Lured (United Artists) (1947)

BlOfiS—Sanders, Karloff, Hardwicke, Chandler Still No. GS-PC -10 George Sanders plays one of the most exciting roles of his career in Hunt Stromberg’s sensational mystery- romance, “Lured,” which opens on.at the. Theatre through United Artists release. Lucille Ball plays opposite him. Mai (2H) .30 George Sanders Sensational In Psychological No less an authority than Div George Gallup rates George Sanders in the top four among male Holly¬ wood stars in the matter of sex appeal. At the mo¬ ment the attractive actor is given a good opportunity to demonstrate this romantic flair of his in Hunt Stromberg’s psychological mystery drama, “Lured,” which opened last at the Theatre through United Artists release. Co-starring with him in this outstanding film are Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn and Boris Karloff. Sanders does none of the things actors are sup¬ posed to do. His screen manners are almost coldly reserved. His admirers call this “repose.” He rarely mugs or gestures, and he doesn’t raise his voice above conversational tone. Yet he gets his dynamic char¬ acterizations across on the screen, and has become a first ranking star—particularly in films with a crime slant. He can play hero or heavy with equal force. Off-screen, Sanders also appears unlike an actor. Between scenes he reads books on engineering and philosophy. He is an amateur astronomer, is at home in higher mathematics, has invented navigation ap¬ pliances, and has built such things as a 30-foot cabin cruiser and a glider. He has also written a book, “Crime on My Hands,” and plays the piano and composes music. He dislikes press interviews and never reads his. press clippings, nor does he care too much what is written about him. Although Sanders was born in Leningrad, Russia, (on July 3, 1906) he is really a British subject. The Russian revolution drove the family back to England, where George and his brother, known in Hollywood as Tom Conway, attended preparatory schools and college. George studied to become a scientist, and as a youth patented three water toy devices. Because My stery- Romance of his mechanical bent he switched to Manchester Technical School, specializing in textiles. Six feet three inches tall, and weighing 200 pounds, he became an outstanding athlete. He won the inter¬ scholastic boxing championship and became a star swimmer. After working for a brief while in a textile plant, George went to Brazil with a friend on a tobacco venture. The depression ended the venture, and he had to return to England. The depression, more than anything, was also responsible for his becoming an actor. When condi¬ tions forced him to get work pronto, he decided to try singing on the stage, on a suggestion made by his uncle, an opera singer. He started out in an English musical called “Ballyhoo,” following it up with roles in several hit plays and films. In 1936 he decided to try his luck in Hollywood and was instantly cast as a heavy in “Lloyds of London,” opposite Madeleine Carroll. George forged ahead rapidly and reached stardom in “The Saint” series of crime pictures. When he left this series his brother, Tom, assumed the role. As the artist in “Moon and Sixpence,” Sanders gave one of his best portrayals. Another outstand¬ ing performance over which the critics still rave was in “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Sanders loves to sleep, and can dash off 2B hours at a stretch if given the chance. He has a quick # humor, but doesn’t reveal it except with people he Nk considers friendly. He is often regarded as stand¬ offish, especially by strangers or interviewers asking questions which his scientific mind regards as “fatu¬ ous.” Once the ice is broken, he becomes very friendly and is a witty conversationalist. Karloff Is Terrific As the Mad Artist Boris Karloff believes that actors make a big mis¬ take in holding out for major roles in Hollywood. “It’s a short-sighted attitude, in my opinion,” he says. The tall, soft-spoken English actor, whose stage name has become synonymous with menace, would rather have a comparatively small “meaty” part in a good picture than a starring role in a bad one. Recently he made this theory pay off. In Hunt Stromberg’s fascinating whodunit, “Lured,” now thrilling audiences at the . Theatre, Karloff appears on the screen in only one scene, but, in his opinion, he will leave a lasting im¬ pression on the collective mind of the audience. “I took the role because I judged it by quality rather than length,” he said. Co-starring with him in the film are George San¬ ders, Lucille Ball and Charles