Other Men’s Women (1931)

[7]

Two train engineers put their friendship to the test when one of them falls in love with the other’s wife in this noteworthy drama from William Wellman (Battleground, The High and the Mighty). I really enjoyed the first half of this movie, as Wellman gives us an intimate look at the everyday life of railroad workers. He puts the camera on top moving trains, with the actors seemingly performing their own stunts jumping on and off moving locomotives. As the adulterous friend, Grant Withers gives an incredibly charismatic performance. He’s introduced jumping off a moving train and going inside a diner to flirt with a waitress, before finishing his meal and jumping back on the train before the last car passes by. He’s so full of charm and spontaneity, and such a counterpoint to the usual, stoic male roles of the period, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Mary Astor (The Maltese Falcon, Across the Pacific) is also a breath of fresh air playing the woman caught between two men. Regis Toomey plays the third point in the triangle. Wellman, along with co-writer Maude Fulton, creates a compelling relationship among the three characters that gives Other Men’s Women all the momentum it needs… to a point. Once the line of adultery is crossed, Toomey’s character is plunged to melodramatic depths that are just a tad much for my taste — though it does make for an exciting third act. While it ends heavy-handedly, Other Men’s Women is so strong with its lively performances and depiction of a unique subculture, it’s definitely worth checking out. James Cagney and Joan Blondell in supporting roles don’t hurt either.