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A 21-minute punch that invented the true crime docudrama — before true crime was cool.
TMDB
70
IMDb
65

Help Wanted (1939)

Pre-noir gritNew Deal propagandaWorking-class revenge

Overview

Crime

A temporary laborer helps bring down a mob-sponsored employment racket.

Flag of USUS
Content warning
crime does not pay

Standout Aspects

Direction

Zinnemann's documentary-realist style before Hollywood polish.

Acting

Tom Neal's desperate everyman energy.

Best for:Solo: Quick hit of depression-era cynicism before dinner.·Rewatch: Spot Zinnemann's early visual economy.
Fred Zinnemann

Director

Fred Zinnemann

ReleasedJun 10, 1939
Runtime21m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacefast
Intensityhigh
Tonedark
Feelmedium
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Top Cast

Tom Neal

Tom Neal

Joe Daniels

Jo Ann Sayers

Jo Ann Sayers

Mary Daniels

Clem Bevans

Clem Bevans

H.L. (Pop) Daniels

Edward Pawley

Edward Pawley

Harry

Truman Bradley

Truman Bradley

Labor Commissioner's Representative

Leon Ames

Leon Ames

J.T. Evans-Labor Commissioner

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Part of MGM's 'Crime Does Not Pay' series, these shorts were essentially state-funded moral lessons disguised as entertainment.

Trivia

Tom Neal later served time for manslaughter — a dark real-life echo of the justice this short celebrates.

Gallery

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