Universal – International

HEY, ABBOTT!! Southern Pacific Railroad trotted out at least two different steam locomotives, a short mix of freight cars and an ancient wooden caboose for filmmakers to use in this month’s movie. In addition, there is a brief scene at what MIGHT be Cucamonga, CA (judging by the depot sign) featuring an old heavyweight observation car.

A brief plot outline: It’s 1912. Harry (played by Bud Abbott) and Willie (played by Lou Costello) are swindled into buying the Edison Movie Studio (a la buying the Brooklyn Bridge) from a crooked movie director/con man. Now broke, the boys hobo west to Hollywood, hoping to catch said crook and get their money back.

Lots of harrowing stunts involving moving trains in this one, hopefully employing stunt doubles for A & C. Let’s check it out.

SP X2085 pops out of Chatsworth tunnel. After much squinting at various runbys, I believe this is an SP 2-6-0 “M class” Mogul with all Southern Pacific markings carefully painted out. The number 2085 does not match any steam locomotive on their 2-6-0 roster. More about that later.

Trudging along with their worldly possessions, Harry and Willie take a shortcut through a tunnel. Of course, a train immediately comes up behind them, forcing them to vamoose out the other end.

Rather than step to one side, Willie freezes until he is escorted from between the gauge by Harry.

Finally out of harm’s way, the boys watch as the 2-6-0 pedals past. Nice, small Vanderbilt tender on the 2085.

Resuming their journey, Willie manages to get his foot stuck in a switch. Trying to be helpful, Harry tries to throw (open) the switch…which only tightens the steel on Willie’s shoe.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Harry trips, gets knocked unconscious by the switch stand, leaving Willie cowering at (you guessed it) another train. Note the signal behind Willie is 441.2. That’s 441.2 miles from San Francisco along Espee’s Coast Line.

Split screen! Willie struggles to free his foot from the onrushing 2085, now heading in the opposite direction. At the last second, he lurches away into the cinders.

SP #4323 is an Mt-1 class, Alco Schenectady built, 4-8-2 “Mountain“. Passenger consist appears to be all heavyweights — two baggage cars, two or three coaches, one observation car.

Notice the “51” in 4323’s number boards. This would be the Northbound San Joaquin Daylight streamliner from L.A. to S.F. (Oakland).

At the other end of the passenger train, we find con man (Boo! Hiss!) Joseph Gorman/Sergei Toumanoff (played by Fred Clark) and his nose-in-air paramour/accomplice Leota Van Cleef (played by Lynn Bari) luxuriating in their Pullman section.

Hauled off the train short of Los Angeles (Cucamonga, maybe?) by the police Sergei demands (in a phony accent) to know what is going on. (A Hollywood studio wants to grab him to direct, before anyone else gets him.)

I love the curlicues on the back platform railing!

Back to our heroes, still trying to hop a freight. Here comes SP X2580 putting on a great display of smoke and whistling. Notice that 2580 is an anagram (so to speak) of 2085 — I think this is the same 2-6-0 they used previously.

Right behind the locomotive is a SP (T&NO) #55355 steel boxcar, which they manage to clamber into. T&NO stands for “Texas and New Orleans”, an Espee subsidiary.

Circumstances dictate Harry and Willie must reboard the freight train — where we get a pretty good look at the entire consist:

2-6-0 steam engine, SP (T&NO) #55355 steel boxcar, SP #36946 outside-braced boxcar, flat car, SP stock car (with longhorn cattle), flat car, SP outside-braced boxcar, SP steel boxcar, SP wood caboose #27.

Great series of live action shots (and one rear screen) as Harry and Willie attempt to retrieve their luggage. Stunts include running along the roof tops and getting caught in a mail crane.

“HEY, YOU!” Uh-oh. The rear brakeman has spotted the two bums, runs atop the cars in pursuit, nabs them in the stock car, then unceremoniously tosses them out the door. The stunt doubles really earned their pay.

Now officially Hobos (complete with bundles on the end of a stick), the boys spot the crew of a train and talk their way aboard their caboose for a friendly game of craps.

Needless to say, Harry & Willie clean up. With the help of Willie’s crooked dice, they win all the rear-end crew’s cash, their clothes, railroad caps, etc., leaving the disgruntled employees in their union suits. Hey look, they made it to Los Angeles!

SPECTACULAR FINALE

Gorman/Toumanoff has been found out, and none other than the Keystone Kops are on his tail! Bringing up the rear, are Harry/Willie in a purloined delivery motorcycle with sidecar. This final sequence was supposedly filmed along California Highway 118 near the Strathearn Ranch.

First to the crossing are our two villains; the Kops have pulled ahead of the 2-6-0 whistling furiously in pursuit; Of course, the Kops stall at the crossing with the Wig-Wag signaling its warning; Nice shot of the freight train coming up fast.

Last at the scene is the sidecar with the train right behind; our boys join the Kops trying to pull their police patrol wagon clear;

Hey, look at this! Our favorite little 2-6-0 is now numbered “X8052” — yet another combination of those four digits.

All that pulling eventually bore fruit as they managed to pull the vehicle apart — just in time to clear the crossing. Highball!!

If you’d like to view the feature I reviewed yourself, the link is below:

That is, if it’s still on YouTube.

Here’s what IMDb has to say about Abbott and Costello meet the Keystone Kops:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047794/

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