauter and neater than this one.) In the 40s and 50s, leading ladies had to be fashion plates - which is why when not wearing the shabby wardrobe of a penny-pinching dancer for hire, Miss Ball is draped in some elaborate and hideous fashions. The dress that was the masterpiece of the deranged fashion designer was presumably meant to look 1918-ish, but it's a grotesque mishmash of Paul Poiret and Dior. Some of the best scenes come early on as we are introduced to Miss Ball and her friend.

Long before her 1951-57 smash hit TV sitcom, "I Love Lucy," that would make her a household name forever, Lucille Ball was an accomplished actress. She will always be known for her comedy, but she had many talents. She could dance up a storm, and sing a tune. She was a very attractive starlet who played nicely in some dramas and romances. Throw in a couple of Westerns and several mystery-suspense-thrillers, and you have a well-rounded, excellent actress. She made more than 100 movies in her lifetime, besides her "I Love Lucy" TV series, followed by "The Lucy Show" in 1962-1968, and finally, "Here's Lucy" that ran from 1968 to 1974. TV Guide called her the greatest TV start of all time. "Lured" is one of the mystery-crime movies that starred Ball, with a wonderful cast of other big names of the time. She does an excellent job as an American, Sandra Carpenter, who is stranded in London when a stage show she was in closed after just three nights' run. George Sanders plays Robert Fleming; Charles Coburn is Inspector Harley Temple of Scotland Yard, Cedric Hardwicke is Fleming's partner, Julian Wilde. All give very good performances. As do a number of other very talented actors – Alan Mowbray as Lyle Maxwell, George Zucco as Officer Barrett, and a host of others in small or cameo roles. One is Boris Karloff, and all I'll say about him is that I don't think I've ever seen Karloff laugh at all, let alone laugh so long and hard and convincingly, as in this film. To give the plot of this film might ruin it for viewers. It's a very clever script. It's in black and white, which lends a nice touch to the scenes of foggy nights in London. All the technical aspects of the film are very good. This is a nicely engaging movie that's sure to entertain. And give people who only know of Lucy Ricardo from her first TV show, a look at a very talented actress who could do almost anything on stage or film.

Early directorial effort from Douglas Sirk offers an offbeat role for Lucille Ball, ably playing an American dancer in London who is enlisted by Scotland Yard to catch a poem-writing serial killer who preys on showgirls. Leo Rosten's screenplay (culled from perhaps various treatments by Jacques Companéez, Simon Gantillon, and Ernest Neuville) is loosely-hinged at best, thin at worst. A sequence with Boris Karloff as a delusional designer goes on far too long, as does a tiresome thread with Ball working as a maid for a possible pervert. Entertaining on a minor level, especially for Lucy-addicts (her dryly comic exasperation is very funny, as is her rapport with the inspectors on the case). George Sanders is ideally cast as a wealthy nightclub owner who takes a shine to our heroine--and who wouldn't? Ball may be photographed in black-and-white, but she exudes both sophisticated glamor and attractive street-smarts. She's a peach. **1/2 from ****