Coburn, with Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Joseph Calleia, Alan Mowbray, Alan Napier and Tanis Chandler among the sup¬ porting players. The popular character actor plays the role of an English dress designer who goes mad when his most famous design is stolen. He advertises for a model and Lucille Ball, playing an American girl who is helping Scotland Yard track down a famous mur¬ derer, answers the advertisment while following one of her clues. The scene is menacing, with a certain macabre touch that is grotesquely amusing, and Kar¬ loff plays it to perfection. Oddly enough, Karloff credits his being a “horror man” to the influence of the church. At the age of eight, he reveals, he played his first stage role in a Christmas play which was put on by the church in London, England, where he was born. Karloff, then known as William Henry Pratt, played a demon and his role called for him to scare the daylights out of the fairy princess. Now, in “Lured,” released by United Artists, he scares the daylights out of Lucille Ball. Still No. PC-17 Still No. TC-PC -1 Lovely Tanis Chandler por¬ trays the missing girl who causes so much excitement in Hunt Stromberg’s unusual mys¬ tery-drama, “Lured,” now at the .Theatre through United Artists release. George Sanders and Lucille Ball are starred in the film. Mat (IF) .15 Playing Sophisticated ‘Heels’ Pays off for Cedric Hardwicke* It’s a good thing that film au¬ diences and casting directors do not feel about Sir Cedric Hard¬ wicke the way Sir Cedric feels about himself. He is not the one to brag. “I wouldn’t blame people if they sneered at me the moment my face appears on the screen,” he declared. “Anyone in his right mind pegs me immediately as a cad, a bounder, a monumental heel!” Enacting the role of a high- class heel, however, pays Sir Ced¬ ric a four figure salary. But even so, he can’t stand the sight of himself on the screen more than once or twice a year. The rest of the time he devotes to his real love, the dramatic stage. At the moment, Hardwicke is playing a so-called nice fellow in Hunt Stromberg’s murder mys¬ tery romance, “Lured,” which co- stars George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn and Boris Karloff. “Lured” is slated to bow in on . at the . Theatre through United Artists release. “Throughout the picture I am cultured, sophisticated and very polite,” chuckled Hardwicke. “I am a gentleman and a scholar to all appearances. But all the time I’m a heel and I know it, and, at the end, the audience knows it, too! “The fact that I can divide my time between acting in Holly¬ wood, and acting or directing on the stage makes me completely satisfied,” Hardwicke declared. Sir Cedric was born in Stour¬ bridge, England, on February 19, 1893. He is well known on the British stage and screen. His Hollywood pictures include such B successes as “Les Miserables,” “Stanley and Livingstone,” “For¬ ever and a Day,” “Commandos a S trike At Dawn,” “The Lodger,” ^ “The Picture of Dorian Grey” and “Sentimental Journey.” Re¬ cently he completed the starring role in “Nicholas Nickleby,” an English film produced-by Michael Balcon in London. It will be re¬ leased here shortly. Newcomer Tanis Chandler Gets Big Break In “Lured” * After six years of getting no¬ where in Hollywood, blonde, French-born Tanis Chandler gets the biggest break of her career in being cast by Producer Hunt Stromberg in the second feminine lead in “Lured,” which co-stars George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Boris Karloff and Charles Coburn. This fascinating mystery-romance is being released by United Art- iists and is slated to bow in on . at the . Theatre. Six years ago Tanis came to Hollywood from New York where she was a successful Powers’ model and magazine cover girl. She was under contract to 20th Century-Fox, but never had the opportunity to distinguish herself and after a year was dropped. Since then she has played bit parts at practically every studio in town, and during the past year succeeded in getting featured roles in small budget films. However, the small role Tanis plays in “Lured” is her choicest assignment so far. Although she is actually the victim of a mur-^ der in the picture, the story, ire- r volves about her until the very end and she is never forgotten. If “Lured” opens the door to future stardom for Tanis, she will take her place in the company of Yvonne De Carlo, Marie “The Body” McDonald, Robert Mitch- + um, Alan Ladd, Ann Jeffries and many others who “kicked around” A Hollywood for long periods of ™ time before being touched by the Cinderella wand which led to screen success.. Page Fourteen