Warner Brothers

Here I go again with another foreign film. This “British International Picture” came in JUST at the start of talkies and consequently is half silent, half sound (dubbed in post-production). Who’d a thunk the star of the show (London & North Eastern Railway #4472 Flying Scotsman) would still be around and kicking in 2023?

Well it is, and it was an exceptional, historic piece of locomotive pulchritude. Britain’s favorite Class A3 4-6-2 (A1 class as built / Doncaster 1923). She looks simply smashing in that LNER apple green (see below).

LNER #4472 was named after an existing passenger train between London (King’s Cross) and Edinburgh (Waverly). This film has it all. Forbidden romance. A villain bent on revenge. Treachery. Pungent overacting. AND…a thespian I’ve actually heard of, playing the hero. Let’s check out this tasty bit of crumpet!

GO BIG GREEN! LNER #4473 steps smartly away from the platform with another trainload of her fans. Contrast this with a frame from the movie as it approaches the bumper post at King’s Cross. Same locomotive, many decades apart.

Flying Scotsman arrives right on the tick of 6:15. As her driver checks for hot bearings, the passengers disembark.

Montage! Engineer Bob White (played by Moore Marriott) is reporting his Fireman to the division superintendent for drinking on the job. Fireman “Crow” [Boo! Hiss!] (played by Alec Hurley) leans waaaay back and takes a BELT of whiskey, then puts up his dukes after being confronted.

The Super (via title card) dismisses the trouble maker thus: “Crow – – drinking on duty is an offence I cannot overlook. You are discharged.”

Crow vows revenge!

Why, it’s none other than a very young Ray Milland (playing Fireman Jim Edwards) showing off a fist-full of girlie postcards down at the roundhouse. Now THAT is a tit. Pre-Code, dontcha know…

Engineer Bob and Fireman Jim sign in for the run to Edinburgh. Later, they approach 4472 with armfuls of lanterns and classification lamps.

*

Riding high; scraped buffers; Ray guides them back to a join.

Waiting for the signal to drop, Jim talks about this really swell girl (WOOF!) he dated last night, Joan White (played by Pauline Johnson). Neither of them realize he’s talking about Engineer Bob’s daughter!

This means stop. This means go. Father Bob releases the brake and they are steaming off to Edinburgh in fine style.

First some back story. Joan overheard Crow boasting of revenge against her daddy. She tails him to the station and seeing him board Scotsman at the last minute, yanks open a door on the moving train and jumps in.

Great view of the backhead of 4432. Look at all those wheels and levers!

Ray Milland takes in the view from the fireman’s side; meeting another passenger train; meanwhile, Pauline has her eye on the miscreant Crow — whilst pretending to be asleep.

Finally, Crow makes his move towards the head end. Pauline follows giving us a great view of the train interior. At last, Crow moves to the OUTSIDE of the train, so he can climb up to the roof.

Trivia fact: This type of locomotive had tenders with “corridors”. Translation, you could walk inside the train all the way to the footplate of the engine. No roof walking necessary.

Word on the street is plucky actress Pauline did all her own stunts. In heels! Geez, look at those tight clearances as she hangs on to the side of the coach!

Blissfully unaware of the drama going on behind them, Jim puts the picture of his best girl (Joan) up in front of him. “How about THEM apples?” Jim asks Bob. Yaaaaah!!! Joan’s dad assaults fireman Jim. How DARE you soil my daughter!

Having gone completely off his rocker, Daddy-o assaults Jim with a sledge hammer. Yaaaaahhhh!! Great faces!

What have I DONE? Instant remorse from Engineer Bob. Madman Crow bashes the old codger with a piece of coal. Oh, Daddy!! Finally, Jim has managed to fall and wedge himself above the tender running gear. Sure. Chewing the carpet never looked so good!

Liar-bully-thief-and-cad that he is, Crow reaches down and “pulls the pin” between the tender and baggage car. Both 4-6-2 and train continue rolling along.

In reality, the air hose separation would cause both sections to make an emergency stop.

Great pair of shots as first Flying Scotsman, then her consist rumble past an interlocking tower (I think the British call them signal boxes). The towerman calls headquarters to report this anomaly.

A woozy engineer Bob shows daughter Joan how to bring the locomotive to a stop. She climbs down and runs to a trackside set of switch levers, lining the runaway cars into a siding.

How’s THAT for expert timing? Joan now tends to boyfriend Jim who has dropped to the ballast.

One more shot of the the fiend Crow, being led away to the hoosegow, still muttering oaths and promising retribution.

“Is there a doctor in the house?” Of course there is…to tend to Fireman Jim’s needs.

Of course Engineer Bob brought the train in on time and Jim & Joan are there to greet him on his last run.

Consummate professional that he is, Bob feels for hot journals and takes a long, last look around, as the credits roll.

If you’d like to watch it yourself, the link is here:

That is, if it’s still on Daily Motion…

Here’s what IMDb has to say about The Flying Scotsman:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019889/

If you have ANY information about this movie you’d like to share, please contact me at: Lindsay.Korst@gmail.com, or leave a comment.  Thanks and enjoy the blog!

THE END