Lured (1947)

LURED  (1947)  ¢ ¢ ¢
    D: Douglas Sirk
    George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn,
    Alan Mobray, Cedric Hardwick, Boris Karloff,
    George Zucco, Alan Napier, Robert Coote
Look up the word "cad" in the dictionary, and the surprise is that the definition does not simply read "George Sanders." It's hard to find a biographical reference to Sanders that doesn't contain the word, and Sanders made a career playing insolent, condescending characters. He even titled his 1960 autobiography "Memoirs of a Professional Cad". So when his character in "Lured" states matter-of-factly, "I am an unmitigated cad," you believe it. The word fits perfectly. The movie's a murder mystery and Sanders plays a London theatrical producer. Charles Coburn's a police inspector who recruits a dance-hall girl (Lucille Ball) to go undercover to catch a serial killer. Lucy falls for the producer who turns out to be the prime suspect. Did he do it? I won't tell, but you can't help being suspicious. He's a cad, after all. He even says so. And he's played by George Sanders.