IMDb RATING
7.0/10
5.1K
YOUR RATING
British police are after a serial killer who lures his female victims through newspaper personal ads and sends cryptic poem clues to the cops.British police are after a serial killer who lures his female victims through newspaper personal ads and sends cryptic poem clues to the cops.British police are after a serial killer who lures his female victims through newspaper personal ads and sends cryptic poem clues to the cops.
Cedric Hardwicke
- Julian Wilde
- (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Annette Warren
- Blonde Nightclub Singer
- (singing voice)
John Alban
- Concertgoer
- (uncredited)
Jimmy Aubrey
- Nelson
- (uncredited)
Brooks Benedict
- Concertgoer
- (uncredited)
Wilson Benge
- Police Criminologist
- (uncredited)
Paul Bradley
- Concertgoer
- (uncredited)
Colin Campbell
- Wilberforce
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe title was changed to "Personal Column" midway through the original U.S. theatrical release because staff at the Production Code Administration thought the word "lured" sounded too much like "lurid". Director Douglas Sirk felt the title change confused potential audiences and led to the film's box-office failure.
- GoofsSandra, a taxi dancer, is enlisted by Scotland Yard to help catch the killer. Within a short period of time, she is appointed to be a detective and she is issued a gun. This all happens without an interview or any training. At Scotland Yard, firearms are only issued to senior officers, and most certainly not to a recruited civilian such as Sandra.
- Quotes
Sandra Carpenter: What is it tonight? A sweepstakes for zombies? I hope you two will be very happy.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits - a flashlight pans along the side of a building, and the credits are written on the side of the wall.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Vampira Returns: Lured 1947 (1956)
Featured review
This excellent noir film was somewhat copied forty years later as "Sea of Love," with several changes bringing it up-to-date. One surprise in store for viewers is the comic talents of George Zucco, obviously kept hidden throughout most of his brilliant acting career. He is an excellent comedic sparring partner for Lucille Ball. They work well as a team, providing laughs that are sorely needed in an otherwise serious murder mystery thriller. Boris Karloff adds to the fun as well, giving a monster performance as an insane dress designer--can you believe? The stellar lineup also includes the likes of George Sanders, Charles Coburn, Cedric Hardwicke, and Alan Mowbray. The cast alone is worth the price of admission.
Directed with savvy by Douglas Sirk, the film has a script put together by a hodgepodge of writers. Still, the dialog is filled with witty and intelligent lines. The mystery will keep the viewer guessing until the serial killer is revealed. There are red herrings along the way to lead the best sleuth astray. Even when the movie seems to be ending with the mystery solved, it becomes the wrong solution to the case under investigation. The film proceeds to fool the viewer a second time before the ultimate meanie is apprehended. There are thrills aplenty throughout this delicious cinematic whodunit.
The story involves a serial killer running amok in London who kills beautiful young women lured by newspaper ads. The madman fancies himself a poet copying his style from the dark poetry of Charles Baudelaire, who once wrote about a tempting woman being more beautiful in death. One such poem is sent to Scotland Yard before each murder. Inspector Harley Temple (Coburn) is determined to catch the psycho any way possible, even using a young woman, Sandra Carpenter (Ball), as a decoy to lure the monster out into the open. Sandra is chosen when she inquires about her good friend's disappearance. Coincidentally, her friend's moniker is Lucy. In the process of finding the perpetrator of the crimes, Sandra makes several interesting encounters, eventually meeting a stranger named Robert Fleming (Sanders) with whom she falls in love. Their favorite song becomes "All For Love," which serves as a clue in the mystery.
Directed with savvy by Douglas Sirk, the film has a script put together by a hodgepodge of writers. Still, the dialog is filled with witty and intelligent lines. The mystery will keep the viewer guessing until the serial killer is revealed. There are red herrings along the way to lead the best sleuth astray. Even when the movie seems to be ending with the mystery solved, it becomes the wrong solution to the case under investigation. The film proceeds to fool the viewer a second time before the ultimate meanie is apprehended. There are thrills aplenty throughout this delicious cinematic whodunit.
The story involves a serial killer running amok in London who kills beautiful young women lured by newspaper ads. The madman fancies himself a poet copying his style from the dark poetry of Charles Baudelaire, who once wrote about a tempting woman being more beautiful in death. One such poem is sent to Scotland Yard before each murder. Inspector Harley Temple (Coburn) is determined to catch the psycho any way possible, even using a young woman, Sandra Carpenter (Ball), as a decoy to lure the monster out into the open. Sandra is chosen when she inquires about her good friend's disappearance. Coincidentally, her friend's moniker is Lucy. In the process of finding the perpetrator of the crimes, Sandra makes several interesting encounters, eventually meeting a stranger named Robert Fleming (Sanders) with whom she falls in love. Their favorite song becomes "All For Love," which serves as a clue in the mystery.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Personal Column
- Filming locations
- Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly, London, England, UK(opening establishing shots - archive footage)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $700,000
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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