Helen Walker (1920-1968)

biography

Born on July 17, 1920, in Worcester, Massachusetts, from an early age pretty Helen Walker aspired to be an actress. As a young adult, Walker made her way to New York, landing a role on Broadway in the drama Jason in 1942. During the run of the play, she was spotted by Paramount talent scouts, who put her under contract in 1942 and soon cast her in a starring role in the noirish comedy Lucky Jordan (1942; with Alan Ladd and Marie McDonald), as the studio slowly brought the young starlet along. Although she was being cast in starring roles, increasingly Walker became frustrated with the films offered to her, and she began turning down scripts. Rather than putting her on suspension, which was the usual way studios punished actors, instead Paramount fired the actress outright. Walker turned to freelancing in B movies such as the Republic mystery Murder in the Music Hall (1946; with Vera Ralston), before signing with 20th Century Fox in 1946. She seemed poised for a great acting career. However, on New Year's Eve, 1946, Walker was driving to Los Angeles from Palm Springs and picked up three servicemen who were hitchhiking. She lost control of the car and flipped it, killing one of the servicemen and seriously injuring herself and the other two servicemen. Walker was released from the hospital in February 1947, but the ensuing publicity damaged her career. The two surviving servicemen accused her of being drunk and driving too fast. Eventually, Walker was acquitted of all charges, but her image was tainted in the public eye. A clever switch from the girl-next-door roles to femme fatales in such film noir thrillers as Impact (1949; with Brian Donlevy and Ella Raines) and Problem Girls (1953; with Susan Morrow and Beverly Garland) unfortunately did not revive her career.

the films of helen walker

Lucky Jordan (1942)

Abroad with Two Yanks (1944)

Brewster's Millions (1945)

Murder, He Says (1945)

Cluny Brown (1946)

Her Adventurous Night (1946)

People Are Funny (1946)

Nightmare Alley (1947)

My Dear Secretary (1948)

Impact (1949)

My True Story (1951)

later years

Although she was a skilled actress, Walker's career floundered in the 1950s, and a series of personal tragedies effectively ended her acting career. Her two brief marriages ended in divorce. She was arrested for DUI in the mid 1950s, and in 1959, she was diagnosed with cancer. To add insult to injury, tn 1960 her Hollywood home burned. A number of celebrities, including Ruth Roman and Dinah Shore, held a benefit for Walker to financially assist her. By this time, alcoholism was also taking a toll on her health, and beyond stage work, Walker's career was finished at the age of 40. Sadly, after battling cancer and alcoholism for years, Helen Walker passed away on March 10, 1968, at 47 years of age in North Hollywood. She was survived by her mother.

