User Reviews

I, too, originally saw, and taped, the film from a local PBS channel, and agree with a previous reviewer that it is a difficult film to find. As to the film: the story-line is typical and the acting acceptable; the real "star" of the film is the railroad itself. Made in 1930 during the Age of Steam, the film vividly shows the long-vanished skill and dedication required to keep the trains running. Louis Wolheim plays the hard-as-nails superintendent (such men actually existed) who was absolutely dedicated to maintaining the schedules ("hold up the 'Olympian!' Are you off your nut!"). Filmed on location in Montana on the long-abandoned Milwaukee Road railway, this film is an absolute Must for rail fans who love steam.

The heart of this story is a retelling of the Arthurian love triangle. This time around the King rules a Milwaukee Road Railroad Yard with a brick-to-the-side-of-the-head management style not currently taught in the better business schools. He takes a wandering knight (in the guise of a hobo) under his wing only to have the knight and the Queen (O.K. the fiancé) fall in love.

Among the rest of the cast Hugh Herbert does a fine turn playing a Knight of the Road in almost Shakespearen comic relief. Other players do an adequate job, but the real star of the show is the period railroad equipment and operations. Towards the end of the movie we see some great shots of Chicago in the opening days of the Depression.

If you love trains this movie is a must. If you want another reason to see Jean Arthur the movie is worth a try.

I taped the movie from TV broadcast about 15 years ago. My wife saw the movie being filmed in Miles City, Montana ( 8 years old at that time ) She and her older sister and parents were thrilled to see Jean Arthur in person. I liked the railroad scenes. Jean Arthur has long been a favorite of mine. I have been a movie buff most of my life and have collected just about every format that was available to the public. Currently collecting DVDs

I give this film six stars, but it will likely be either a five or eight star movie for you depending on what interests you. 1930's "Other Mens' Women" was a love triangle set around the railroad yards. Conversely, "Danger Lights" is almost a documentary on railroads as they existed in 1930 with a love triangle thrown in to frame the railroad footage. It's almost like the filmmakers knew they were really documenting history more than filming a love story. You've got footage of a tug of war between two steam locomotives, actual documentary footage of the activities in the Miles City railroad yard, and to top it all off is the only footage of a dynamometer car from the steam railroad era. Since the emphasis is on the technology, you'd think this film would have the awkward dialogue of the early talkie era, but you'd be wrong. The actors behave and speak quite naturally. To top it all off, you're rewarded with a very early talking screen appearance by Jean Arthur who will become one of the great comic stars of the 1930's.

As for the love triangle, it's very formulaic. Railroad division chief Dan Thorn (Louis Wolheim) decides to help out drifter Larry Doyle (Robert Armstrong) with a job as fireman. Unfortunately for Thorn, it's basically love at first sight between his fiancé Mary Ryan and Larry. Dan and Mary have had an understanding for years. On Dan's part it's true love, but on Mary's part it has largely been gratitude for Dan supporting herself and her father after he was injured on the job. Dan doesn't notice what's going on between Mary and Larry because in actuality there is another woman in his life too - the railroad he runs.

If the love story doesn't impress, the imagery certainly will. Lots of time is spent showing men battling both machine and the elements trying to keep the trains going. Plus there's a pride in what they do that almost makes them all a part of the railroad themselves.

DANGER LIGHTS (RKO Radio, 1930), directed by George B. Seitz, is a railroad drama starring Louis Wolheim (1881-1931) as a tough foreman with a heart of gold. Of the few leading roles in his short-lived movie career in talkies, this, and ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Universal, 1930), are often labeled as his finest work. A character actor with a fierce face, he can be a conniving villain in one movie and a funny character actor in another, each with fine conviction. For a career that started in the silent movie era back in the teens, he would have had a great future in talkies as other huge, homely actors as Wallace Beery and Victor McLaglen had through the 1940s. Sadly, early death for Wolheim of cancer took its toll the following year.

DANGER LIGHTS opens with a landslide where a train is unable to proceed on its tracks. Dan Thorne (Louis Wolheim), the superintendant in Milwaukee division, sets out to supervise men to clear the debris. On the train are four hobos, one being Larry Doyle (Robert Armstrong), whom Dan enlists to work. Dan sees something special in Larry, especially after learning he was once a train engineer discharged for insubordination, and soon hires him on his team. Dan is engaged to Mary Ryan (Jean Arthur), a young girl who intends on marrying him out of loyalty than for love. In spite of Dan's engagement, he's already married, to his job, which comes first over everything. After meeting with Larry, Mary and he become quarrelsome at times, until Larry learns that she's engaged to Dan. Unable to attend the Old Timer's Bonfire Dance, Dan has Mary go with Larry instead. Their emotions turn to love, which finds them secretly leaving the railroad site together on a rainy night to get married. When Dan learns of their plans, he sets out to kill Larry. Instead he saves his life from getting hit by a passing train, getting seriously injured instead. Dan, near death, will need to be taken to a Chicago hospital within five hours on a seven hour trip for an emergency head operation, which at this point, seems totally impossible. Other members of the cast include Hugh Herbert (Professor, a bum); Frank Sheridan (Ed Ryan, Mary's father); Robert Edeson (Tom Johnson, train engineer); James Farley (Joe Geraghty); Alan Roscoe and William H. Burt. Only Hugh Herbert is around for comedy relief as a bum who refuses to work on the railroad.

