Other Men's Women

"Other Men's Women" is a great example of old fashioned melodrama.  Released in 1931 it is the story of two guys, one girl, and a train.  Of course from the title you know that the happy go lucky single guy is going to make time with his best friend's wife.  They actually discover that they love each other and he wants to do the right thing and tell his best friend.  Probably not the best idea.  When it all comes out it ends up with a fist fight on a train.  Train crashes.  Our hero (?) takes the blame for it, not that it matters though because he friend was struck blind by the crash.  Stricken with guilt he takes on a suicide train run over a bridge that is likely to collapse.  Her the the film just gets into a crazed overdrive as his blind friend wanders through the train yard, finds the train, and throws his friend off the train.  In the end his blind friend is riding on the doom train with an odd smile knowing that in time his wife and friend will get over their guilt and marry. 

It's pretty crazy film as you can see.  It also has a host of small details which for some reason just tickled me.  Like our hero would always offer a stick of gum to everyone (no I mean it everyone) and say, "Have a chew on me."  The details of working the trains was also interesting, like how he'd get off the moving  train at the train yard go to the diner and eat while counting the cars passing so he'll know when he'll have to run and hop on.  Definitely this is an interesting old film and worth a look.