Manpower (1941 film)

Manpower
Directed by	Raoul Walsh
Produced by	Hal B. Wallis Mark Hellinger
Written by	Richard Macauley Jerry Wald
Starring	Edward G. Robinson Marlene Dietrich George Raft
Music by	Adolph Deutsch
Cinematography	Ernest Haller
Editing by	Ralph Dawson
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	August 9, 1941 May 21, 1942 March 21, 1943 August 6, 1947 September 1 January 6, 1950 March 17 August 24, 1951
Running time	103 min.
Country	U.S.A.
Language	English

Manpower is a 1941 film about power company linemen starring Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, and George Raft. The memorable posters for the movie proclaimed, "Robinson - He's mad about Dietrich. Dietrich - She's mad about Raft. Raft - He's mad about the whole thing." The film was written by Richard Macauley and Jerry Wald, and directed by Raoul Walsh.

Robinson and Raft got into a fistfight on the set that was eagerly splashed all over the front pages of the nation's newspapers. Victor McLaglen was originally going to play Robinson's role, which would have made it a supporting part, and Raft reportedly resented sharing leading man status on the film as a result of Robinson being cast instead. Despite being billed third, Raft's role is the actual lead.

Raft chose Manpower over the remake of the 1931 pre-Code version of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, and the career-catapulting role of "Sam Spade" went to Humphrey Bogart instead.

The script is one of many reworkings of the plotline for a 1932 Robinson movie called Tiger Shark, in which Robinson played essentially the same part, only as a tuna fisherman rather than an electric power lineman. The supporting cast of Manpower includes Alan Hale, Sr. (father of lookalike son Alan Hale, Jr., Gilligan's Island's "Skipper"), Frank McHugh, and Eve Arden.

Critical reaction

Bosley Crowther wrote a positive review for the film noting that the cast of the Warner Bros. film was outstanding. "With such exceptional material, the Warner blacksmiths couldn't help but make good—good, in this sense—meaning the accomplishment of a tough, fast, exciting adventure film."^[1] Channel 4's review of the movie notes the exciting setting of the film makes it worth seeing, but goes on to pan the film. "Directed with the usual efficiency by Walsh, Manpower's weak script never manages to convince despite the setting and the strong cast."^[2]

It was the film referred to in 1991's "Bugsy."

Cast

• Edward G. Robinson as Hank "Gimpy" McHenry
• Marlene Dietrich as Faye Duval
• George Raft as Johnny Marshall
• Alan Hale as Jumbo Wells
• Frank McHugh as Omaha
• Eve Arden as Dolly
• Barton MacLane as Smiley Quinn
• Ward Bond as Eddie Adams

George Raft in trailer

References

1. ^ [1] NY Times review
2. ^ [2] Channel 4 film review

External links

• Manpower at the Internet Movie Database
• Manpower at AllRovi