Steineded How sad is this?

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Benas Mcloughlin Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

alexanderdavies-99382 "Manpower" isn't exactly the kind of film that requires much brain power. It is a case of what you see is what you get. That isn't to say that the film isn't good or entertaining, it is. It is a more undemanding kind of film. It is unfortunate that the two leads didn't work together again at "Warner Bros." Much has been made of the slight tension on the set between Edward G. Robinson and George Raft. It is true that both people had a different style to the way they worked and that was the source of the tension. It is not true that they both engaged in a fist fight. What happened, was that Robinson and Raft exchanged a few words and Raft slightly elbowed his co-star in the ribs. Supporting players Alan Hale and Ward Bond quickly kept them apart and Robinson left the set for a while. The story is about two engineers whose friendship is compromised by the arrival of a woman (Marlene Dietrich). That is all the there is but it's enough. Alan Hale comes out with his usual silly one-liners, as does Frank McHugh. They provide some comic relief which doesn't intrude upon the film. George Raft enjoys a couple of punch ups and they are good enough.

lugonian MANPOWER (Warner Brothers, 1941), directed by Raoul Walsh, stars an powerhouse cast of Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich and George Raft in a routinely made screenplay dealing with the life and times of a couple of hard-working linemen. Following the pattern to Walsh's earlier directorial assignment, THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (1940) featuring Raft and Humphrey Bogart as truck driving brothers, with Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino the female co-stars, the surprise of MANPOWER comes not so much for its familiar plotting but the interesting casting of Marlene Dietrich (on loan-out assignment from Universal) in a sort of role that could have gone to either Sheridan or Lupino of THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT fame.The plot revolves around linemen working for the Pacific Power and Light Company: Hank McHenry (Edward G. Robinson), foreman of the crew, and Johnny Marshall (George Raft), his closest friend who works directly under him. Called out on an emergency assignment during a thunderous storm, the maintenance crew risk their lives surrounded by high voltage wires dangling from telephone poles. As Hank nearly loses his life by having his foot tangled in a hot wire, Antoine "Pop" Duval (Egon Breacher) loses his own by not getting out of the way of a live wire. Because Johnny happens to be Pop's closest friend who earlier arranged for his daughter's early parole from prison, Johnny, accompanied by Hank, ends up breaking the news to Fay (Marlene Dietrich). Though Fay's lack of emotion towards her father's death leaves Johnny cold and angry, Hank, however, feels differently towards her. Finding Fay to be the hostess at a clip joint called The Midnight Club, run by Smiley Quinn (Barton MacLane), Hank goes over there to make an impression on her. In spite of her past, and being told she's doesn't love him, Hank marries her anyway, much to the dismay of Johnny. Following a serious accident that keeps him from his job, Johnny, under Hank's urging, recuperates at his home with Fay acting as nursemaid. When Fay realizes her feelings towards Johnny is getting stronger, she intends on doing something about it.Others members of the Warners stock player participating in this production include that of Frank McHugh (Omaha); Alan Hale (Jumbo Wells); Eve Arden (Dolly); Joyce Compton (Scarlet); and Ben Weldon (Al Hurst). Highlights consist of Walter Catlett (Sidney Whipple) as a high strung hospital patient who falls victim of numerous childish pranks from the visiting, fun-loving linemen; while Billy Wayne (Benny, the counterman) gets his quota of laughs in the dining room sequence by calling out the food orders. Then there's Ward Bond playing Eddie Adams, another fellow lineman, who, on numerous occasions, "gets out of line" with Hank. Marlene Dietrich gets herself one brief song interlude (interrupted by patrons through some spoken dialogue) to "He Lied and I Listened" by Frederick Hollander and Frank Loesser, while Beal Wong gets more time vocalizing, "Chinatown, My Chinatown" by Joe Young, Sam Lewis and Jean Schwartz.While credited as an original screenplay by Richard Macauley and Jerry Wald, much of it appears to be reworked from earlier screen material, mainly First National's own TIGER SHARK (1932) with Edward G. Robinson and Richard Arlen as tuna fisherman in love with the same girl (Zita Johann). Warners production of SLIM (1937) featuring Pat O'Brien, Henry Fonda and Margaret Lindsay, which happens to be about linemen, is often an overlooked item but bearing little connection to what's become MANPOWER a few years later. Even so, movies aren't made, they're remade or recycled. Though basically known for playing crime figures, MANPOWER does offer both Robinson and Raft a chance to act in something other than tough guys holding guns. Of the two feature films to team Robinson and Raft (their second being A BULLET FOR JOEY (United Artists, 1955)), MANPOWER, has become the most worthwhile and revived of their collaborations over the years. On the other hand, Dietrich's Warner Brothers debut should have been something special, or at least different. A costume or biographical drama, for instance, in European setting and lavish sets. However, it did offer her a chance working opposite Robinson and Raft for the only time and becoming a worthy attraction to what's basically a man's movie. As with her Fay character, Dietrich does have more chemistry opposite Raft than she did with Robinson. Though Dietrich had been conflicted between two men before, her finest opportunity happens to be the ones opposite rugged he-men types of Randolph Scott and John Wayne in both Universal's 1942 productions of THE SPOILERS and PITTSBURGH.With a great start of action, comedy and crisp dialogue, a pity MANPOWER didn't fulfill its promise for its full 103 minutes. Even through some of its weaker passages, MANPOWER can still be electrifying, thanks to Raoul Walsh's know-how direction and skill he handled with THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT. Available on DVD through Turner Home Entertainment, MANPOWER can also be found on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel. (**1/2)

Neil Doyle Everything about MANPOWER is highly improbable, including the casting of EDWARD G. ROBINSON as a lineman in love with the alluring clip-joint hostess MARLENE DIETRICH and the three-way romance that includes GEORGE RAFT as a jealous blue collar onlooker who warns Robinson about the pitfalls of marrying Dietrich.Raoul Walsh directs it in his customary boisterous style, letting ALAN HALE, FRANK McHUGH, WARD BOND and BARTON MacLANE overdo the rowdy blue collar supporting roles. The comic relief offered by Hale and McHugh is below par this time and becomes tiresome long before the tale reaches a climactic storm scene.Fans of the star trio will probably overlook these faults and find the film passable viewing, but it's nothing special and easily forgotten. EVE ARDEN gets to sling some one-liners in the kind of role she always played with verve and skill.Linemen working on electrical wires at the height of a severe thunderstorm is stretching things a bit for the melodramatic climax.

Michael O'Keefe A very interesting movie directed by Raoul Walsh. Filmed in black and white is a plus especially for the scenes in the rain. Stormy atmosphere sets the mood for this story of competition, lust and love. Edward G. Robinson and George Raft work on a road crew for the power company. When they aren't trying to repair downed lines, they are vying for the attention of Marlene Dietrich. Robinson and Raft put their acting skills to the test. There is a very strong supporting cast that includes: Ward Bond, Frank McHugh and Alan Hale.Note: During the filming of MANPOWER, Robinson and Raft had to be pulled apart several times scuffling over Dietrich.