The Whistle at Eaton Falls

THE WHISTLE AT EATON FILES (1951) is a real time capsule of turn of the 20th century America and that is its greatest asset. Shot almost entirely in the town of Portsmouth, NH and a couple of other New England locations, it gives us the look and feel of what is was like back then. This is only fitting as producer Louis de Rochemont started his career by making the popular MARCH OF TIME short documentaries shown in theaters in the 1930s. He continued to make documentaries during World War II. After the war he made a couple of dramatic films in a Film Noir setting starring James Cagney before making what he called docu-dramas of which WHISTLE AT EATON FALLS is one.

It tells the story of the struggle between labor and management at a plastics factory in the fictional town of Eaton Falls, New Hampshire. The factory's equipment is old and outdated and they can no longer produce their products at a competitive price. The opportunity arises to install new more efficient equipment which will need to employ only half the workforce. The head of the local union naturally opposes this until the company CEO points out that not doing it will result in the closure of the plant and a loss of all jobs. The CEO is then unexpectedly killed in a plane crash and the union boss is appointed the new head of the company. How does he keep the plant open and protect his workers?

Complicating matters are a disgruntled office manager who resents being passed over and a union rabble rouser who tries to organize a general strike of all the employees. The CEO's widow is sympathetic to the worker's plight but is opposed by her lawyers and other top management who pressure her to sell the company. After a beloved worker is killed in a confrontation, things are ready to explode and only a miracle can save the plant. Despite being a low budget, independently produced feature shot on location, it's still a Hollywood movie with a "deus ex machina" ending which I won't reveal other than to say it concerns a new phenomenon called television.

A young Lloyd Bridges is very good as the union boss who becomes CEO. He is likable but tough when he needs to be. Silent movie star Dorothy Gish (Lilian's sister), in one of her rare sound film appearances, is even better. The strong supporting cast includes Ernest Borgnine, Murray Hamilton, Anne Francis, and Arthur O'Connell. The movie was directed by Noir specialist Robert Siodmak. The biggest problem with WHISTLE is producer de Rochemont's insistence on even-handedness. There are heroes and villains on both sides and as a result there is no dramatic tension just a "you are there" approach. In trying to appeal to both union and management viewpoints, he appealed to none.

The film flopped big time and then disappeared from view for over 60 years, It was eventually located in the Library of Congress and was restored with the help of the Louis de Rochemont estate and the team behind the recent Cinerama restorations. THE WHISTLE AT EATON FALLS is the second in an ongoing series from Flicker Alley called Flicker Fusion. The first was THIS IS FRANCIS X. BUSHMAN. FF offers high quality Blu-Rays at an affordable price. In addition to the disc there are a number of bonus materials including audio commentary, subtitles, a restoration comparison, and a booklet essay about producer Louis de Rochemont from film historian Richard Koszarski...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

... as in the Bibilcal tale of Solomon, in business terms.

I just saw the restored version of this today, and it looks excellent. The story is rather unique and realistic for its time. I'm actually surprised it got made given the artistically repressive early 1950s in which it was shot.

It is about the trials and tribulations of Wheaton Falls, NH. It was a two factory town, and then the The Granite State Shoe Company goes out of business. The titular whistle, which blew at the beginning of every work day, is moved to Doubleday Plastics, a converted textiles mill. But then the owner, Mr. Doubleday, brings in the leader of the local union , Brad Adams (Lloyd Bridges) to tell him that the company cannot stay in business unless it lowers its prices, and the only way that he can see to do that is to buy faster newer machines that only require one man per two machines, and lay off half the workforce.

Shortly thereafter Mr. Doubleday is killed in an auto accident, and through a series of events Brad Adams is asked to leave his union post and preside over the factory. Adams has spent his adult life siding with labor, but he soon realizes the troubles of ownership and management. He is faced with some tough choices that will hurt the workers for awhile, or the entire factory will close forever. His former union buddies suspect he has turned traitor to them, a former executive wants revenge on the town and the business for turning the factory over to somebody (Brad) he feels is beneath him, and Brad is feeling the weight of the world. How does this work out? Watch and find out.