Though predictable, the performances by lead players rise above standard material. Louis Wolheim gets most of the attention as the foreman whom everyone likes and respects, and whatever he says, goes. It's also interesting seeing Jean Arthur early in her career before she would find her nitch for comedy under Frank Capra's direction, and Robert Armstrong, shortly he would go to Skull Island to meet with KING KONG (1933). Robert Edeson (1988-1931), in one of his final movie roles, should not be overlooked as an engineer who turns to drink following the death of his wife. Aside from cliché story, its highlight includes an exciting train race against time.

Had DANGER LIGHTS been remade in the 1940s, William Bendix, another gruff and burly character actor of his time, might have handle the Wolheim part to great satisfaction, but that never happened. The story in itself has been reworked many times, however. Though DANGER LIGHTS did have some television showings in the 1970s, notably on Spanish channel WNJU, Channel 47, in New Jersey, where this movie and other RKO Radio features were dubbed in Spanish, it didn't surface regularly until the 1980s during the wake of home video and public television broadcasts such as the weekly movie series titled SPROCKETS. Over the years, DANGER LIGHTS has gained further recognition with cable television broadcasts on either American Movie Classics (prior to 2001) and Turner Classic Movies. Also available on DVD.

In closing: While Louis Wolheim was hilarious in the silent comedy, TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS (1927), he showed his great flare playing leads in some early talkies such as this one. His final movie release, THE SIN SHIP (RKO, 1931), was both starred and directed by him. How Wolheim might have succeeded into the 1940s and beyond will never be known. (*** rails)

"Danger Lights" is one of the best railroad movies ever made, and this was made in 1930! If you are a railfan (railroad enthusiast), you can appreciate the detail and authenticity that went into the making of this movie, as most of the operations depicted were authentic. Perhaps the high-speed run was a little over the top (a little artistic license, perhaps?) but it was not unusual for an engineer in the days before two-way radio to run his train over 100 miles per hour to make up a few minutes in his schedule. There's hardly a dull scene in the movie, and in general it is a quality project.

Whether you are a railfan or not, you'll certainly enjoy this movie. "Danger Lights" set a precedent for all the railroad-themed action movies that would follow. Those who are fans of movies such as "The General," "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, "Von Ryan's Express," "The Great Train Robbery" and "Runaway Train" will appreciate this movie as well as those who admire action flicks in general.

Making allowances for the fact that I saw an abbreviated version of Danger Lights, I'd still have to say that this film is as far as the story goes nothing terribly special. But I have friends who belong to a group called Railroad Enthusiasts and if they haven't seen this movie it ought to be required for those who want to join.

The scenes involving the work in the railroad yards and the trains themselves are the best thing about Danger Lights. It's very reminiscent to the classic Burt Lancaster film The Train of which a good deal is set in the Paris railway yards. I wouldn't be surprised if John Frankenheimer saw Danger Lights and took a lot of ideas from it.

As for the plot it's a simple one, a love triangle involving Louis Wolheim the tough boss of the yards, a young hobo played by Robert Armstrong who was a former railroad worker to whom Wolheim gives a second chance and Jean Arthur the daughter of a disabled former railroad worker whom Wolheim boards with and takes care of. Arthur respects and loves Wolheim, but can't see him as a romantic figure.

I think you can take it from there. You will not see any of the comedic style that we saw with Jean Arthur in her top years, she's merely a romantic ingénue and the object of the affections of all.

The railroad and the yards are the real stars of Danger Lights. And this review is dedicated to that intrepid band of railroad enthusiasts.

This film is billed as a love story (typical love triangle), but the human-to-human love story is left in the dust because the human-to-train love story is much more passionate. I won't tell you how the story ends, but if you love trains (especially steam trains), you will love watching this film. ALL the characters in this film are in love with trains, and you will be, too. Be sure not to miss the lightning train trip to Chicago. The one thing that could have improved this film would have been "brightening up" the night scenes. I have a copy of it in my library - go thou and do likewise (don't know if it can be rented).

