Claude Rains

A supernatural comedy in the Here Comes Mr. Jordan vein, directed by Archie Mayo as his final film. Paul Muni plays Eddie Kagle, a murdered gangster whom the Devil (Claude Rains) sends back to Earth in the body of an upright judge to corrupt him, only to watch Kagle gradually reform. Anne Baxter is the judge's fiancée who sees through the swap. The film's U.S. copyright expired in 1973, leaving it in the public domain.

Comedy · Fantasy

A 1957 made-for-television musical directed by Bretaigne Windust and broadcast on NBC as a color spectacular. Van Johnson stars as the Pied Piper (and his alter ego Truson), with Claude Rains as the Mayor of Hamelin, plus Lori Nelson, Jim Backus, and Kay Starr. Adapted from the Robert Browning poem, the story follows the piper who rids Hamelin of its rats, then leads away the town's children when the mayor refuses to pay. Aired once and then rerun for years, the film's copyright was never renewed, making it one of the most widely circulated public domain musicals and a staple of holiday broadcasts on local stations.

Musical · Fantasy · Comedy

John Garfield plays Johnny Bradfield, a champion boxer who flees after a night of partying ends with a dead reporter and his face in the papers. He ends up hiding out on an Arizona date farm run by a schoolteacher (Claude Rains is the detective on his trail) and mentoring the Dead End Kids in the boxing ring. Busby Berkeley — better known for his kaleidoscopic musical numbers — directs this remake of The Life of Jimmy Dolan with surprising grit. The film is in the public domain.

Crime · Drama · Romance