Bridges is quite good here - I can't think of an earlier film in which he had such a prominent role. Dorothy Gish plays Doubleday's widow and the new owner. There really is not that much for her to do considering her reputation. Murray Hamilton is one of the workers who is a loud mouthed jerk and thinks he can lead the union better. Russell Hardie is a snobby jerk who thinks he can run everything better. Ernest Borgnine hardly has any lines at all as one of the workers as this was his first year in film and only his second film role.

The thing that knocks this down from maybe a nine are some goofy interludes between town teen couple Anne Francis and Carleton Carpenter as inventor/artist/singer Eddie. These scenes just seem to exist to lighten the atmosphere as most of the tale is rather bleak yet realistic for the situation.

It is interesting looking back on a time when American businesses were much smaller, often entirely local, and an inventive solution hammered out in a workshop in a garage could make a difference. It's also surprising how well this one turned out. Although Lloyd Bridges had ten years of film acting under his belt and the director was veteran Robert Siodmak, so many of the players were either from the stage, were new to acting, or had different career trajectories entirely, and Columbia was not known for its message pictures. And who would think that little Columbia could be so subversive - Brad Adams and his wife are shown as sleeping in the same bed during the production code era. Highly recommended.

Late 40s/ early 50s Hollywood was not notable for its workplace dramas, especially when the workplace was a plastics factory and the drama involved labor/management relations. Which makes this film commendable from the outset if for no other reason than its daring to go against the prevailing ethos of the culture. That it is also visually striking, with great location shooting in New Hampshire and harsh, almost noirish, cinematography that pictorially reinforces the conflicts going on between workers and bosses, as well as being even handed in its treatment of both sides, never demonizing nor putting characters on pedestals, adds up to a film that should have garnered more attention and acclaim than it did. But then again movies have always been escapist in their overall mood, never more so than from the 30s to the mid 50s. The bulk of the film audience then tended to come from the factories or other blue collar work sites and the last thing they wished to do when the lights went down and the big screen came up was to be thrust back there. Especially at the time this film was made audiences wanted to walk down a shadowy LA street next to Liz Scott or down Rio way with Cary Grant. So maybe it's prescient that the product being made in this specific New Hampshire factory is a TV channel selector because workplace dramas and sit coms would, in less than ten years from the time of this movie, become a staple of the much less dreamy small screen in the much more prosaic kitchen or den. That this film, however, is at no point small, prosaic or confined in its tone or look is thanks to director Robert Siodmak, cinematographer Joseph Brun and a fine cast of actors just starting out like Lloyd Bridges, Murray Hamilton, Helen Shields, and James Westerfield, as well as Dorothy Gish, who was winding down.

So why 8 rather than 9 or 10 stars? Didn't care much for the dull ingenues Carlton Carpenter and Anne Francis and the ending was way too upbeat as if all labor problems had been banished from at least Eaton Falls, New Hampshire, forever. Give it a B plus.

In the midst of monsters from outer space and marauding dinosaurs, here is an attempt to deal with a real world problem: the decline of light manufacturing in small American cities, despite an overall boom in the US economy. The suspense is gripping, as Lloyd Bridges grapples with old loyalties and new necessities. This picture would make an excellent second feature for Rod Serling's masterpiece, "Patterns" (1956).

Business is tough. The owner of the plastic manufacturing plant in town wants to put in new machines, but that will furlough half the workers. When he dies, his widow, Dorothy Gish, puts union leader Lloyd Bridges in charge. He gets a quick education in business and union relations.

Producer Louis De Rochemont had been the longtime producer of the prestigious THE MARCH OF TIME newsreel series. He brought his concern with contemporary issues to this movie. Even seventy years later, the issues seem fresh and relevant and the faces, even those of well known actors, seen real.