Woody Allen’s “Scoop” refers to a reporter’s exclusive story but could also describe a mysteriously delicious ice cream cone that melts in your mind rather than in your mouth.

This smart, sassy screwball concoction begins as one of London’s top reporters, Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) dies. On the grim reaper’s boat on the river Styx, Strombel gets a hot tip on the identity of the notorious “Tarot Card Killer.” But how can he use it?

Enter Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson), an American journalism student, who finds herself on-stage at a vaudeville magic show performed by The Great Splendidi (Woody Allen). Encased in a Chinese box, she’s ‘visited’ by Strombel, who urges her to solve the crime by investigating a British aristocrat named Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman). Enlisting the aid of the reluctant magician (a.k.a. Sid Waterman), who poses as her boorish, bantering father, Sondra wangles an introduction to the debonair, dapper Lyman, who is immediately smitten by her spunky candor and charm. Dazzled by his romantic overtures, Sondra doubts that he could possibly be a serial killer but, repeatedly urged by ghostly yet relentless Strombel, she gathers an alarming amount of circumstantial evidence.

Always witty Woody has dealt with the same theme before – think “Manhattan Murder Mystery” - and, as his current muse, Scarlett Johansson will surely garner high praise for her incandescent portrayal. But I was smitten by hunky Hugh Jackman, who – if you remember - was equally adept at exuding Wolverine’s “X-Men” animal magnetism. Suave Jackman puts the class back into classic screen comedy.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Scoop” is a suspenseful, seductive 7, a midsummer trifle that keeps you guessing. Following “Match Point,” this is Woody’s second successful film shot in London – with a third on the way.