set in the French Revolution for director Anthony Mann; Eagle Lion co-produced with United California. Cummings did a comedy at Universal, Free for All (1949). Columbia In July 1949, Cummings signed a three-picture deal with Columbia. He made Tell It to the Judge (1949), with Rosalind Russell, for them. He did one for Wallis at Paramount, Paid in Full (1950) (originally Bitter Victory), then went back to Columbia for The Petty Girl (1950) a musical with Joan Caulfield. Cummings did announce he would make The Glass Heart for his own company and release through Columbia, but this did not happen. Cummings supported Clifton Webb in For Heaven's Sake (1950) at Fox, then played a con man in The Barefoot Mailman (1950), his third film for Columbia. Cummings began working in television, appearing in Sure as Fate ("Run from the Sun") and Somerset Maugham TV Theatre ("The Luncheon"). He was in a Broadway play Faithfully Yours (originally The Philemon Complex), which had a short run in late 1951. At Columbia, he was in The First Time (1952), the first feature directed by Frank Tashlin. On TV, he was in Lux Video Theatre ("The Shiny People", "Pattern for Glory"), Betty Crocker Star Matinee ("Sense of Humor"), and Robert Montgomery Presents ("Lila My Love"). Cummings was one of the four stars featured in the short-run radio version of Four Star Playhouse. He was offered Battle in Spain, the story of El Cid, with Linda Darnell, but turned it down because it was too controversial. Television star My Hero Cummings starred in his first regular television series in the comedy My Hero (1952–53), playing a bumbling real estate salesman. He also wrote and directed some episodes. The series ran for 33 episodes before (it was reported) Cummings decided to end it and accept other offers. In reality, the show had been axed. "After it was dropped, I was as dead as you could possibly get in show business" said Cummings. "I sat in my agent's office one day and heard a top producer tell him on the phone that nobody would buy me." Out of work, he accepted the State Department's invitation to go on a goodwill mission to Argentina. The show earned him an Emmy nomination. Cummings was in Marry Me Again (1953) at RKO for Tashlin, then went to England to star in another Hitchcock film, Dial M for Murder (1954), playing