Tag Archives: villain

Paradise Express 1937

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Republic Pictures

Dorothy Appleby (as Kay Carson) and Grant Withers (as Lawrence “Larry” Doyle) dress up the front of Southern Pacific Railroad #2418 in this canted publicity photo. Our movie features this oil-burning locomotive as the primary motive power of the fictional “Moon Valley Short Line”.

Thanks to reader Mo Bouk for suggesting this movie and providing links to B&W and colorized versions of the film on YouTube. I will be reviewing the colorized version.

The gist of the plot is the evil Armstrong Trucking Company has resorted to nefarious deeds, (downright racketeering if you ask me), to take customers away from the railroad, forcing them into bankruptcy.

Larry Doyle has been appointed receiver/trustee of the short line, and charmed by Kay Carson’s perky ti…err…demeanor, sets out to win back the stolen business from the truck line.

The print of this picture is pretty bad, so I will concentrate on the last 3/4’s of the movie which seems to have the best daylight views. Enjoy!

Arriving at Paradise (the movie’s namesake), is SP #2418 4-6-2 “Light Pacific” P-1 class built by Baldwin in August 1906. Built as a coal burner, it was soon converted to use oil. Superheater added at Ogden on 3-23-18. Vacated from roster 11-8-42. Scrapped at Bayshore on 10-12-48.

OK, is that enough information? ;p

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Loves Labor Won 1948

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20th Century Fox
Terrytoons Studios

Here I come, to save the daaaay! Yes, it’s Mighty Mouse once more battling Oil Can Harry for the affections of lovely Pearl Pureheart.

This train-laced, Terrytoons animated short, is done in a wonderful, fake-opera, melodramatic style with MM (our hero) belting out tenor, OCH (our villian) singing bass/baritone and PP (our damsel in distress) warbling soprano.

The art work is right up there with Warner Brothers for quality and the animators did a great job with backgrounds and interiors. Lots of action and enough asides and adult-gags to keep it interesting.

On with the show!

Wonderfully-detailed coach interior right down to the red-plush seats and pot-bellied stove; Standard old-fashioned steam locomotive about to change into an anthropomorphic object at the hands of Oil Can Harry.

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