What is it tonight? A sweepstakes for zombies? I hope you two will be very happy.
Hello to all of the classic people that are returning. I am glad you are back. I want to welcome any new visitors. Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on Lured (1947). This movie is a Film Noir, a crime movie, a mystery, it has Lucille Ball and Boris Karloff. I know it is going to be great.
This film’s 7.0[1] rating on iMDB.com seems a little high to me. On Rottentomatoes.com, this film has a 100 percent on the Tomatometer[2]. This is based on only six reviews and feels unrealistic to me. The audience score is 68 percent which matches with iMDB.com
New York Times film critic E.J.B. said in an August 29, 1947, review:
“A good cast has been assembled by Hunt Stromberg for his production of “Lured,”… Unfortunately, the whodunit tale that goes with it has not been so inspired. It is a rather routine piece of story-telling in the mystery genre, decked out with lavish backgrounds and good acting that are not warranted by some of the aspects of the story. For one thing, the film is about a half an hour too long and a number of extraneous and rather absurd sequences could have been omitted.”[3]
I want to shout out to thunderstruck5484, TheBuriedLedeR, and all the others for the many comments during the 30-day NOIRvember challenge on YouTube. Also, to Tom M. for recommending George Sanders. I can’t forget James S., the one in the Capital, and David R.
Actors – Lured (1947)
Returning
We have quite a few returning actors in this episode. First off is the comedic redhead that can handle demanding roles, Lucille Ball. Ball was cast in the role of American Sandra Carpenter. Ball was recently covered in The Dark Corner (1946).
It is always exciting when we have the master of the macabre, Boris Karloff. Karloff is cast in the role of Charles van Druten. Karlof was first covered way back in Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
Alan Napier, a butler to Batman, was cast in the role of Detective Gordon. This tall drink of water was first covered in the terrible Big Jim McLain (1952).
Veteran character actor Charles Coburn was in the role of Inspector Harley Temple. The prolific character actor was first covered in Impact (1949).
George Zucco played the role of Officer H. R. Barrett. Zucco was first covered in The Mummy’s Hand (1940).
New
George Sanders played the role of Robert Fleming, a nightclub owner and all-around ladies’ man. This quintessential English actor was born in the pre-Communits Russian Empire in 1906. His parents were English, and the family fled Russia when the revolution started in 1917.
Sanders attended Brighton College and Manchester Technical College.[4] He spent time working on tobacco plantations in South America. When he returned to England, Sanders eventually wrote for an advertising agency.
Sanders began singing and acting on stage. His first European film was Find the Lady (1936). That same year, he played a villain in an American film, Lloyd’s of London (1936). He became very good at playing despicable characters. This guy has been in a lot of movies, and he is usually an uncaring sort, like a British officer trying to mess up Daniel Boone’s plans.
Sanders played Simon Templer, the Saint, five times from 1939 to 1941. He played the Falcon, another recurring movie character, four times from 1941 to 1942. Sanders was in at least four notable Film Noirs; The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945), Lured (1947), Witness to Murder (1954), and While the City Sleeps (1956).
A partial list of Sanders’ other movies includes Allegheny Uprising (1939), Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Rebecca (1940), The Black Swan (1942), Appointment in Berlin (1943), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), Forever Amber (1947) with Linda Darnell, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) where he dashed the hopes of Mrs. Muir who was played by Gene Tierney, Samson and Delilah (1949), All About Eve (1950) for which he won the best-supporting actor Oscar, Ivanhoe (1952), The Scarlet Coat (1955), Moonfleet (1955), Solomon and Sheba (1959), Village of the Damned (1960) a movie that is creepy as hell, and possibly my favorite as the voice of Shere Khan the Tiger in The Jungle Book (1967).
Sanders worked on television as well. His accomplishments include “The George Sanders Mystery Theater” 1957 season. He also appeared on “Batman” three times in 1966 as Mister Freeze. Sanders’ first and third wives were Magda and Zsa Zsa Gabor. I bet that was tricky at family gatherings. According to iMDB.com, both Sanders and Zsa Zsa were Special Guest Villains on “Batman.”
Sadly, Sanders took his own life in 1972.
Cedric Hardwicke played Julian Wilde, a lawyer and partner to Robert Fleming (George Sanders). Hardwicke was born in England in 1893. Hardwicke’s father was a doctor and wanted his son to follow that path. However, Hardwicke did not pass his examination.
