Rivalité

One of Fonda's earlier efforts and certainly one of his lesser known films. Fonda portrays a somewhat naive, yet over confident young man from a farming background, who longs to become a linesman. O'brien plays the seasoned veteran who takes him under his wing and together, they embark on a journey from one job to another. Reasonably predictable buddy road movie type plot line, although interesting from the perspective of attempting to glamorize the profession in the tradition of" the mail must get through" theme. There is the predictable romance angle, the jealous worker and the inevitable coming of age for Fonda. All in all, nothing terribly special other than seeing two of the screens best actors paired in this family picture.

"Slim" is a gritty film that depicts superbly the profession of a linemen. As far as I know, there's no other film that looks at this trade any more than passing. For that reason, it has some cultural and historical value. The movie itself is a drama based on a 1934 novel of the same title by William Haines. It is also a romance, but that clearly is secondary to the film's depiction of the profession of the linemen.

The title also describes very well the character that Henry Fonda plays in this movie. The lanky Fonda was just 32 years old and in the kind of physical shape yet that it would take to be playing a lineman. In this case, it's specifically about the pole climbers. These are men (and perhaps an occasional woman in modern times) who have worked to erect and keep wires up since the advent of telegraphy and electricity.

Linemen work in three different fields of business. The most prominent are those for electric utilities, as in this film. But others work for railroads and telephone companies. I worked one year as a lineman on a railroad signal crew and climbed poles to string and replace electric wires that connected and operated the train signals on the tracks. I later worked 20 years for one of the largest electric generation and transmission firms in the U. S., but not as a lineman. And, I never had any of the harrowing experiences or rough conditions the men in this movie experience. As to nicknames, it must truly be a tradition among linemen wherever they are. It was a long time ago for me, but I still remember some of the guys on the two signal crews I worked with. I also had a "Red" for a foreman, but I can't remember his real name. Another foreman was Wally, and a couple of the guys were Kansas and Speed (he had a souped up sports car).

Most utility poles through the mid-20th century were wood, coming from one of three species of trees. But the larger, high-voltage transmission lines (115-kilovolt and higher) were made of steel from early in the 20th century. Most of the poles in neighborhoods and telephone and signal lines along railroads and roadways are 40-foot to 60-foot in length, and still made of wood from very straight trees. The shorter poles are buried six feet, and the taller ones eight feet in the ground. Most of the poles that I climbed were in this range, although I did work on one project that required climbing 80-foot poles, which were buried 10 feet deep.

Any men who have worked on electric utility line crews, for the telephone companies of the old days, or as linemen in the signal department of a railroad, know the rigors of climbing and working at the top of poles. As shown in this film, the linemen used belts and climbing hooks. The latter are strapped to the legs and boots and dig into the wood. The belt enables the lineman to use his hands for work at the top of the pole, instead of having to hold onto the pole. For extra safety, some linemen will use their belt while climbing, sliding it up the pole with each step that they take up. It keeps one from falling backward if he should lose his grip climbing the pole. But, if a hook isn't set well - jabbed into the pole, and it slips out as he lifts himself up another notch, a lineman "rides" the pole down. That can result in broken legs and other injuries, and it's sure to include splinters from the pole.

In this film, Pat O'Brien plays Red Blayd, the "pro" lineman who takes Slim under his wing. The two become friends but also become two-thirds of a love triangle. Red's girlfriend, Cally (Margaret Lindsay) and Slim fall for each other. One might guess how this part of the plot will play out. But, it's something of a surprise to see how the story ends. This is a very good look at this small section of the working world. It was a sort of romantic way for a young man to work and help the country make progress and recover from the Great Depression. It makes a good setting for a drama with some excitement

All of the cast are very good. Among other supporting actors who may be recognized are Stuart Erin as Stumpy, Jane Wyman as Stumpy's Girl, Joe Sawyer as Wilcox and John Litel as Wyatt Ranstead.

Slim is another of those products from the working man's studio of Warner Brothers and extols the heroism of the various lineman putting up towers and wires to electrify the nation. This was one of the finest achievements of the New Deal, the Rural Electrification Agency and the work you see Pat O'Brien and Henry Fonda do, they are doing in conjunction with that agency. Most of rural America was without any kind of power before then because the cost to private industry wasn't worth the profit they got back.

If Pat O'Brien wasn't working with James Cagney, he'd be making this kind of film with Dick Powell or John Payne. None of those quite have the rural demeanor for the title role, so Warner Brothers got Henry Fonda who was then under contract to producer Walter Wanger.