helen walker films available from movies unlimited

Murder, He Says (1945)/Feudin', Fussin' And A-Fightin' - Exclusive! [DVD](1948) DVD
First, pollster Fred MacMurray is stranded in the Ozarks and up to his ears in homicidal hillbillies, hidden loot, and mayhem in the delightfully daffy dark comedy "Murder, He Says." Marjorie Main co-stars as the head of the sinister Fleagle clan; with Helen Walker, Porter Hall, and Peter Whitney as Main's twin sons Mert and Bert (the latter of whom has "a krick in his back"). Next, between "The Egg and I" and the Ma and Pa Kettle films, Main and Percy Kilbride starred in the backwoods musical/comedy "Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'." Donald O'Connor is a travelling salesman coerced into representing the tiny town of Rim Rock in its annual footrace against a rival burg. Penny Edwards, Joe Besser co-star. 173 min. total on two discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Murder In The Music Hall [DVD](1946) DVD
Ice-skating star Vera Ralston romances William Marshall, her show's bandleader. When Ralston's co-stars are considered suspects in the murder of a sleazy producer, Marshall turns sleuth to clear their names and find the real culprit. Helen Walker, Nancy Kelly also star in this thriller that features several skating sequences. AKA: "Midnight Melody." 84 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
People Are Funny [DVD](1946) DVD
Based on the popular radio (and later, TV) show, this music-filled comedy follows the rivalry between two radio producers to please a sponsor. Jack Haley, Philip Reed, Helen Walker, Rudy Vallee, Ozzie Nelson star, with host Art Linkletter as himself. 87 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Nightmare Alley [DVD](1947) DVD
A Movies Unlimited favorite, this noir-flavored drama tracks the rise and fall of con man/carnival worker Tyrone Power. Seducing sideshow performer Joan Blondell to learn the secret to her and alcoholic husband Ian Keith's mind-reading act, Power leaves with fellow carnie Coleen Gray and sets himself up as a spiritualist in Chicago. The con brings them acclaim and wealth, but Power's greed leads to his ruination. Helen Walker, Taylor Holmes also star. 111 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary; theatrical trailer.
Call Northside 777 [DVD](1948) DVD
Set and filmed in Chicago, this gritty, based-on-fact newspaper drama stars James Stewart as a cynical reporter who discovers that the wrong man may be behind bars for the killing of a cop that occurred years earlier. Stewart's investigation leads him to the witness to the murder and makes him question the police department's motives. Richard Conte, Lee J. Cobb and E.G. Marshall star. 111 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary; newsreel footage; theatrical trailer.
My Dear Secretary [DVD](1948) DVD
Romantic comedy about author Kirk Douglas, an easy-going man who meets his match in Laraine Day, a secretary whose first book becomes a best-seller. Co-stars Rudy Vallee, Keenan Wynn. 94 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Impact [DVD](1949) DVD
A wealthy industrialist (Brian Donlevy) becomes the target of a murder plot hatched by his two-timing wife (Helen Walker) and her lover (Tony Barrett). Presumed dead after the plan goes wrong and Barrett is killed instead, Donlevy adopts a new identity in a small Idaho town, falling in love with a beautiful woman (Ella Raines) before returning home where he finds himself accused of murder. Charles Coburn, Anna May Wong also star in this overlooked thriller. 111 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
The Big Combo [DVD](1955) DVD
This downbeat "noir" thriller raised a few eyebrows upon its release due to its violence and controversial themes. Cornel Wilde plays a dedicated cop-out to bring down crime boss Richard Conte-who gets involved with icy blonde Jean Wallace, Conte's mistress. Wilde must then immerse himself in the mafia underworld and deal with hit men and seedy informants to take Conte down. Brian Donlevy, Lee Van Cleef, and Earl Holliman co-star. 84 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo.

helen walker out-of-print vhs available from amazon.com

Please note: As of this writing, these titles are not available on DVD:

helen walker photos and posters available

filmography

FILM
The Big Combo (1955) with Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace, Robert Middleton, Lee Van Cleef, and Earl Holliman
Problem Girls (1953) with Ross Elliott, Susan Morrow, Beverly Garland, Joyce Jameson, Nan Leslie, Mara Corday, and Tandra Quinn
My True Story (1951) with Willard Parker, Elisabeth Risdon, and Aldo Ray
Impact (1949) with Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn, and Anna May Wong
My Dear Secretary (1948) with Laraine Day, Kirk Douglas, Keenan Wynn, Rudy Vallee, Florence Bates, Alan Mowbray, Irene Ryan, and Grady Sutton
Call Northside 777 (1948) with James Stewart, Richard Conte, and Lee J. Cobb
Nightmare Alley (1947) with Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, and Mike Mazurki
The Homestretch (1947) with Cornel Wilde, Maureen O'Hara, and Glenn Langan
Her Adventurous Night (1946) with Dennis O'Keefe, Scotty Beckett, and Fuzzy Knight
Cluny Brown (1946) with Charles Boyer, Jennifer Jones, and Peter Lawford
Murder in the Music Hall (1946) with Vera Ralston, William Marshall, Nancy Kelly, Ann Rutherford, Julie Bishop, and Jerome Cowan
People Are Funny (1946) with Jack Haley, Rudy Vallee, Ozzie Nelson, Phillip Reed, Art Linkletter, Frances Langford, and Clara Blandick
Murder, He Says (1945) with Fred MacMurray, Marjorie Main, and Barbara Pepper
Brewster's Millions (1945) with Dennis O'Keefe, June Havoc, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Gail Patrick, and Mischa Auer
The Man in Half Moon Street (1945) with Nils Asther
Abroad with Two Yanks (1944) with William Bendix and Dennis O'Keefe
The Good Fellows (1943) with Cecil Kellaway and James Brown
Lucky Jordan (1942) with Alan Ladd, Sheldon Leonard, and Marie McDonald

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Lock Up, episode The Manly Art of Murder, originally aired January 2, 1960
The 20th Century-Fox Hour, episode The Marriage Broker, originally aired June 12, 1957
Dragnet, episode The Big Revision, originally aired March 22, 1956

helen walker film now showing

Watch Helen Walker in the 1949 film noir thriller Impact