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Helen Vinson

Helen Vinson

Actor · Died October 7, 1999, aged 92 · Beaumont, Texas, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Helen Vinson (September 17, 1907 – October 7, 1999) was an American film actress, who appeared in 40 films between 1932 and 1945. Vinson's screen career often featured her in roles in which she played the part of the other woman or (pre-Code) loose women with active romantic lives. Her first film role was Jewel Robbery (1932), which starred William Powell and Kay Francis. She appeared as Doris Delafield in The Kennel Murder Case, which starred Powell as Philo Vance. One of her memorable roles was in The Wedding Night (1935), when she played the wife of Gary Cooper's character and the rival of Anna Sten's, in a story about the Connecticut tobacco fields. Another performance was in the RKO film In Name Only (1939), in which she was cast as the treacherous friend of Carole Lombard, Kay Francis and Cary Grant's characters. Another standout role for Vinson was as an undercover federal agent posing as a femme fatale opposite Richard Cromwell in Universal Pictures's anti-Nazi action drama entitled, Enemy Agent (1940). She followed that role with that of Helen Draque in The Thin Man Goes Home. Vinson's film career ended in 1945. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Vinson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street. Description above from the Wikipedia article Helen Vinson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 17, 1907
Died
October 7, 1999 (aged 92)
From
Beaumont, Texas, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 40 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 32% in 30 days

What are Helen Vinson's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
42%
Morality
24%
Self
16%
Power
14%
Society
2%
Survival
2%
Romantic love9 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 2 · Dark 3

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 9 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 6 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Shapeshifter: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.

Shapeshifter
2 of 4
Ally
1 of 4
Mentor
1 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Romantic
7
Tense
6
Warm
6
Joyful
5
Melancholic
5
Other
11

How their films linger

Feel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Helen Vinson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Helen Vinson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

40 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Thin Man Goes Home(1944)

    as Helena Draque

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Are These Our Parents? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Myra Salisbury

  • The Lady and the Monster(1944)

    as Chloe Donovan

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Chip Off the Old Block (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Glory Marlow Jr.

  • Nothing But the Truth(1941)

    as Linda Graham

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Bowery Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Peggy Winters

  • Torrid Zone(1940)

    as Mrs. Gloria Anderson

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Beyond Tomorrow(1940)

    as Arlene Terry

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Curtain Call (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Charlotte Morley

  • Enemy Agent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Irene Hunter

  • Married and in Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Doris Wilding

  • In Name Only(1939)

    as Suzanne

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Live, Love and Learn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Lily Chalmers

  • Vogues of 1938(1937)

    as Mary Curson

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Love in Exile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Countess Xandra St. Aurion

  • Reunion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Gloria Sheridan

  • King of the Damned (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Anna Fernandez

  • The Tunnel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Varlia Lloyd

  • Age of Indiscretion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Eve Lenhart

  • Private Worlds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Claire Monet

  • The Wedding Night(1935)

    as Dora Barrett

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • A Notorious Gentleman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Nina Thorne

  • Broadway Bill(1934)

    as Margaret

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Captain Hates the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Janet Grayson

  • Gift of Gab (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Nurse

  • Let's Try Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Ann

  • The Life of Vergie Winters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Laura Shadwell

  • As Husbands Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Lucille Lingard

  • The Kennel Murder Case(1933)

    as Doris Delafield

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Power and the Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Eve Borden

  • Midnight Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Iris Whitney

  • The Little Giant(1933)

    as Polly Cass

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Grand Slam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Lola Starr

  • Second Hand Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Betty Cavendish

  • Lawyer Man(1932)

    as Barbara "Babs" Bentley

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang(1932)

    as Helen

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • They Call It Sin(1932)

    as Enid Hollister

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Crash(1932)

    as Esther Parrish

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Two Against the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Corinne Walton

  • Jewel Robbery(1932)

    as Marianne Horn

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 89th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 40 titles from 1932 to 1944.

Biggest box office

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

$11 worldwide

Highest rated

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

Midcredits 98th

Film career

  • 1932Screen debut· Jewel Robbery

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting40 of 40: 40 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score68th

By decade

1930s29 · acting1940s11 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Helen Vinson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 16 titles divides audiences: 12 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed1

Most loved · actor

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

Midcredits 98th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Helen Vinson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Helen Vinson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hal B. Wallis shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers