Call Northside 777

Call Northside 777. James Stewart stars in this 1948 film as a newspaperman who reluctantly investigates the case of a convict who has already spent eleven years in prison for the murder of a policeman. Richard Conte plays the convict, and Helen Walker and Lee J. Cobb are featured along with some superb character actors. Henry Hathaway directed this very naturalistic film that was shot on location in Chicago and based on a true story. 111 minutes. CC.

Jimmy Stewart is excellent in a rare film noir appearance, and Helen Walker, usually cast as a femme fatale, is fine as his sympathetic wife. Richard Conte, often cast in ethnic roles, is outstanding as the Polish convict. He is especially good in a scene where he undergoes a lie detector test. Finally, the two relatively unknown actresses who play Conte's mother and wife turn in extraordinary performances. ###

Helen Walker and James Stewart

Impact

Impact: Brian Donlevy and Ella Raines star in this 1949 film about a successful businessman whose wife and her lover scheme to murder. The film features Helen Walker as the conniving wife, Charles Coburn as a police detective, and  Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong. Directed by Arthur Lubin. 111 minutes. No CC. 

Brian Donlevy, at the end of his career, is ok in this film but the women make this a gem. Ella Raines despite appearing in many film noir, was, to my knowledge, never a femme fatale. She always portrayed a working girl full of courage, resourcefulness, and dedication to her man. Helen Walker however, is one of film noirs better femme fatales, and is excellent as Donlevy's scheming wife. Veteran actress Mae Marsh turns in a fine cameo performance as Raines' mother, as does Anna Mae Wong, one of Hollywood's first Asian actresses. Here is a link to the trailer.

Ella Raines

  

Nightmare Alley

In this grim 1947 film noir Tyrone Power stars as a two-bit hustler working in a traveling  carnival where he learns the tricks of a mind-reading act that elevates him to the big time. He brings his act to fancy nightclubs and becomes the toast of high society until he meets up with a scheming psychologist, played by Helen Walker. Together, they plot to bilk her wealthy, credulous patients. 

Edmund Goulding directed this film that portrays 1930s America as “a sleazy, run-down carnival, where everyone is either on the make, a born sucker, or trapped in a real or psychological cage.” Coleen Gray, Joan Blondell, and Mike Mazurka are featured as members of the carnival. 111 minutes. CC.

In Nightmare Alley Tyrone Power departed from his dashing leading man image and turned in a performance that he believed was the best of his career. The other members of the cast are equally fine especially the little known Helen Walker. This film was a box office flop in 1947 but modern critics like Eddie Muller of TCM's Noir Alley rate it very highly. Here is a link to Muller's intro.

Helen Walker and Tyrone Power