Hardwicke then attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, first appearing on stage in 1912. Hardwicke joined the British Army at the beginning of World War I. He served in the Judge Advocate’s branch until 1921.[5] It is reported that he was part of the selection of the British Unknown Warrior.
In 1922, Hardwicke began working for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. With an incredible voice and acting ability, he rose to the London stage. Hardwicke appeared in some shorts as early as 1913. However, his first full-length film was Nelson (1926), quickly followed by The Dreyfus Case (1931), Les Misérables (1935), and Things to Come (1936). This latter, based on an H.G.Wells story, is a bizarre movie worth watching. In 1934, Hardwicke was knighted by the king.
Hardwicke made his American stage debut in 1936. He continued to make films, often as a narrator, such as King Solomon’s Mines (1937), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), where he was evilly great, Stanley and Livingstone (1939), On Borrowed Time (1939) in the role of the angel of death, The Invisible Man Returns (1940), Suspicion (1941), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), Lured (1947), and Rope (1948).
In 1948, he made the U.S. his permanent residence. The highlights of his films for the era include A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949), The War of the Worlds (1953), Salome (1953), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), The Ten Commandments (1956), and The Story of Mankind (1957) which is an interesting star crowded film.
Continuing to work in film and television, Hardwicke died in 1964.
Story – Lured (1947)
The feet of a man with a flashlight is shown walking in London. He shines the light onto the credits for the film. It is evidently clear that this is a police mystery.
A young woman, Lucy Barnard (Tanis Chandler), is riding the bus while studying the personal aids in the newspaper. That is like Tinder, except you swipe right with a pencil. She sees a reply, calling her Blue Eyes, and signed by John. John says he will be wearing a carnation. She removes the ad from the paper.
The bus stops at a fog-ridden road, and Lucy goes to meet the man. The man is standing in the shadows and is not shown. Lucy introduces herself, and the pair stroll away. A man wearing a placard saying “Murder in Soho” walks past them. The pair enter a small restaurant, but only Lucy is shown.
Sometime later, a typed letter is shown being addressed to the New Scotland Yard Criminal Investigation Department. The typist is wearing gloves. The man mails the letter and is still not shown.
In the morning, the letter arrives and is read by Detective Gordon (Alan Napier). The letter, one of several that they have received, is a poem giving clues to the murder of another girl. This poem talks about an elephant charm worn by the intended victim.
The police go to work on the letter. Several keys make distinctive marks. The paper is plain, and there are no prints. They can determine that the gloves used are probably made of suede. There have been seven murdered females, and this poem indicates that there will be an eighth that night.
The scene changes to night outside of a taxi-dancer joint. A taxi-dancer dances with men in exchange for a ticket purchased at the establishment. The dancer would get half the money, while the club and orchestra got the other half. This model originated on the Barbary Coast of San Francisco during the 1849 gold rush.[6]
Inside the dance hall, dancer Lucy and her friend Sandra Carpenter (Lucille Ball) commiserate about their feet hurting from all the dancing. Sandra is approached by a theatrical agent for Fleming and Wilde’s nightclub. She is told she can come for an audition to work at a nightclub on Monday at 9:00 p.m.
When Lucy returns, Sandra tells the news about the agent. Lucy says she doesn’t care because she is going away with a man she met. She says he is handsome and has the charm of the devil. He goes by the name of John. Sandra tries to ask questions but only finds out that they met through personal ads. Lucy says she will be protected by her elephant bracelet.
Inspector Harley Temple (Charles Coburn) takes the letter to his friend Professor Prof Harkness (Alex Frazer). Harkness has identified the poetic style as almost identical to Charles Baudelaire’s.
The taxi-dancer manager won’t let Sandra leave on the night of the audition. He mentioned that Lucy didn’t come in, and no one had heard from her. Sandra calls Fleming and Wilde. Robert Fleming (George Sanders) is making out with a woman (Marjorie Hoshelle), but he answers the phone anyway. Sandra asks to speak with the secretary, and Fleming plays the role. He flirts with her insistently. They arrange another interview for Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. Sandra suddenly sees a newspaper headline that says “Dancer Reported Missing,” feared Eighth victim of the Poet Killer.
