Helen Walker

A wealthy businessman survives a murder attempt arranged by his wife and her lover, then disappears so that the two of them can be charged with killing him. He hides out in a small town under an assumed name while the police, led by a sharp lieutenant played by Charles Coburn, work to build the case. Brian Donlevy is the wronged husband who has to decide whether to come back at all, and Ella Raines is the woman who helps him. The film was shot entirely in Northern California, around San Francisco and Marin County, which gives it a different look from the usual Los Angeles noir. It entered the public domain due to non-renewal of its copyright.

Crime · Noir · Mystery

Two rival radio producers — small-town schemer Pinky Wilson and network man John Guedel — chase the same sponsor and the same idea: a show built around ordinary people doing ridiculous things. Jack Haley, Helen Walker, Rudy Vallee, and Ozzie Nelson star in this Paramount musical comedy spun off from Art Linkletter's hit radio program, directed by Sam White. It's an amiable peek at the era when radio gimmicks ruled the airwaves. The film is in the public domain after its copyright was not renewed.

Comedy · Music