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Great, atmospheric tale of a struggling chorus girl (Lucille Ball)who is used as bait by London police to catch a serial killer who preys on women through newspaper personal advertisements.

Douglas Sirk is the Director of the Moment due to the release of the superb Far from Heaven -a remake of Sirk's All That Heaven Allows- and his films are now being rented and talked about as if they never existed. This film is a beautiful showcase for the almost larger-than-life characters, incredibly detailed sets, and use of lighting that would become trademarks for his later films.

Lucille Ball makes a great 'dame' and her dramatic abilities were sensational. Boris Karloff takes his one scene and plays it to the creepy hilt while George Sanders was a rather cool and sexy guy before he sealed his film fate as Addison DeWitt in All About Eve.

Lured maybe hard to find in most video stores but give it a chance if you come across it.

I was 'lured' into this one by its cast - Lucille Ball in a dramatic role, opposite George Sanders, and with Charles Coburn and Boris Karloff in supporting roles. I wasn't disappointed. It's a nice mystery/drama where a serial killer in London finds his victims through personal ads, and then boasts about it to the police with poetry reminiscent of Charles Baudelaire. Ball plays an American working in a dancehall who begins working undercover for the police when one of her friends becomes a victim. That bit is a little contrived, but I liked her pluckiness and how she stands up to a variety of creepy male behavior (in the dancehall, various ogling, and with some of the men she meets via the personal ads). There are some standard tropes - Ball's extraordinary powers of observation, Coburn being the distinguished sleuth who engages in a cat and mouse game with the criminal, etc - but the script is intelligent and has some interesting turns. Just don't go into it with the expectation that it's film noir, and enjoy the performances.

An interesting curio for Lucille Ball fans as well as those who enjoy old horror and mystery films. This one is worth seeing for its cast alone, featuring (in addition to Ms. Ball): Boris Karloff, Sir Cecric Hardwicke, Alan Napier, George Zucco and George Sanders! This solid mystery/thriller stars Lucille Ball in a dramatic part before she became Lucy Ricardo. She plays a feisty American gal in England who is hired by Scotland Yard to go undercover to trap a serial killer who claimed one of her friends. Boris Karloff's role is a small one but it's absolutely wonderful, and it's an essential watch for the actors' legion of fans. George Zucco is a cop who keeps an eye out for Ball to make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble. *** out of ****

The show closed after four days in London. Stranded Lucille Ball is working as a taxi dancer, hoping something will turn up. She's envious when the girl next to her tells her it's her last day; her tall, dark and handsome man is taking her away from all of this. The next day the newspapers announce it: she's the latest victim claimed by the Poet Killer, a serial killer who likes to send the police Baudelaire-inspired notes. Miss Ball goes to talk to Inspector Charles Coburn, who promptly hires her as bait.

Hunt Stromberg pulled out all the stops on his production: director Dirk Sirk, cameraman William Daniels, script credited to Leo Rosten, and a cast that includes George Sanders, Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Alan Mowbray, Robert Coote... well, it was primed for success.

Mostly it's pretty good, with Miss Ball giving a varied and layered performance, and Sanders at his most charming. There are some issues with the show. As soon as he showed up on screen, I tagged the murderer. Miss Ball's engagement by the police as a decoy has too many details handwaved away, and she never gives the impression she feels herself at risk. That's what spike heels are for.

Still, the studio-bound movie shows its glitter on the screen, and in a theater in the dark, it should look like a fine couple of hours.

Another noir film starring of all people Lucille Ball. A serial killer is on the loose in England who uses the personals column to lure his victims. Ball, who is an ex-pat in Blighty working as a dancehall companion, has a friend who goes missing so while giving her account to the local constabulary, the chief investigator strikes upon an idea to have Ball go undercover to see if the killer can be caught. Directed by the future king of the 50's melodramas Douglas Sirk, he manages to make a light noir feel fun & engaging w/o the prerequisite baggage which usually comes w/this sort of material. Aiding Ball admirably are the supporting cast of actors which includes George Sanders, Charles Coburn, Cedric Hardwicke & a scene stealer from Frankenstein himself, Boris Karloff.