Back in his office, Fleming wonders why he was cut off on the phone. Julian Wilde (Cedric Hardwicke) comes into the office with the plans for the new club they are opening. They both complement each other on their management skills. Fleming goes to see the new dancers, but Wilde reads the newspaper about the eighth victim. Fleming says they probably ran away with charming cads.
Sandra goes to Scotland Yard and tells Detective Gordon about Lucy. Inspector Harley Temple enters the room as Sandra provides the original newspaper ads. The Inspector gets excited when Lucy tells about the elephant bracelet. The Inspector sends Gordon out of the room. Sandra says she came over from New York, and the show she was in folded, leaving her stranded in London. The Inspector questions Sandra about her past and then gives her an impromptu memory test. He offers her a job as a police detective, read bait. The plan is to answer all the personal ads and let Sandra keep the appointments.
Working with the police, they screen and respond to the ads. Sandra is told she will be well-guarded, and they give her a pistol. A series of x-ed out ads show the work they have been doing. Sandra responds to an ad for chic, shapely, and no prude. But it is only a modeling job, and it has been filled. The next one is for a bird lover. When she arrives at the appointed place, a small boy tells her that his older brother placed the ad, but his military unit was called up.
The following ad says a famous artist wants a beautiful model to meet his 60 paces north of the White Swan at 9:00p.m. Sandra waits in the White Swan until the time for the meeting. She sees an unknown man looking through the window at her. As she goes to the location, the man watches from the shadows.
Sandra is approached by Charles van Druten (Boris Karloff). Run away!! Movies over!! Van Druten quizzes her about her letter. He asks if she has any family and then questions her when she quickly accepts his offer. He leads her through dark streets to a second-story loft. On the stairs, he asks her if she is afraid.
Inside, she is turned over to Matilda (Ann Codee). Matilda helps her get dressed in a beautiful gown. Matilda says Van Druten is a great designer but hasn’t worked in 25 years because his design was stolen. Van Druten says the house is packed, and the queen is outside. He opens the curtains, and there are many empty chairs, a dog, and a couple of mannequins. Pretty creepy!
Van Druten begins his presentation as if a real crowd is present. He starts laughing manically, and the record begins to skip. He grabs a sword and chases Matilda out of the room. He then closes in on Sandra, saying she is a spy. The man from the restaurant shows up outside of the window. Sandra says that the man is his competitor. Var Druten and the man fight outside as Sandra flees to a waiting taxi. The taxi won’t move, and the man from outside the restaurant window gets into the car. The two fight before the mystery man reveals that he is Officer H. R. Barrett (George Zucco). He returns her gun that he had taken during their fight. She returns the favor of returning the gun she took from him during the fight.
Fleming is still trying to find Sandra based solely on their phone call. Wilde can’t believe that Fleming is still looking for the girl. Fleming and Wilde go to Sir Charles’ (Charles Coleman) home to recruit him as an investor and for their board of directors. Fleming ducks out to do something related to females.
The butler, Maxwell (Alan Mowbray), arrives with a personal ad Sir Charles is having placed for a new maid. After the ad is approved, Maxwell and a maid add the words young and unattached to the message.
Before long, Sandra arrives and is interviewed by Maxwell for the maid job. She says the ad was in the personal section, not the employment section. Maxwell tells her if she is unattached, this job can lead to big things.
Sandra walks the dog in the park across the street from the house. Officer H. R. Barrett is waiting, and Sandra calls in a report to the Inspector. She thinks she is on to something because three females have left and are missing. The Inspector asks her to meet a man on Monday night at a concert.
Barrett is waiting inside the concert hall. Sandra picks up her ticket under the name Music Lover. Wilde runs into Fleming near the box office. They decide to buy tickets together. Sandra is sitting below with an empty seat beside her.
Fleming spots Sandra and is very taken with her. A foppish professor with his own score comes in and takes the empty seat by Sandra. He flees when she tries to make contact, realizing he is in the wrong seat. Fleming uses binoculars to read Sandra’s note.
During intermission, Fleming tries to make a move on Sandra. She rebuffs his advances. He recognizes her voice but doesn’t tell her that he is Fleming, still pretending to be the secretary. Barrett wants to leave, but Sandra decides to watch the rest of the concert.
Near the show’s end, a hostess tells Sandra that her car is waiting. The driver tells Sandra that her date is unable to attend, and he is taking her to meet him. She arrives at Fleming and Wilde’s newest club. Everything is ready for her, and she is seated. Fleming soon arrives and orders champagne. It is at this time she finds out that he is Fleming. He implies that he is the one that sent the letter. She later realizes he did not contact her through the personal ads.
