Physically impressive Early Talkie from director George B. Seitz, working at R.K.O. years before he settled down at M-G-M with the HARDY FAMILY. James Ashmore Creelman, who wrote iconic RKO films like THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME/’32, KING KONG/’33, LAST DAYS OF POMPEII/’35, as well as absurdist trash like EAST OF JAVA/’35, retells the one about the older guy with the pretty fiancée who makes the mistake of introducing her to his younger best bud and doesn’t see the obvious until it’s too late. Here, the mature guy is pug-ugly railroad manager Louis Wolheim (with his famous squashed gourd of a face), always dashing off to handle a rockslide, a washout, a troubled breakman on a drunk; the gal Jean Arthur (five years before stardom); and Robert Armstrong, the reformed tramp Wolheim befriends to his regret. (By 1933, Armstrong had aged into Wolheim roles. See KING KONG.) All this reasonably well done for the period, but what truly makes this stand out is the workplace action caught by cinematographer Karl Struss. In addition to some unusually fluid work for 1930 on domestic scenes (he did co-shoot SUNRISE/'27 for F.W. Murneau), Struss captures amazing actualitiés footage of real trains on real tracks in real locations, including a stunning battle between two enormous steam engines in a power showdown (they look like living metal monsters), as well as a tricky Act Two suspense climax with Armstrong’s foot stuck in the tracks and only Wolheim, out for revenge, able to save him. Yikes!
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: Even before Wolheim died the following year, Edward G. Robinson was making something of a specialty playing these older romantic chumps. Try this lesser known example from Howard Hawks, TIGER SHARK/’32. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2011/03/tiger-shark-1932.html
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Many subfusc Public Domain copies out there. But, for once, Alpha DVD offers the best picture quality. (Though the early talkie soundtrack ain’t exactly hi-fi.)
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