Danger Lights is a 1930 drama film centered around a love triangle and a train yard. The plot follows Dan Thorn, a rough and tough foreman at the train yard, who has a soft spot for those that are down on their luck. When Thorn meets Larry Doyle, a drifter catching a ride on the train, Dan sees some good in Doyle and puts him to work. Larry then meets and falls in love with Jean Arthur, who is Dan Thorn's fiancé.

Danger Lights is a decent film and used the access to locomotives to great effect. There is real footage of a tug-of-war between two powerful trains. The story is entertaining enough to keep you drawn in throughout the film.

A few disappointments in the film are some bad acting, with plenty of obnoxious, over-the-top, and occasionally, monotone delivery. There is also some poor dialogue in the movie, such as one exchange between Larry Doyle and another character; "It can't be done!" says the man. "Yes it can," Larry replies. "You're right!" the man responds. The climax removes elaborating on any technical aspects of the train, which diminishes the excitement of the ending. Lastly, there are bad comedy elements in the film, such as using the homeless for slapstick comedic relief.

In summary, Danger Lights is a mediocre film. Unless you're a fan of locomotives, I would recommend skipping this one. There is nothing unpredictable or particularly exciting about this movie.

This one would have been better as a silent with a few title cards. The film's strength -- as noted by many posters -- is in its shots of railways and steam engines. The situation -- that Jean Arthur is really going to marry Louis Wolheim -- is ludicrous. The dialogue is cringe-making. Then Armstrong comes along and, immediately, he and Jean are inconveniently in love. "This" --presumably their love -- she says "is bigger than the railroad." Pause. "I suppose it is," he says. And off they run into the rain. Interesting that no thought is given to flying the wounded Wolheim to Chicago. Also interesting that no one thinks of having a brain surgeon meet the train half way or having the brain surgeon meet the train. With time running out, they waste a lot of it. As a silent melodrama that asked us (as silent films could do) to suspend our disbelief, this might have worked. It does demonstrate the awkwardness of the transition from silents to talkies. Here, the capability of sound and dialogue is not an improvement.

Plot- Amid a busy, near-primordial train yard, a tyrannical railroad bossman competes with an ex-engineer, whose career he has rescued, for the hand of the lovely, delicate Mary (Arthur). So who will win out.

Uh Oh! I better run now that a nightmare iron monster is bearing down on me full steam ahead. Never mind that it's only a movie screen--- the visual's just too scary to care. The flick's real star is, of course, those hulking steam locomotives that used to supply the nation from sea to shining sea. Still, this has got to be one of the ugliest films in Hollywood annals, from leading man Wolheim to greasy grimy train yards where the iron beasts appear to multiply. Heck, even the romantic twosome's walk across that grungy train trestle is a long way from the usual scenic woods. And catch that nose-to-nose face-off for strongest iron hulk in the yard. I wonder what the prize is. Nonetheless, actor Wolheim is just hard-driving and rough enough to compete with the gruesome surroundings. On the other hand, delicate flower Arthur looks a little lost with nothing much to do. Nonetheless, a big-time career awaits her. On the whole, the plot may be familiar, but who can forget the visuals. What a great peek it is at yesteryear and a technology that transformed the nation. Come to think of it, those freight-hauling monsters are really pretty friendly as long as they're on their tracks with an engineer. So I guess I can come out from under the bed.

Overall, the oddball film may be really obscure but there're plenty of rewards. So tune in.

Dan Thorn (Louis Wolheim) is the gruff brutish head of the railroads. When a train gets blocked by a landslide, he jumps to lead the repair operations. He recruits the hobos to do some hard work. Larry Doyle (Robert Armstrong) refuses and gets knocked out. Dan takes an interest in the insubordinate former railroad man Larry. Larry falls for Dan's gal, Mary Ryan (Jean Arthur).

This is a pre-Code talkie. Wolheim has his striking mug and that nose. Jean Arthur is her charming self. She's easy to fall for. Larry Doyle should be a little younger and more dashing. He needs to have a bigger difference with Dan Thorn to form a more compelling love triangle. There are some good train work. This is fine.

If you love old locomotives and want to see Jean Arthur in an early role, this film may be for you, but beware, it's rather slow and comes with a good dose of melodrama. Arthur plays the love interest torn between two men - her betrothed, a train foreman (Louis Wolheim), and a talented guy he's hired practically by force (Robert Armstrong). The film weaves in railroad footage, some of it fantastic, like the trains pushing against each other on the same track or the approach to Chicago, and it has its moments romantically too. Arthur and Armstrong sharing a forbidden kiss as a train roars past them, her short hair blowing in the breeze, is wonderful. It's just that everything around these things is more than a little creaky, and hampered by the mediocre quality of the audio technology.

