Manpower *** (1941, Edward G Robinson, George Raft, Marlene Dietrich, Alan Hale Sr, Frank McHugh, Eve Arden, Ward Bond) – Classic Movie Review 5,285

Edward G Robinson and George Raft vie for Marlene Dietrich, in Raoul Walsh’s 1941 American crime melodrama film Manpower. 

Edward G Robinson and George Raft star as power cable he-men Hank McHenry and Johnny Marshall, who brave lethal power lines and clash over nightclub singer Fay Duval (Marlene Dietrich), in director Raoul Walsh’s entertaining if rickety and cliché-loaded 1941 American black and white crime melodrama film Manpower.

Dietrich marries Robinson for the security, but live wires spark when they invite Raft (whom she really loves) in to get well after an accident.

Manpower makes hard work of what should be a light load. It carries a heavy weight, burdened down with its predictable yarn in the wobbly screenplay by Richard Macaulay and Jerry Wald.

The movie relies entirely on the charisma of the star trio to stay afloat. Luckily the chemistry is there – all three are on their most vivacious form – and it proves enough. Director Walsh ensures that the he-man stuff is fine, and, by his slight of hand and the sheer force of star power and personality, he manages to make you forget that the romance, music, song and humour are largely stale and fumbled.

Indeed, the film should be called Starpower not Manpower.

Also in the cast are Alan Hale, Frank McHugh, Eve Arden, Ward Bond, Joyce Compton, Walter Catlett, Barton MacLane, Lucia Carroll, Egon Brecher, Cliff Clark, Joseph Crehan, Ben Welden, Barbara Land, Barbara Pepper, Dorothy Appleby, Roland Drew, William Hopper, Al Herman and Ralph Dunn.

The fired-up performances are especially remarkable considering the on-set conflicts between Raft and Robinson.

Robinson recalled Raft as ‘touchy, difficult and thoroughly impossible to play with’.

Raft, who made the mistake of choosing to make Manpower over The Maltese Falcon, complained that Robinson was miscast and tried to tell him how to act. He resented his third billing even with the largest role. Allegedly, Raft pushed Robinson around the set and verbally attacked him.

But Robinson and Raft did work together again 14 years later in A Bullet for Joey (1955).

Song: ‘He Lied and I Listened’ by Frank Loesser (lyrics) and Frederick Hollander (music). It is sung by Marlene Dietrich (uncredited) at the Midnight Club and played often as background music.

It was shot from late March to mid-May 1941 and released on August 9, 1941.

The film was a hit, earning $1,180,000 in the US and $662,000 elsewhere, against a budget of $918,000.

The cast

The main cast are Edward G Robinson as Hank ‘Gimpy’ McHenry, Marlene Dietrich as Fay Duval, George Raft as Johnny Marshall, Alan Hale Sr as Jumbo Wells, Frank McHugh as Omaha, Eve Arden as Dolly, Barton MacLane as Smiley Quinn, Ward Bond as Eddie Adams, Walter Catlett as Sidney Whipple, Joyce Compton as Scarlett, Lucia Carroll as Flo, Egon Brecher as Pop Duval, Cliff Clark as Cully, Joseph Crehan as Sweeney, Ben Welden as Al Hurst, Barbara Pepper as Polly, Dorothy Appleby as Wilma, Barbara Land as Marilyn, Roland Drew, William Hopper, Al Herman and Ralph Dunn.

Manpower is directed by Raoul Walsh, runs 103 minutes, is made and released by Warner Bros, is written by Richard Macaulay and Jerry Wald, is shot in black and white by Ernest Haller [Ernie Haller], is produced by Hal Wallis (executive producer), Mark Hellinger (associate producer) and Jack Saper (associate producer uncredited), is scored by Adolph Deutsch (musical arrangements uncredited), and is designed by Max Parker.

Mark Hellinger fell out with executive producer Hal Wallis and replaced him with an uncredited Jack Saper, though Hellinger is credited as associate producer.

The script has strong similarities to Warner Bros’ films Other Men’s Women (1931) and Tiger Shark (1932), in which Robinson played more or less the same role, only as a tuna fisherman not an electric power lineman.

Manpower debuts on Blu-ray 27 January 2026 from Warner Archive. It features a new HD master from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative and is presented in 1.37:1 with side mattes.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,285

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