Cleo Moore made her film debut in the 15-chapter Columbia serial Congo Bill in 1948. By 1950, she had become a starlet at RKO Studios, which installed her in several film noir classics, such as This Side of the Law and Gambling House. She also appeared in two 1950 short-feature westerns with Tim Holt: Dynamite Pass and Rio Grande Patrol. By 1950, her film career was in full swing, as she made six appearances in films that year. However, her roles were mostly small ones until she landed a contract with Columbia Studios in 1952. Moore landed starring roles in a series of low budget Columbia film, beginning with Strange Fascination in 1952. She made a number of pictures at Columbia, often directed by and co-starring Hugo Haas. At Columbia, Cleo Moore finally had starring roles in films, although her films with Haas were of a lower budget than the ones she made at RKO. However, the films directed by Haas gave Moore her "bad girl" reputation in films for which she is fondly remembered today. Along with Strange Fascination, Haas directed her in Thy Neighbor's Wife (1953), One Girl's Confession (1953), The Other Woman (1954), Bait (1954), Hold Back Tomorrow (1955),

Hit and Run (1957). Moore's "bad girl" persona got her a plum role in possibly her best film, Women's Prison