Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator

If you found yourself captivated by the poignant storytelling of Men of Action (1935), the profound questions raised in 1935 still require cinematic answers today. Experience the United States influence in these recommendations that echo Men of Action.
Men of Action remains a monumental achievement to provide a definitive example of Alan James's stylistic genius.
Filled with stock footage from beginning to end of construction scenes on Hoover/Boulder Dam in Nevada, the story centers on the construction of the fictitious Sweetwater Dam being built in California. Evans Construction Company, run by Arthur Hooyt, has all its money tied up in the work and must finish the dam on time in order to collect. Meanwhile crooked banker Edwin Markham has other plans and sends in a collection of all-star B-feature heavies, including Fred Kohler, Wally Wales, Slim Whitaker and the Dillard brothers, to wreck the dam. The saboteurs dynamite a mountain and cover up John Ince, the father of water-boy Frankie Darro, who vows to avenge his dad's death. Frankie works his way up to a job as a rider in the radio-dispatched horse-mounted patrol organized by Evans'daughter, and, alongside the construction foreman (LeRoy Mason) makes a last-ditch effort to halt the dynamiting of the dam.
Men of Action was a significant production in United States, showcasing the immense talent of Slim Whitaker, Arthur Hoyt, Frank McCarroll. It continues to be a top recommendation for anyone studying Drama history.
Based on the unique poignant storytelling of Men of Action, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Drama cinema:
Dir: Edgar Jones
A mail-order bride arrives at a Maine lumber camp but doesn't like her prospective husband.
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Dir: Charles Horan
While working as a flower girl in Devlin Maddox's nightclub, Nellie Vaughan meets wealthy young Pelton Van Teel and falls in love. Maddox, desirous of using Nellie to blackmail Van Teel, spreads a rumor that she is his mistress. This makes Nellie uncomfortable, and she demands that Van Teel marry her immediately, to which he agrees. Meanwhile, Van Teel has been losing money gambling to Maddox, who threatens to break up the marriage by producing a worthless check that the young husband has written. Venturing to Maddox's apartment for a showdown, Nellie pulls a gun and demands the check, accidentally shooting Maddox when he throws a lamp at her. Maddox plans to charge Nellie with assault, but when the police arrive, his butler, actually a detective employed by the elder Van Teel, exposes Maddox, who is then arrested, clearing the path for the couple's happiness.
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Dir: Tod Browning
Achmet Bey, a Turkish chieftain, catches one of his many wives in adultery and murders her lover. Throwing aside the cuckolding wife, he abducts his harem an innocent girl. However, a brave American who loves her comes to her rescue.
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Dir: Maurice Elvey
A lady marries a horse trainer but withholds herself until her crippled brother is cured.
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Dir: Edward Dillon
Her education in a French convent school completed, plain Justine Spencer returns to New York. There she is shocked to discover that her mother Dodo is a flamboyant musical comedy actress with many male admirers. Dodo, on the other hand, is dismayed to find Justine priggish and dowdy. One of Dodo's suitors is Billy Ferris, who, in a fit of jealousy, murders her and slays himself. Out of pity, Cosmo Spotiswood, another admirer of Dodo, marries Justine, but soon tires of his platonic marriage and leaves for Europe. Upon his return, Cosmo finds Justine transformed. Under the tutelage of Dodo's maid Loti, she has bobbed her hair and donned fashionable apparel. Thus changed, Justine is surrounded by suitors. Stung by jealousy, Cosmo falls in love with his sophisticated wife.
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Dir: Dallas M. Fitzgerald
Confidence artist Flossie Golden attempts to fleece foolish but wealthy James Venable with a breach-of-promise suit. Venable's shrewd attorney, Richard Harding, outwits Flossie by proposing that she marry Venable and live on an allowance of $3,000 per year. Flossie is determined to get even with Harding for ruining her plans. In an attempt to con him, she poses as Innocence Page, but falls in love and marries him instead. Larry, Flossie's former accomplice, endeavors to blackmail her with her errant past, but Harding is already cognizant of the facts and Larry fails.
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Dir: Hugh Ford
The 'dead' wife of a steel process inventor returns, as does her 'dead' husband, a war amnesiac.
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Dir: Wilfred Lucas
Brian O'Farrell (Snowy Baker), is an English 'new chum' who takes a job at an Australian cattle station. He is teased by station hands because of his appearance (including spats and a monocle) but he soon impresses them with his skills at riding and boxing. The station manager, John MacDonald (Wilfred Lucas), takes O'Farrell to Sydney to meet his daughter Edith (Kathleen Key) who is working in the slums. Edith is kidnapped by criminals after witnessing a crime but O'Farrell rescues her. It is later revealed he is the owner of the station.
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Dir: Alexander Butler
In Alberta, Canada, a Cornish emigrant unmasks a rustler posing as the girl's "blind" father.
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Dir: Harley Knoles
Jim McDonald, the foreman of a shipbuilding plant and head of the labor union, strives to combat the anarchistic propaganda being put forth by Klimoff, the leader of a Bolshevik gang whose goal is to disrupt the country with strikes and anarchy. Despite McDonald's efforts, a strike is called, resulting in chaos. McDonald's child is knocked down by runaway horses abandoned by their striking driver, and dies. Mob scenes take place in America, as well as in Russia. Eventually, the unrest is quelled with an armistice called between Capital and Labor for a year, during which time wages are to be increased to reflect the cost of living, and leaders are to work out a common plan for their mutual advantage. The strikers now realize that they have been pawns of the Bolsheviks and call off the strike, agreeing to the plan.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Men of Action
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the River | Gritty | High | 92% Match |
| Man's Plaything | Surreal | High | 98% Match |
| The Virgin of Stamboul | Gothic | Layered | 97% Match |
| The Hundredth Chance | Gritty | Dense | 87% Match |
| The Amateur Wife | Surreal | Linear | 97% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Alan James's archive. Last updated: 6/12/2026.
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