A songbird sings “All for Love.” Sandra and Fleming dance as other women watch enviously. After the dance, Sandra asks Fleming to have the song sung again. She ducks out of the club while he is distracted. She leaves a note saying he is nice and also charming.
Sandra is in her room resting when Maxwell comes inside. Maxwell says his friend Nicholas Moryani (Joseph Calleia) is coming that night. He continues that if she makes a good impression, her future is assured, and she can go to South America. Sandra acts interested and is told the work is the same as here but with opportunities to advance. She tries to get the name of the ship scheduled to leave on Wednesday, but Maxwell catches himself. Sandra flirts with Maxwell to get him off guard. She gets the name of the ship from him.
That evening, Sandra is introduced to Moryani. He is very snotty and aloof. Moryani questions Sandra as he eats. Maxwell goes upstairs, and Sir Charles is entertaining some men, including Fleming and Wilde. In the kitchen, Moryani tells Maxwell to send Sandra away.
Sandra is sent upstairs to deliver some drinks. Moryani says Sandra is too smart to be in the deal. Moryani somehow realizes that Maxwell gave away the name of the boat.
Upstairs, Sandra comes face to face with Fleming. She serves his drink and dashes out the door. Much to the surprise of Wilde, Fleming head out after Sandra. He catches up with her in the kitchen. She takes the attitude that help can’t speak with the guest.
Maxwell arrives and tries to usher Fleming out of the kitchen. He claims he has lost a button. Maxwell brings another maid to sew the button, and he gives Sandra the job of walking the dog.
Sandra walks to the telephone booth to call Scotland Yard. Moryani comes out of the shadows and causes Sandra to end the call. Moryani walks her into the park as he asks questions about her interest in his business.
Moryani begins attacking her, and she screams. Fleming has followed her out of the building and hears the struggle. He and Moryani fight. Moryani throws a knife at Fleming, but it sticks into a tree. Fleming finally knocks Moryani out cold. Sandra and Fleming hug as Officer Barrett arrives in a car. Sandra keeps the secret that she is working with the police. Barrett plays along and takes care of Moryani. The happy couple kiss.
Sometime later, Sandra has Inspector Temple, Detective Gordon, Officer Barrett, and other officers slackjawed when she announces that she and Fleming are engaged to be married. The Inspector makes sure Sandra hasn’t revealed her cover. They arrested Moryani and broke up the ring that was taking attractive females to South America. The women would be given legitimate jobs and then forced into criminal activity. If one refused, they would get rid of her. Sir Charles had no idea that this scheme was happening in his house. Sandra thinks Lucy is in South America and will be returned home.
After Sandra leaves, the Inspector says he thinks the killer has not been found. This is because a real gang would not send letters to the police about their crime.
Fleming and Sandra arrive at his mansion after having shopped for her Trousseau. Fleming and Wilde share the mansion. Sandra tells Wilde that he doesn’t have to leave the house. They make a point of pointing out the box her wedding dress is in. Wilde notices the comment. After Sandra and Fleming leave, Wilde accidentally finds Sandra’s police identification badge.
Detective Gordon receives another letter from the killer. He informs the Inspector. The poem mentions the tiger’s lair and a dress of shimmering stars.
The scene cuts to Sandra wearing a dress with shimmering stars for the Tuesday night engagement party. While she waits for Fleming, Wilde takes her into Fleming’s private study. There are pictures of women everywhere. There is one picture that he doesn’t want Sandra to read. He places it in a drawer and goes to find Fleming.
Sandra immediately goes to the picture. In the drawer of pictures of women, including one of Lucy. There are also jewels, including Lucy’s elephant bracelet. Fleming comes into the room, and Sandra asks him about the picture of Lucy. He says he doesn’t know her.
Inspector Temple arrives and asks to speak to Lucy alone. His first question is about her gown. The Inspector shows her the letter from the killer. She realizes it is about her. She defends Fleming. The Inspector notices Sandra looking at the drawer. He examines the evidence. The bracelet is the clincher. Fleming denies knowing about the jewelry. Sandra reveals that she works for the police. Fleming thinks she has only used him to solve the case. He is harsh and flippant, saying he took the bracelet off a girl he murdered.
