Two Smart People (1946)

A con man (John Hodiak) who has stolen some bonds is on the run and pursued by a determined cop (Lloyd Nolan). But a con femme fatale (Lucille Ball) is also after those bonds. The three of them find themselves on a train headed for New Orleans. Directed by Jules Dassin (BRUTE FORCE), the film doesn't have a very good reputation but overall, I rather enjoyed it. It starts off well enough as long as it sticks to the larcenous competition between Ball and Hodiak but bogs down in the middle section when romance enters the movie before picking up with a spectacular Mardi Gras sequence. Dassin's career at MGM wasn't very impressive but once he left the studio and showed a talent for tougher film noir with such films as NAKED CITY, THIEVES HIGHWAY and NIGHT AND THE CITY, he seemed set for an impressive career until HUAC caused him to go to Europe to seek work. The imposing Mardi Gras set piece foreshadows Dassin's aptitude for darker material. With Hugo Haas, Lenore Ulric and Elisha Cook Jr.