Other Men's Women (The Steel Highway) (1931)
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46% of users liked it
(101 ratings)
William A. Wellman's triangle melodrama "The Steel Highway" -- a title referring to the film's railroad setting -- was changed to the more suggestive Other Men's Women shortly before it's April 19, 1931 New York premiere. Grant Withers and Regis Toomey played lifelong… More William A. Wellman's triangle melodrama "The Steel Highway" -- a title referring to the film's railroad setting -- was changed to the more suggestive Other Men's Women shortly before it's April 19, 1931 New York premiere. Grant Withers and Regis Toomey played lifelong friends and co-workers in love with the same woman, Mary Astor). She, unfortunately, is also Toomey's wife and the two friends have a blow-out on the job. The train derails and Toomey is blinded for life. When the river floods, the repentant Withers concocts a scheme to save an important railroad bridge by driving his engine across, thus stabilizing the construction. Believing his blindness makes him a burden to Astor, Toomey sacrifices himself instead. The ploy fails and Toomey is killed. Toomey and Astor, who had replaced James Hall and Marian Nixon, and Grant Withers were all fine under Wellman's crisp direction but the film was stolen outright by supporting players James Cagney and Joan Blondell, the latter as Wither's former girlfriend. With typical pre-production code frankness, Blondell's tough-talking waitress advises a fresh customer that she is "A.P.O." What does this "A.P.O. means?" the customer asks. Blondell: "Ain't puttin' out!" Blondell and Cagney, who had appeared together in the Broadway play Penny Arcade and its subsequent film version, Sinner's Holiday (1930), would reach stardom in their third film together, the gangster classic The Public Enemy (1931). Overly static at times, Other Men's Women was livened considerably by the climactic bridge collapse, a successful use of miniatures. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Directed By
- William A. Wellman
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jan 17, 1931 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
The first half is airy and jaunty, the second is studded with arresting expressionism
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Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
... set around the railroad yards and Wellman fills the film with scenes of the men and machines in action.
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Cast
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Grant Withers
as Bill
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Mary Astor
as Lily
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Regis Toomey
as Jack
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James Cagney
as Ed
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Fred Kohler
as Haley
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John Farrell MacDonald
as Pegleg
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Joan Blondell
as Marie
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Walter Long
as Bixby
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Joan Bennett
as Marie
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Pat Hartigan
as Railroad worker
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Lee Morgan
as Railroad worker
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Bob Perry
as Railroad worker
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Lillian Worth
as Waitress