Danger Lights
Directed by George B. Seitz
Written by James Ashmore Creelman
1930/US
RKO Radio Pictures
IMDb page
First viewing/YouTube
Dan Thorn: Come on, get the lead outta your feet!… This ain’t no smoking room. This is a railroad!
I came to see the great Louis Walheim. Others may come for the steam engine action.
Dan Thorn is the boss of a railroad yard. He is tough as nails with a face only a mother could love and a heart of the purest gold. He spots hobo Larry Doyle (Robert Armstrong) who has been illegally riding the rails. When he learns that Larry was previously a railroad engineer, he gives him a break and a job.
Dan has taken care of young Mary Ryan (Jean Arthur) and her crippled father for years. Dan and Jean are engaged to be married. What will happen when Larry comes into the picture?
I love Louis Walheim and this is one of the last films in his short career. He’s great in it. The story is kind of predictable but all the footage of steam engines in action is fascinating. Highly recommended to railroad enthusiasts and Louis Walheim completists and not a bad popcorn watch.