I have to say, the train foreman is an odd characterization too. First we see him bawling out workers and literally punching a tramp (Armstrong) to force him to work during an emergency, then we see him as a good guy at heart and engaged to a younger woman (Arthur). (Never mind that he's watched her grow up before they've gotten romantic, which is a little cringey to the modern viewer). Despite his cruelty to another hobo (the poorly cast Hugh Herbert), who he causes to have a load of coal dumped on, ultimately he's meant to be a positive character, and a stand-in for how irascible bosses everywhere want to be perceived - as great leaders, smart, driven, and in the end, fair to their people. I have serious doubts for how often such people are kind at heart, but no matter, you have to suspend your disbelief in bigger ways elsewhere, e.g. The action sequences that have them racing cross country at the end.

It's a real shame that the alternate, wide-screen print of this film doesn't survive, because that undoubtedly would have enhanced the gritty feeling of the rail yard scenes. This one's not awful, but guard your expectations, and watch it for its little nuggets of gold.

A hobo (Robert Armstrong) travelling on box cars is given an opportunity for a job working on the railroads by a gang boss (Louis Wolheim). However, a rivalry is ignited between the pair when the hobo falls in love with the boss's fiancee (Jean Arthur).

A tough and macho melodrama is a bit stiff and early example of an RKO sound film. The film also breaks the mould in that it moves out of the studio to more location filming than many films during this period, while also an early example of experimenting with widescreen. An otherwise good and interesting film is otherwise a little let down by the poorly handled romantic melodrama set withan an otherwise tough milieu.

I found this film to be very good. The railroad scenes are quite realistic and the continuity surprisingly good (in the yard scene), as well as the sound. Those who have not seen steam engines in action will enjoy this movie. I grew up around the railroad during the age of steam and can enjoy the realistic sights and sounds of that day-and-age that are portrayed in this film. There are a couple of exceptions insofar as the action is concerned where the film was sped up to imply fast action, but they are minor in my opinion. As far as actors are concerned, I've long admired Jean Arthur and this does not disappoint! As a railroad buff, I particularly enjoy the scenes on my favorite road (Milwaukee) and the Trans-Missouri District!

Entertaining yarn about tough railroad man Dan Thorn (Louis Wolheim), really quite a decent guy in spite of his rough exterior - he seems to help all around him, including his sweet and pretty girlfriend Mary (Jean Arthur) and her father. A new guy recently down-on-his-luck, Larry Doyle, comes to work at the rail yard, thanks to Dan - but when Larry meets Mary - sparks fly. But Mary wants to remain loyal to Dan, who apparently has taken care of her and her father since she was a child - not to mention her dad is completely gung-ho for her to marry Dan.

This is a very good film, with interesting plot line and exciting action scenes, plus lots of well-done, scenic shots of the running trains and railroad yards filmed on location. Louis Wolheim is an appealing actor, I have enjoyed his performance in every film I have seen of his. The romance between Mary and Larry is well played out by the two actors and comes across as realistic. A strong, engaging film, well worth seeing.

This film is your average triangle formula using a railroad boss, a hobo, and Jean Arthur, the only legitimate player in the film. The plot is rather simplistic; a railroad boss befriends a young hobo and tries to reform him. The hobo thanks the boss by trying to steal his girl. Very nice. Arthur does a good job of playing the rather loose girlfriend of the boss, but does not really reflect the true character of people in that situation in the early 1930s, at the beginning of the Great Depression. No one in their right mind would give up the security of being attached to a supervisor on the railroad, just to have a fling with an attractive hobo; that is merely a Hollywood writer's fantasy, and would never happen in real life; especially during this time period. Interesting to watch for the environment of the train yards; ones my grandfather use to work in Bayonne, New Jersey. I could just imagine my grandmother throwing him over for some hobo. I don't think so.

This movie was shown on TCM last night. Even though it was made twenty seven years before I was born, it held my interest. It was well filmed and the acting was adequate. With oldies like these, you have to watch them noting the time context that they were made in and appreciate them with that in mind. I especially like the parts when close up shots were made of the locomotives with the camera. Also, the scene where the two locomotives are doing a "push-of-war" (as opposed to a tug-of-war), was exciting. It gives you a good picture of what people considered to be fun seventy years ago, what a difference from some of today's entertainment that lacks class.

This is the very best movie for shots of the railroad scene circa 1930. Reportedly contains the only existing film of a dynamometer. Wonderful shots of steam engines. Amazing tug of war between steam locomotives at the Old Timers Picnic. Exciting 100 MPH race to Chicago. This is a must for railroad fans. The old-fashioned acting is quite different than that of effete modern Hollywood. Louis Wolheim is quite the antidote for your basic 20-year-old hermaphroditic hero!