Tag Archives: Paramount Pictures

Peking Express 1951

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Paramount Pictures

Remake! Today’s movie review changes direction (now Shanghai to Peking) and heavily copies 1932’s Shanghai Express including reusing several train shots from that film.

This film noir feature is a rather tepid affair, starring Joseph Cotton as Doctor Michael Bachlin and Corinne Calvet as Danielle Grenier. Still, there are some redeeming parts including a train-Jeep chase at the end, with guns a blazing.

It’s a mish-mosh of Southern Pacific Railroad locomotives and equipment done up with Chinese characters. Let’s check it out!

“Looks like Charlie Chan up there, man!” Nope. It’s white boy Marvin Miller, as the mysterious Kwon onboard the Tientsen-Pukow train, sporting heavy-duty Hollywood Oriental makeup. More about him later.

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Planes, Trains and Automobiles 1987

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Paramount Pictures

Happy Thanksgiving! My brother recommended this flick to me as an Obscure Train Movie. I hadn’t gotten around to reviewing this movie, (or even watching it previously), because I can’t stand Steve Martin. His whole “Excuuuuse Me” schtick always left me scratching my head. At least John Candy has decent comedy chops and pretty much carries the picture, IMHO.

Anyways, Mark talked this one up so much as a holiday movie, I had to give it a shot. At first blush, the train scene had some very unique motive power and equipment. Second, this picture has a stellar supporting cast, with notable character actors including Ben Stein, Edie McClurg, William Windom and Ferris Bueller’s Dad (Lyman Ward) to name a few.

Having said that, I spent most of this movie on “fast-forward” and concentrated on the railroad bits. I just didn’t enjoy this movie as a whole (Again, Steve Martin rubs me the wrong way). One bright spot is a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA or “the L”) scene near the end. The most fun was researching the upstate New York railroad equipment and locations used — a lot of it is still there — so thanks for the tip, Big Brother!

Our movie train soars above a rushing stream somewhere in upstate New York State. I wasn’t able to pin-point the location, but it is a very high bridge with a supporting tower next to the creek.

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A Stop at Willoughby 1960

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CBS Television

How many times did they actually say “Willoughby” in this feature? I’ll have to go back and count. Update: 44 times. Reported to be Rod Serling’s favorite episode from the first season of The Twilight Zone, here’s another reviewed “movie” where we hear, but never actually see, any railroad motive power. Yep, just old passenger coaches being shoved up and down the track.

Still, trains play a major part in the story of burned-out Advertising Executive Gart Williams (played by James Daly) dreaming of a more serene lifestyle. Where have I seen this guy before? There’s a Star Trek TOS connection, natch.

Be sure to visit this blog next month when I review a Year-2000 remake movie based on A Stop At Willoughby. In color. And now, on with the show!

1960 train and 1888 train interiors. I believe the 1960 car is just a studio set at MGM where most of Twilight Zone was filmed, whilst the 1888 coach was (probably) on Paramount’s back lot. More about that later. Maybe.

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Play Safe 1936

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Paramount Pictures

Hey, how about a Max Fleischer Color Classic (Cartoon) to start things off for March…filmed in Technicolor, no less?! I found a copy on YouTube (see below) in remarkably good condition to review.

It’s basically a railroad safety film for kiddies back in the day with everyone from the narrator to anthropomorphic model trains to the gauges in the locomotive cab yelling at the boy to, “PLAY SAFE”… mostly to no avail.

In a bit of serendipity, I found this cartoon short whilst looking for the movie Play Safe 1927 (starring Monty Banks) as suggested by John Davies. I couldn’t find a decent version of that 1927 flick online, but found a great copy of what I review here. Enjoy.

Our short feature opens as a little boy (we’ll call him “Phil”), is reading in the backyard whilst straddling his electric train set, as his faithful dog (we’ll call him “Boots”) sleeps nearby. “The Ballad of Casey Jones” is playing in the background.

Phil’s house is right next to a double track main line featuring lower quadrant semaphores. The details in this frame alone are outstanding — fenced yard, back porch, train set complete with tunnel and water tower. How about that magnificent tree behind Boots?

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Murder on the Orient Express 1974

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EMI Films
Paramount Pictures

Merry Christmas! Our not-particularly-obscure movie takes place in December 1935 on board the luxurious Orient Express. Although the subject is rather grim for the holiday season, it’s a crackerjack who-done-it with an all-star cast of stage and screen — and snow plays a key part in the film.

As always, the brightest star from my point of view is the train itself. Pulling the posh coaches is SNCF #4353, a 1922-built 4-6-0 steam locomotive that is still with us. In order behind the engine are a baggage car, Restaurant car (#9), Sleeping car (#7), and a Pullman Lounge car #4163.

From Istanbul, Turkey, the train traveled through “Uzunkopru, Sofia (Bulgaria), Belgrade (Serbia), Zagreb (Croatia), Brod (Kosovo), Trieste (Italy), Venice, Milan, Lausanne (Switzerland), Bazel, Paris (France), Calais, with connections for London.”

