Helen Walker
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with the singer-actress Helen Roberts Walker
Helen Walker (born July 17, 1920 – March 10, 1968) was an American movie actress of the 1940s and 1950s.
She was born in Worcester, Massachusetts
and made her film debut in 1942. After a promising start in Hollywood, Walker was involved in a 1946 car wreck. A hitchhiker was killed, and Walker and two others were seriously injured, for which she was charged with drunk and reckless driving. She made a comeback, but her career never fully recovered. She retired from acting at the age of 35, then died in North Hollywood, California from cancer
.
she gave a ride to three hitchiking soldiers named Robert E. Lee, Philip Mercado and Joseph Montaldo. Near Redlands, California
the car hit a divider and flipped over, killing Lee, and causing serious injuries to Helen and the other two passengers. She was charged with drunk driving and reckless driving. Mercado brought a civil suit for $150,000 against her.
Her criminal trial for manslaughter ended with dismissial on the motion by San Bernardino County District Attorney Jerome B. Kavanaugh.
Helen Roberts
Helen Florence Roberts , later known by her married name, Betty Walker, was an English singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
Helen Walker (born July 17, 1920 – March 10, 1968) was an American movie actress of the 1940s and 1950s.
She was born in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
and made her film debut in 1942. After a promising start in Hollywood, Walker was involved in a 1946 car wreck. A hitchhiker was killed, and Walker and two others were seriously injured, for which she was charged with drunk and reckless driving. She made a comeback, but her career never fully recovered. She retired from acting at the age of 35, then died in North Hollywood, California from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
Auto accident
She was filming Heaven Only Knows when an auto accident drastically disrupted her career. On January 1, 1947, while driving from Palm Springs to Hollywood in the car of director Bruce "Lucky" HumberstoneH. Bruce Humberstone
H. Bruce 'Lucky' Humberstone was a movie actor , a script clerk, an assistant director, working with directors such as King Vidor, Edmund Goulding and Allan Dwan and, ultimately, a director.One of twenty-eight founders of the Directors Guild of America, Humberstone worked on several...
she gave a ride to three hitchiking soldiers named Robert E. Lee, Philip Mercado and Joseph Montaldo. Near Redlands, California
Redlands, California
Redlands is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 68,747, up from 63,591 at the 2000 census. The city is located east of downtown San Bernardino.- History :...
the car hit a divider and flipped over, killing Lee, and causing serious injuries to Helen and the other two passengers. She was charged with drunk driving and reckless driving. Mercado brought a civil suit for $150,000 against her.
Her criminal trial for manslaughter ended with dismissial on the motion by San Bernardino County District Attorney Jerome B. Kavanaugh.
Personal life
She was married to Paramount studio lawyer Robert Blumofe (1942, divorced 1946) and department store executive Edward DuDomaine (1950, divorced 1952). When her house burned in 1960, other actresses held a benefit to assist her.Filmography
- Lucky JordanLucky JordanLucky Jordan is a 1942 film directed by Frank Tuttle, starring Alan Ladd in his first leading role, Helen Walker in her film debut, and Sheldon Leonard...
(1942) - The Good Fellows (1943)
- Abroad with Two Yanks (1944)
- The Man in Half Moon StreetThe Man in Half Moon StreetThe Man in Half Moon Street is a fantasy film dealing with a man who retains his youth and cannot die, living throughout the ages. It bears some comparison to Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray, except that there are more logical explanations for the eternal youth of the main character...
(1945) - Brewster's MillionsBrewster's Millions (1945 film)Brewster's Millions is one of a number of adaptations of the novel of the same name by George Barr McCutcheon. An ex-serviceman, played by Dennis O'Keefe, receives an unusual inheritance....
(1945) - Murder, He SaysMurder, He SaysMurder, He Says is a slapstick comedy film about a murderous rural family and the hapless pollster who becomes entangled in their hunt for a cache of money.-Plot:...
(1945) - People Are FunnyPeople Are Funny (film)People Are Funny is a 1946 American musical comedy film directed by Sam White based on the popular radio show of the same name.- Plot summary :...
(1946) - Murder in the Music HallMurder in the Music HallMurder in the Music Hall is a 1946 musical mystery starring Vera Ralston, William Marshall, Helen Walker, and Nancy Kelly...
(1946) - Cluny BrownCluny BrownCluny Brown is a 1946 film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed and produced by Ernst Lubitsch. The screenplay was written by Samuel Hoffenstein and Elizabeth Reinhardt, based on a novel by Margery Sharp. The music score is by Cyril J. Mockridge. The film stars Charles Boyer and Jennifer Jones...
(1946) - Her Adventurous Night (1946)
- The Homestretch (1947)
- Nightmare Alley (1947)
- Call Northside 777Call Northside 777Call Northside 777 is a documentary-style film noir directed by Henry Hathaway. It is based on the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man, who had been in prison for murder, was wrongly convicted 11 years before....
(1948) - My Dear SecretaryMy Dear SecretaryMy Dear Secretary is a 1949 American film directed by Charles Martin, starring Laraine Day and Kirk Douglas.- Plot summary :Writer and playboy Owen Waterbury hires aspiring writer Stephanie 'Steve' Gaylord as his secretary.- Cast :...
(1949) - Impact (1949)
- My True Story (1951)
- Problem Girls (1953)
- The Big ComboThe Big ComboThe Big Combo is an American film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis and stylistically photographed by cinematographer and noir icon John Alton with music by David Raksin....
(1955)
Television
- DragnetDragnet (series)Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
(1 episode, 1956) - The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1 episode, 1957)
- Lock UpLock-Up (TV series)Lock-Up is an American legal drama series that premiered in syndication in September 1959 and concluded in June 1961. The half-hour episodes had little time for character development or subplots and presented a compact story without embellishment....
(1 episode, 1960)