Tag Archives: McCloud

The Long Chase 1973

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Universal Studios

Alias Smith and Jones! Season Three, Episode 1 found our paroled boys with a new steam locomotive to play with. Posing grandly for the cameras was Great Western Railroad #75, a 2-8-0 Consolidation built by Baldwin in 1907. Four years after filming wrapped on this show, GWR #75 would again star in the movie, “Breakheart Pass“.

As the end titles briefly state, “Portions of this program were filmed at the Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah“. Which I had to go look up. Never heard of the place before. Ah! Somewhere down near Arches National Park. We visited Arches back in the mid-1970s on our way to Expo ’74 in Spokane.

Cast changes from the Season One episode I previously reviewed, include Roger Davis replacing Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes.

Seen here rolling along a scenic D&RGW branch line in Utah, GWR #75 is still with us, although not operational. Her current home is the Heber Valley Railroad where she is approximately 70% through her restoration.

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Duel 1971

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Universal Television

I want to dedicate this movie review to two people. First, Jim Tiroch, whose Cinetrains blog was a tremendous help researching this movie.

Second, my old roommate at college, John C. Mendenhall, Jr. “Mongo” used to walk around our dorm room in his shorts going, “HONK! HONKHONKHONKHONK! HOOOOOOONNNKKKK! just like the truck in this film.

Duel is an early example of what we now call “road rage”. Our protagonists are:

1 – David Mann (played by Dennis Weaver — MCCLOUD!!) driving his red 1970 Plymouth Valiant 4-door, California License Plate 149 PCE.

2 – “The Truck Driver” (played by Carey Loftin) driving a 1955 Peterbilt 285 with oil tanker trailer who is never actually seen clearly. The entire plot of the thing is the truck driver suddenly goes bonkers after being passed by the little red car.

Okay, you get the idea. Now, lets examine the train stuff. Southern Pacific Railroad provides the motive power, rolling stock and location (I believe the train scenes were filmed on SP’s line from roughly Saugus to Palmdale, California.). There are 3 separate encounters between combatants with Espee freight which we’ll examine.

Yaaarrrrgh! Dennis Weaver makes a great face inside his car as an SP freight train rolls by in the background. How about that triangular vent window to the left of McCloud’s snarling countenance? You don’t see those anymore…

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