It's pretty obvious from the beginning who the shadow is, and the only clues to the sinister crimes come from a series of poetry letters. The poor victim of the final walk to fate gets the opening, and as soon as you see his silhouette, it's obvious that the end might not be imminent, but certainly soon. A lack of opening credits deliberately adds to the intrigue, with Charles Coburn leading the investigation into unknown crimes involving a series of letters, while the innocent lass (ironically named Lucy) tells her pal, Lucille Ball, about the mysterious gentleman she's been seeing. Lucy soon disappears, leading Lucille to begin her own search.
While this brilliant thriller is set in modern times, it could easily be set in the days of Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, and Queen Victoria. The fog is thick, the gaslights are barely lit, and the thick sound of cockney accents fill the air. When Coburn and Ball get together, the chemistry he shared with Jean Arthur is almost immediately forgotten. He's seemingly lecherous (with a cause) and she's no nonsense and filled with the cynical wisecrack of a showgirl who's obviously been around. In short, she's as far from McGillicuddy, Ricardo, Carmichael and Carter as she can get, basically a nicer version of her showgirl from "The Big Street".
The colorful characters she meets along the way are brilliantly constructed, a character actor's dream. From Coburn to dashing George Sanders to urbane Sir Cedric Hardwicke to Boris Karloff, anything is possible in this shadowy night world where courageous Lucy proves herself to be any of these men's equals. Had she not gone onto TV comedy, she may have had a shot at real dramatic acting, directed here by none other than Douglas Sirk, a master of melodrama. Karloff (along with Anne Codee as his partner in lunacy) is hysterically funny, although certainly not sane.
What makes this film so much fun is the combination of Gothic mystery, light farce, a bit of film noir and of course, Lucy, makes this a must. It features an outstanding technical look with an incredible set design, superb photography, a wonderful musical score and unsurpassed pacing. The film gets episodic as it moves along, with George Zucco and Alan Mowbray popping in for amusing bits. Coburn, totally adorable in every nuance of his performance, plays well opposite Lucy, and it's a shame that this was their only pairing. Once you begin this film, you'll be lured in as I was, and there is no return until it is all over.
While this brilliant thriller is set in modern times, it could easily be set in the days of Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, and Queen Victoria. The fog is thick, the gaslights are barely lit, and the thick sound of cockney accents fill the air. When Coburn and Ball get together, the chemistry he shared with Jean Arthur is almost immediately forgotten. He's seemingly lecherous (with a cause) and she's no nonsense and filled with the cynical wisecrack of a showgirl who's obviously been around. In short, she's as far from McGillicuddy, Ricardo, Carmichael and Carter as she can get, basically a nicer version of her showgirl from "The Big Street".
The colorful characters she meets along the way are brilliantly constructed, a character actor's dream. From Coburn to dashing George Sanders to urbane Sir Cedric Hardwicke to Boris Karloff, anything is possible in this shadowy night world where courageous Lucy proves herself to be any of these men's equals. Had she not gone onto TV comedy, she may have had a shot at real dramatic acting, directed here by none other than Douglas Sirk, a master of melodrama. Karloff (along with Anne Codee as his partner in lunacy) is hysterically funny, although certainly not sane.
What makes this film so much fun is the combination of Gothic mystery, light farce, a bit of film noir and of course, Lucy, makes this a must. It features an outstanding technical look with an incredible set design, superb photography, a wonderful musical score and unsurpassed pacing. The film gets episodic as it moves along, with George Zucco and Alan Mowbray popping in for amusing bits. Coburn, totally adorable in every nuance of his performance, plays well opposite Lucy, and it's a shame that this was their only pairing. Once you begin this film, you'll be lured in as I was, and there is no return until it is all over.