Other Men's Women (1931)

Events take an unhappy turn for two Bill and Jack, two locomotive engineers, after Bill is attracted to his best friend's wife.

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Maude Fulton (by), Maude Fulton (screen adaptation),

Stars:

Grant Withers, Mary Astor, Regis Toomey

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Grant Withers	...	Bill
Mary Astor	...	Lily
Regis Toomey	...	Jack
James Cagney	...	Ed
Fred Kohler	...	Haley
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Peg-Leg
Joan Blondell	...	Marie
Lillian Worth	...	Waitress
Walter Long	...	Bixby

Storyline

Railroad fireman Bill White is a carefree ladies' man with an irresponsible streak. His buddy Jack Kulper, an engineer, is more solid and reliable. Bill comes to stay a while with Jack and his wife Lily. Bill and Lily fall in love, but not wishing to hurt Jack, Bill leaves without explanation. When Jack confronts Bill about his suspicions, the two fight and Jack is seriously injured. Bill is consumed with guilt and tries to make good, but Jack has his own ideas about that.

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Plot Keywords:

engineer | double entendre | train engineer | self sacrifice | peg leg | 

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Taglines:

A Fast Express on the Road of Entertainment!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Steel Highway

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Vitaphone Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min 70 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Unusually for a film of this time period, the opening credits are not accompanied by music.

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Quotes

Bill White: [Slapping the more-than-ample derriere of the waitress while her back is turned] How are you, Davenport?
Waitress: You stop callin' me that!Honest to goodness, you're gettin' something fierce!
Bill White: Hog wild, Baby, and no foolin'. Scramble three and a cup of jamocha.
Waitress: [Yelling to the cook offscreen] Scramble three in a hurry - it's Bill White!
[to Bill]
Waitress: Bread or toast or maybe you'd like a bun?
Bill White: [Implying a double entendre] No, had one last night.

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Connections

Featured in American Masters: You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (2008)

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Soundtracks

"The Kiss Waltz"
(1930) (uncredited)
Music by Joseph Burke
Played on the phonograph

User Reviews

A must-see film, for many reasons

This film fascinated me for many reasons: Actors in rare starring roles, other actors who became major stars later, a setting very rare in films, and a story presented unlike anything else I've ever seen.

Regis Toomey was a prolific actor with hundreds of roles, and he was always dependable, yet he seldom was the star.

The same can be said, almost word for word, about Grant Withers.

Together, they made a good team, a complementary team of contrasts.

Mary Astor, on the other hand, was often considered a star. She also wrote books, at least one of which made certain other Hollywood women angry at her. Another, "A Place Called Saturday," was a novel about living in the desert, and I really enjoyed it, having read it just before moving to the desert myself.

James Cagney and Joan Blondell, in supporting roles, stood out, at least as much as, if not more than, the stars -- and this was early in their careers.

The railroad setting, though, was something I have never seen dealt with in such a fashion (and makes me wish an "Atlas Shrugged" film could have been made when trains were still important). The trains themselves, and the railroad generally, with the intriguing characters attracted thereto, make "Other Men's Women" a great piece of cinema history and a good piece of entertainment.