The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951) – R. Siodmak

You really don’t see too many films that try to tackle the complexity of labor-management relations but this recently revived Robert Siodmak gem does so incisively. Lloyd Bridges plays Brad Adams, the head of Union Local 145 at Doubleday Plastics in (fictional) Eaton Falls, New Hampshire (shot in Portsmouth and neighbouring towns!).  When the kindly head of the company approaches him about serious budget problems and the cost-cutting necessary, he is willing to brainstorm ideas but resistant to job cuts required if the factory is going to upgrade its machinery.  Then, suddenly, the company president is killed in an accident and his widow (Dorothy Gish) names Adams as his replacement. This creates a conflict with his old mates when he inherits the same desperate budget situation. To make things worse, a rebel union member is really stirring everyone up AND the company’s old production manager (now at a competitor) is undermining Adams’ authority and encouraging rebellion.  Only a few familiar faces (Ernest Borgnine!) appear in the cast of mostly unknowns, lending authenticity in addition to the location shooting. Of course, the film’s Hollywood ending belies the real historical narrative about unions and their relationships with corporations in the US and globally, but it feels genuinely earned and also fittingly precarious.