Bal Tabarin

Fearing that she is being followed, Judy Allen, a singer from Los Angeles, turns up unexpectedly at the Parisian apartment of her friend, Stella Simmons, and tells this story: Because her singing career in Los Angeles has not been going well, Judy accepts a position as personal secretary for a wealthy man, Eddie Mendies. One evening as she and Mendies are working, a man shoots Mendies through the window. As she drives Mendies to the hospital, he behaves strangely, putting a small key in a wad of chewing gum. Then, giving her a large amount of money held with a money clip, Mendies tells her to lay low for her own safety. From the newspapers, she later learns that Mendies, who dies in the hospital, was a racketeer and jewel fence. The police are looking for the witness to the murder and for missing jewels. Afraid and not thinking clearly, Judy fears that the police suspect her of the killing and that the murderer, whom she cannot identify, is out to get her, so she flees the country. Safe in Stella's apartment, Judy sees that she was foolish not to go to the police, but she knew nothing and wants to remain hidden. Stella invites Judy to stay with her and later introduces her to Don Barlow, an American songwriter hoping for his big break. Don invites Judy and Stella to accompany him to a performance at the famous nightclub, Bal Tabarin . However, during the performance, Judy is frightened by a mysterious man who approaches her, and has Don take her home early. The man, Joe Goheen, later introduces himself to the French police inspector, Manet, as a private investigator looking for Judy. Goheen says he expects that Judy will come to Paris, because he found a postcard sent from Paris in her Los Angeles apartment. However, as Judy has not yet registered with the police, Manet is unable to help. As time goes by, Don shows Judy around Paris and they find themselves mutually attracted. Don tells her that he has not achieved success during his two years in Paris, so must shortly return to his family, who oppose his musical pursuits, in the United States to help run their business. Later, Judy confides to Stella that Don proposed, but she fears his straight-laced family will disapprove of her. Meanwhile, Manet has learned from United States police that Judy is involved with a murder. Skeptical of Goheen's story, Manet has his apartment secretly searched and learns that Goheen has a suspiciously large expense account for a private investigator. At a cafe, Goheen cland