Watch Hercule Poirot (played by Albert Finney) try to unravel a tangle of clues and suspects onboard an opulent occidental passenger train.

The engineman and his conductor come face to face with a snow-filled cut as #4353 simmers in the background; Poirot plays a little air-violin in his compartment, but all is not peaceful onboard. Nice fixtures and accoutrements, though!

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Shanghai Express 1932

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Paramount Pictures

Like last month’s Union Depot 1932, I’d like to thank Danny at the Pre-Code.com blog for introducing me to yet another obscure train movie.

There are only two thespians I had previously heard of in this picture: Marlene Dietrich, of course, as Shanghai Lily and Eugene Pallette as Sam Salt. Mr. Pallette was almost instantly recognizable by his voice alone. Film goers may remember him as Friar Tuck in The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 (“Give me back my mutton!“).

The real star of the show was Southern Pacific Railroad #2428, a P-3 class 4-6-2 Baldwin-built steam locomotive. I believe this was the same engine used to represent two different trains. Pulling out of Peiping (Peking), the engine is numbered 4234, then the “hostage train” is numbered 2428. To further complicate things, there are only Chinese characters in the number boards to reference, but at least the wheel arrangement matches.

Anyhoo, let’s take a look at Hollywood’s interpretation of Chinese rail transport during an ongoing civil war. Hen hao, xièxiè !

Fixing to leave Peiping, the engineer looks back for the highball. Cab side lettering reads “4234” in Chinese characters; Later on in the movie, the engine characters are switched to “2428”.

Here is a link to sister SP locomotive #2429 to see what our film’s 4-6-2 looks like without the set dressing.

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Switchback 1997

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Paramount Studios

I first heard about this movie from a blog! Many thanks to James Tiroch and his Cinetrains site for providing a wealth of information about the two locomotives used in filming AND their disposition afterwards.

Despite the snazzy “Grande Gold” graphic (see below image) splashed across their flanks, these are NOT Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) locomotives! At the time of filming, Union Pacific owned D&RGW and would not allow use of their equipment. Movie makers simply leased a couple locomotives and painted them up the way they liked.

And WHAT a couple of engines they are! Two former Southern Pacific EMD-built (1970) SD39’s #5319 & #5325 dressed up in Rio Grande “speed lettering”. Let’s check out this film on the “Main Line Thru The Rockies”.

A pair of Rio Grande diesels is about to enter a tunnel deep in a Colorado canyon. These Espee SD39’s in disguise were frequently renumbered to represent different trains. Notice the cabside number location has been painted out. Here the lead unit is “2010” and the trailing unit is “234”.

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Appointment With Danger 1950

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Paramount Pictures

Let’s hear it for the Post Office! Or to quote from the film’s opening with triumphant march music playing in the background: “We’re proud of our Post Office, because we have confidence in its efficiency”. Well, things have changed a bit since 1950, but back in the day….

Many thanks to reader Mark Herrmann who tipped me off about this film noir goodie. After purchasing the DVD, I researched it and discovered train scenes filmed in Indiana AND Southern California. In addition to Alan Ladd (who plays the tough-as-nails Postal Inspector, Al Goddard), there are small parts played by Jack Webb (“My name’s Friday”) and Harry Morgan as two gang henchmen. That’s Al stepping off the caboose above.

As always, I’m gonna concentrate on the railroad pulchritude and leave the plot and gangster genre for others who may follow. C’mon, let’s check out trains from NYC, Pere Marquette, C&NW, Pennsylvania and Union Pacific railroads!

Gary (Indiana) Union Station was a beautiful structure when constructed in 1910 – as well as a pivotal plot point in this movie. Located between the New York Central and Baltimore & Ohio mainlines, both roads were served by this two-story edifice.

In these two views, we get a look inside and out of the passenger terminal. The depot still exists, but is literally a shell of its former self. That’s a 1949 Checker Cab (Thanks, big brother Mark!).

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Racing With The Moon 1984

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Paramount Pictures

Spicoli and The Skunk! Yes, Ridgemont High’s favorite pothead is back — walking the tracks of the California Western Railroad in this “coming of age” picture set during World War 2.

Of course, the real star of the show is California Western #45, a Baldwin 2-8-2 class of 1924 originally built for an Oregon lumber company, coming to C.W.R. in 1965. Happily, #45 is still with us in Fort Bragg, CA and at last report is operational.

Let’s watch buddies Henry “Hopper” Nash (played by Sean Penn) and Nicky / Bud (played by Nicolas Cage) hop freights along the C.W.R. and say their goodbyes (finale) at the really cool Fort Bragg depot.

Hey, there might even be a brief interlude between Hopper and Caddie (played by Elizabeth McGovern) somewhere in this review. All in good taste.

Read on and enjoy!

Here comes California Western #44 with a short freight as the picture begins. It was renumbered #44 after a rebuild to operational status specifically for this movie. Later, (movie’s ending), the 2-8-2 would get her #45 back.

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