The Lady Has Plans

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The Lady Has Plans
The Lady Has Plans.jpg
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Screenplay by Harry Tugend
Based ona story
by Leo Birinski
Produced by Fred Kohlmar
Starring
Cinematography Charles Lang
Edited by William Shea
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • January 24, 1942 (1942-01-24)(US)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,250,000 (US rentals) [1]

The Lady Has Plans is a 1942 American comedy film spy thriller film directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Ray Milland, Paulette Goddard and Roland Young. It was produced ad distributed by Paramount Pictures as a World War II espionage film set in neutral Portugal.

Contents

Plot

A gang of criminals murder a scientist, steal plans for a "radio-controlled torpedo" and have them tattooed in invisible ink on the back of a woman named Rita, planning to sell them to the highest bidder. Paul Baker then murders the tattooer. Rita is to take the place of reporter Sidney Royce (Paulette Goddard) on an airplane bound for Lisbon. Baker has informed the British and the Nazis to contact "Sidney" there for the auction. Joe Scalsi is given the task of making sure that Sidney does not board the plane, but he is taken into custody by government agents. Rita witnesses this.

Meanwhile, the real Sidney Royce is being sent to Lisbon to work for the very demanding Kenneth Harper, who has fired the last four reporters. They were all men, so Mr. Weston decides to try sending a woman instead.

Cast

Reception

Bosley Crowther panned the film in his New York Times review, calling it a "silly fable, without rhyme or reason" and a "thoroughly implausible tale". [2]

Adaptations

The Lady Has Plans was adapted for The Lux Radio Theatre, with William Powell and Rita Hayworth replacing Milland and Goddard in the title roles. It was aired on April 26, 1943. [3]

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References

  1. "101 Pix Gross in Millions" Variety 6 Jan 1943 p 58
  2. Bosley Crowther (March 5, 1942). "'The Lady Has Plans' Opens at the Paramount". The New York Times.
  3. , The Lady Has Plans by Lux Radio Theatre.