Summary
Set against the dust‑kissed plains of Oklahoma, The Green‑Eyed Monster (1919) unfurls a feverish love triangle that pits two lifelong comrades against one another in a ruthless contest of steel and sentiment. Both men are engineers for rival railroad syndicates locked in a ferocious battle for a coveted federal mail franchise; the stakes are amplified when the object of their affection, a spirited young woman, becomes the prize of a high‑velocity race that will decide not only the contract but also the heart she will claim. The film, a product of the Norman Film Manufacturing Company, marshals an astonishing $1 million worth of locomotives and a staged $80 000 train wreck, delivering a visual spectacle that mirrors the characters’ internal collisions. Jack Austin’s brooding intensity and Louise Dunbar’s luminous presence anchor a narrative that explores jealousy, loyalty, and the corrosive allure of ambition, all rendered in the stark chiaroscuro of early black‑and‑white cinema.
Synopsis
Filmed in Oklahoma by the Norman Film Manufacturing Company, this all-black melodrama features the eternal triangle of two friends in love with the same girl. The men work for rival railroad companies engaged in a bitter fight over a valuable government mail contract. To decide the matter, a race is organized between the two companies, the winner also claiming the girl. According to a contemporary account, one million dollars worth of railroad equipment and an 80,000 dollar train wreck were used in the film, which stars Jack Austin and Louise Dunbar.
Cast
