he returned to Broadway to appear in Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1938–39). Payne was unhappy with his Warner Bros. roles, and asked for a release. 20th Century Fox Payne went to 20th Century Fox where he appeared in Star Dust (1940). During filming, Darryl F. Zanuck offered him a long-term contract. He had supporting roles in Maryland (1940) and The Great Profile (1940). Payne had roles in the comedy The Great American Broadcast (1940), and was in the musicals Tin Pan Alley (1940), Week-End in Havana (1941) and Sun Valley Serenade (1941). Fox gave him the chance to do drama in Remember the Day (1941) and To the Shores of Tripoli (1942). After serving in the military during World War II Payne returned to Fox, and was in The Dolly Sisters (1945), playing Harry Fox. It was one of Payne's most successful films. Payne starred with Maureen O'Hara in Sentimental Journey (1946), and was in The Razor's Edge (1946). Payne's most familiar role may be his final film for Fox, that of attorney Fred Gailey in the classic holiday favorite Miracle on 34th Street (1947) with Natalie Wood, Maureen O'Hara and Edmund Gwenn. It was another box office success. He was meant to make another with O'Hara, Sitting Pretty (1948) . However, in October 1947 he got his release from the studio, despite the contract having another four years to run, which would have brought him $670,000. Payne claimed he was dissatisfied with the roles being offered him. Payne later said he had asked for his release every week for eight months before he got it. Film historian Jeanine Basinger later wrote that "Fox thought of [Payne] as a secondary Tyrone Power. They didn't know how to use him." Freelance actor After leaving Fox, Payne attempted to change his image and began playing tough-guy roles in Hollywood films noir. He did two noirs at Universal, Larceny (1948), where he played the lead role, and was in The Saxon Charm (1948). He had the lead in The Crooked Way (1949) for United Artists. Pine-Thomas Productions Payne received an offer to star in a Western for Pine-Thomas Productions, a unit that operated out of Paramount Studios. His first film for the company was El Paso (1949). Other roles were in Captain China (1950), an adventure film; Tripoli (1950) set during the Barbary War; and The Eagle and the Hawk (1950), a Western.