Fonda is in the title role of Slim, a country kid who sees the linemen bringing power to the nation and figures he can travel, see places and do things, in a necessary occupation. It's also why a lot of kids from rural areas enlist in the armed services. Pat O'Brien takes a liking to him, takes him under his wing so to speak and even accepts when his girl Margaret Lindsay prefers Fonda to him. For O'Brien he realizes he's far from ready to settle down.

I've always felt that O'Brien together with James Cagney were the real founders of the male buddy film. Given the nature of the role, Fonda more than fills Cagney's shoes. Jimmy Cagney would never be believable as a kid off the farm.

Look for J. Farrell McDonald to give a nice performance as the foreman of the crew Fonda and O'Brien work for. And Stu Erwin gives a nice performance, imitating Bob 'Bazooka' Burns who was at the height of his popularity as a regular on Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall. Erwin gives out with the same homespun rural humor that Burns was so popular for.

With the nation mostly electrified and the Rural Electrification Agency now the Rural Maintenance Agency as of 1994, the film is somewhat dated. But it is still a good piece of entertainment and a tribute to the men who literally electrified a country.

Running a mere 80 minutes, this little treasure packs in more action and character development than you're likely to find in some of Sly's and Arnold's big-budget blockbusters. A personal favorite of Fonda's, it's the story of a farmer's young son (he even plows the family's 40 acres behind a mule!) who leaves the farm to join a gang of linemen doing the grand task of electrifying rural America during the Great Depression. It's hard to believe, but historical fact, that prior to WWII, 75% of all Americans lived on the farm without electric power. Taken under the wing of mentor Red Blayde (Pat O'Brien), the boy Slim (Fonda) learns about life and love, honor and betrayal, and most of all, the nobility of a man's work, in the days when work itself was regarded as a higher value than just the pay check it brought in. Little moments stand out: Slim lighting up his first nickel cheroot; writing his Mom a letter home and including a $5 bill; leaning back in the passenger seat of Red's convertible as they ride down Chicago's Michigan Avenue, looking up in awe and sheer joy at his first glimpse of a big city. "Take a good look," says Red, "there's only two other cities like it in the country!" Rounding out the cast are Stu Erwin as Stumpy, the lazy and comical ground worker; Joe Sawyer, the "lyin' goldbrikkuh;" a glamorous Jane Wyman as Red's girl; always cheerful Margaret Lyndsey as the nurse who takes a shine to Slim; and stalwart John Littel as the company boss. From a top-notch novel (1934) by William Wister Haines, author of "High Tension," "Command Decision," "The Hon. Rocky Slade," and many others. Ten out of ten.

It's easy to see why this was one of Henry Fonda's favorite roles. I personally think there is more action and entertainment packed into this one short film than the award winning "Grapes of Wrath", filmed with Fonda just a few years later.

Fine acting performances all around take the viewer into the waning years of the Great Depression with an authenticity of characters, time, and place. The cinematography and the period details are simply fantastic.

Add to all of this the pure poetry of the dialog exchanges between many of the characters. It's as lyrical as anything written by Shakespeare. The character "Stumpy" for instance begins almost every sentence with either a variation on a song "Mother said to Mabel"... or his own unique way of expressing himself. "You think that old Stump boy would...".

Even the often quoted phrase of Slim "That's what's the matter." rings true as heroic in every sense for our protagonist.

Also, it is of great interest to see how people were treated in the workplace back in this era. Can you imagine your boss literally kicking you in your rear end when he thought you were slacking off or distracted? This was a time when men were desperate for jobs and there was no OSHA, EEOC, or sympathetic human resources director. After seeing this nostalgic view, one is almost tempted to wonder what it would like to give your contemporary office co-workers a sharp kick in the rear when they slump off during the a project or show up for work late.

Accurately depicted in the movie... During the 1930's if you messed up at work because you were drunk the night before, you were simply fired. That's it, pick up your last check and hit the road! If a man was killed or injured in an industrial accident, he was simply replaced with minimal fuss and ceremony. It may sound cruel by today's standards, but it served a purpose back then.

So fine is this movie that I must further elaborate on the cinematography and the set decoration. Where else do you get actual 150 foot steel electrical towers under construction filmed with racing steam engine trains in the background highballing along the right-of-way? Under the expert direction of Ray Enright, the viewer actually imagines the feeling of the bone-chilling cold depicted outside the boarding house where the linemen crew is housed. One can almost taste Stumpy's "eating potatoes" on the table. If you are old enough, you remember that there once were women who behaved exactly like the lady who plays the boarding house manager. A masterful performance.

The hotwire substation at 88000 volts is the scariest set since Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. Don't miss it. A must see!