Fleming is interrogated by Inspector Temple, and he is the owner of the typewriter that produced the letters. Detective Gordon continues the interrogation. Fleming says he sees and hires a lot of females. They produce letters from the seven murdered women found in Fleming’s files. He is also dammed for appearing to have lured Sandra to the concert through a personal ad. Finally, the Inspector reveals that Fleming’s fingerprints were on the letter.
Wilde is skulking around the house as police dig holes looking for the bodies of the seven murdered women. Barrett is contacted and told to call off the search. Wilde sees a newspaper headline saying the killer is at bay.
Inspector Temple is at the morgue. They have the body of a young woman who was strangled and dropped into the river. The murder is two weeks old. Fleming is brought in and told that the dead woman is Lucy.
Inspector Temple interviews Wilde. Wilde says he has never seen Fleming with Lucy. The Inspector asks Wilde if he can provide alibis for the dates of the murders. Wilde also says he goes to the concert every Monday night. The Inspector asks if Wilde planted the evidence.
Sandra comes to the jail, but Fleming refuses to see her. Wilde is visiting Fleming. Fleming can’t believe all the evidence that has been collected that points to him. He doesn’t suspect Wilde. Fleming is despondent. He says he would confess and be hanged before he spent his life in prison.
Wilde gets a call with some shocking information. Inspector Temple comes in to see Wilde. Temple says Fleming is not guilty because the evidence is too neat. He continues that Fleming does not have the personality to be a killer. Temple goes on to talk about how the killer would be afraid of women.
Temple asks Wilde for his copy of Baudelaire. He first says he doesn’t have one and then produces it. Temple finally tells Wilde they both know who the actual murderer is. Temple says Wilde implicated Fleming because he loves Sandra.
Wilde pulls his ace, saying Fleming confessed to the murders. The Inspector calls in and verifies the information. Temple apologizes and leaves.
Wilde makes arrangements to fly to Lisbon at midnight. That evening he heads downstairs with his bags packed. The bell rings, and it is Sandra. She asks to stay for a while. She starts talking about how gentle and loving Fleming is. Wilde asks her to lie down. He has forty minutes to catch his plane.
Wilde locks the door. He tells Sandra that they should be together. Wilde slowly unties his silk scarf as he continues to talk. Sandra knows he is going to kill her. He attacks her. Sandra screams for Barrett. Barrett breaks through the glass door and subdues Wilde. The Inspector comes in behind Barrett. Wilde is hauled away in cuffs.
Fleming is freed. Later he is sitting at a bar when Sandra comes in. He orders the same champagne he ordered on the night they met. They love each other and live happily ever after.
Conclusion – Lured (1947)
In the pivotal scene with Wilde and Inspector Temple, the Inspector holds a copy of Baudelaire’s poetry. However, the poem he reads is by Lord Alfred Douglas.
Michel Michelet composed the music for this film and also for the French remake titled Personal Column (1939).
This film was released as Lured (1947) in America. Halfway through its initial release, the Production Code Administration thought the title was too close to lurid. The director and others felt this was why the film was a box office failure in America.
On my first watch, I wasn’t sure until very late who the killer was. This film takes a few side trips establishing crimes. However, I feel the film did poorly because it is so long. It clocks in at one hour and forty-two minutes.
While this film is a Film Noir, it leans heavily toward a crime drama. The happy ending was a little too neat.
Finally, with Boris Karloff, George Zucco, and Sir Cedric Hardwicke billed, it would be easy to believe this was a classic monster movie. Karloff has The Mummy (1932) and Frankenstein (1931), among many others; Geroge Zucco has House of Frankenstein (1944) and The Mummy’s Ghost (1944), among others. Cedric Hardwicke has The Ghost of Frankenstein (1931) and The Invisible Man Returns (1940).
World-Famous Short Summary – Watch out for redheads
This show is now completely free and independent, brought to you without ads. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave a review where you get your Podcasts. It really helps the show get found.
As a technical note, references and citations are listed for each show on the site at classicmovierev.com.
Beware the moors.
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039589/
[2] Lured – Rotten Tomatoes
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/1947/08/29/archives/at-the-victoria.html
[4] George Sanders – Wikipedia
[5] Cedric Hardwicke – Wikipedia
[6] Taxi dancer – Wikipedia
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.