Boulder Dam (1936)

"Rusty" Noonan, a hard-boiled, cynical, selfish smart-aleck, working as a mechanic in a Detroit garage, is outraged when he has to work overtime on repairing the shoddy work he had done on ... See full summary »

Director:

Frank McDonald

Writers:

Sy Bartlett (screen play), Ralph Block (screen play),

Stars:

Ross Alexander, Patricia Ellis, Lyle Talbot

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ross Alexander	...	Rusty Noonan
Patricia Ellis	...	Ann Vangarick
Lyle Talbot	...	Mr. Harry Lacy
Eddie Acuff	...	Ed Harper
Henry O'Neill	...	Mr. Agnew
Egon Brecher	...	Pa Vangarick
Eleanor Wesselhoeft	...	Ma Vangarick
Joseph Crehan	...	Ross
George P. Breakston	...	Stan Vangarick (as George Breakston)
William Pawley	...	Wilson - Garage Boss
Ronnie Cosby	...	Peter Vangarick

Storyline

"Rusty" Noonan, a hard-boiled, cynical, selfish smart-aleck, working as a mechanic in a Detroit garage, is outraged when he has to work overtime on repairing the shoddy work he had done on a taxicab, gets into an argument with the shop-foreman, Wison. The foreman takes a swing at him and misses but Noonan, a trained boxer connects with his punch. The blow catches Wilson on the chin, knocks him off his feet and his head hits the floor and he is killed. Noonan flees, wanders about the country and eventually arrives in the desert-town of Las Vegas, Nevada, where the mighty Boulder Dam is being constructed on the near-by Colorado River. He is befriended by Ann Vangarick, gets a construction job on the dam project, and he begins to see the error of his past ways.

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Plot Keywords:

mechanic | argument | boulder dam | garage | nevada | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 March 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

La montagna incatenata

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Long Gone Baby"
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Allie Wrubel
Lyrics by Mort Dixon
Sung by Patricia Ellis

User Reviews

Advancing Ross Alexander

Fired from his job, arrogant Detroit mechanic Ross Alexander (as L.B. "Rusty" Noonan) accidentally kills his boss in an ensuing scuffle. Now a "Wanted" man, Mr. Alexander changes his name to "Joe Callahan" and heads west where "Boulder Dam" is nearing completion. Along the way, he gets a lift from curvy blonde Patricia Ellis (as Ann Vangarick). She turns up in Las Vegas as blues singer "Eve La Tour". Alexander moves in with Ms. Ellis' immigrant family of five, and gets a job working on the dam...

Alexander and Ellis are mutually attracted, but co-worker Lyle Talbot (as Harry Lacy) threatens to uncover Alexander's secret past. Of course, Mr. Talbot is also interested in Ellis. It's an old story, without much new to spark the plot. However, his studio was successful in presenting Alexander as a leading man, albeit in a role not entirely suitable. The added attraction is some location footage of Boulder Dam (aka "Hoover Dam"). A mishap at the dam's construction site gets a good "special effects" treatment.

***** Boulder Dam (3/7/36) Frank McDonald ~ Ross Alexander, Patricia Ellis, Lyle Talbot, Eddie Acuff