Break the News (1938)

Two small-time song-and-dance men come up with what they believe is a surefire publicity stunt, guaranteed to keep their names in the public eye: One of them will "disappear" in what looks like a murder, and the other will be convicted of the crime. Then the "dead man" will suddenly show up at his partner's murder trial. Unfortunately, things don't quite go as planned. For one thing, no one seems to care that the "dead man" is missing; also, he's mistaken for the leader of a Balkan revolutionary group and kidnapped by the other side.