Lured
Directed by Douglas Sirk
Written by Leo Rosten from a story by Jacques Companez et al
1947/US
Hunt Stromberg Productions
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime Cohen Channel
Inspector Harley Temple: Miss Carpenter there will be danger… great danger. Are you afraid?
Sandra Carpenter: No, not yet!
Douglas Sirk and company turned out a very enjoyable film noir.
Girls are turning up missing and murdered all over London. Scotland Yard has tied the disappearances to personal ads and cryptic, creepy poems sent to the police. Taxi dancer Lucy Bernard (Tanis Chandler) is one of the victims. Her American colleague and friend Sandra Carpenter (Lucille Ball) is recruited by Inspector Harley Temple (Charles Coburn) to act as bait.
Suspects include crazy artist Charles Van Druten (Boris Karloff), suave nightclub owner Robert Fleming (George Sanders), and his secretary Julian Wilde (Cedric Hardwicke). Sandra is fearless in her pursuit knowing that guardian angel Officer H. R. Barrett (George Zucco) is never far away.
I really enjoyed this one. The acting is excellent and Ball is fantastic and looks beautiful in a dramatic role. Her gowns by Elois Jenssen are to die for. The film was recently restored by the Cohen Collection to reveal the stunning low-key cinematography by William H. Daniels.
