I chanced upon an old "B" movie called the "The World, the Flesh and the Devil" over the weekend, starring Harry Belafonte and Inger Stevens, from 1959. The movie is a post nuclear holocaust drama in which "all mankind is dead" (no dead bodies in New York City, however).
With the city to himself before encountering Inger Stevens, Harry moves into an apartment with a few mannequins as his companions. Not to pass up a chance to hear the great singer, Belafonte serenades the mannequins with his guitar, and, runs a Norfolk & Western 746 freight set on Super O track around the apartment, across a dresser, onto an ironing board, around a table, across books stacked on other tables and so on. There are a number of accessories on the dresser.
It is a lengthy sequence, and the train runs around the apartment about three times; the locomotive is chuffing almost as rhythm or tempo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A7qhwXrW6U
The movie is just ok; but the Lionel sequence is the real surprise.
Dang. I actually watched that movie the other night. I wonder where I went during that scene?
If I ever see that movie in the listings I will record it for the train scene.
Don't you just love it when you make those kinds of discoveries?
Here's a pair you may be able to locate. "Play Safe" is a cartoon short by Max Fleischer about a boy who lives along the tracks. He's out in the yard playing with his electric train and looking at a book about trains when a fast freight pulls in. He sneaks off and climbs on a boxcar only to fall off and get koncked out when the train starts up again. His dream sequence features a Marx steamer, with a face on the front of it, running through a nightmare landscape. In the end the boy is saved at the last moment by his dog who apparently was also his babysitter. I found this film at Wal-Mart on a dvd collection of cartoons which I bought largely for the Popeye shorts.
Another short called "Safe Roads" was sponsored by Chevrolet and features a Standard Gauge train wreck! It's a short sequence, but worth looking for. I have that film on a dvd set of films produced by the railroads that I found at Target.
Of course my favorite Lionel moment came from the Dennis the Menace tv show. Dennis tries to win an electric train set in a contest which is ultimately won by his nemesis Johnny Brady. At the end of the show Brady brings his trains over to Dennis' house so he can gloat about how great the HO set is. However, Dennis, because he followed the rules and impressed his parents and Mr. Wilson, has recieved a train set of his own. Dennis' train was the Lionel Super Chief F3 A-B-A with aluminum passenger cars running on the carpet around some Plasticville buildings. As usual the sequence was short but very memorable. Dennis the Menace currently runs on Antenna TV by the way.
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Becky, you never cease to amaze me! I doubt that any other member of this forum could rattle off the three clips as you did.
Swede
That's what you get when you have too much time on your hands I guess!
Search You Tube "Play Safe" and you'll find the 1936 cartoon. I found it by accident one time. It's fun!
I found the clip on YouTube and inserted it into my original post.
great find!
Penny TrainsHere's a pair you may be able to locate. "Play Safe" is a cartoon short by Max Fleischer about a boy who lives along the tracks. He's out in the yard playing with his electric train and looking at a book about trains when a fast freight pulls in. He sneaks off and climbs on a boxcar only to fall off and get koncked out when the train starts up again. His dream sequence features a Marx steamer, with a face on the front of it, running through a nightmare landscape. In the end the boy is saved at the last moment by his dog who apparently was also his babysitter... Becky
watch?v=EQRkanacnqM
It looks like "Play Safe" inspired this Davey & Goliath short(can you ID the toy train equipment in this one?):
watch?v=YUrQfzZrqFA
Rob
I love the New Haven ripoff! At first I was going to say American Flyer but the frame at 12:20 (and the ensuing seconds which show a #2035 numbering altered) leads me to say Lionel. That and since Art Cloakey also created Gumby who also used the same steamer in several episodes....altered for two rail track as was done in the wreck scene for the Greatest Show on Earth
the "all alone...God is everywhere" disembodied voice was kinda creepy
As these were stop-action animation, there was no need to alter any three rail equipment - it was not under any power.
I see a 6465 tank car in there, and a 2458 box car. How about the diesel? I know what it is, and it's not Lionel.
Depending on the location of the T.V. station, sponsors, and time allotted to show certain movies, some scenes are edited out!
One movie I have seen many times is, "Miracle On 34th. Street" and most times you will see a young Natalie Wood arriving with her mother ( Maureen O'Hara) and (John Payne), to the elderly home and shown is an upper shot of a Christmas Tree.But, there is a scene, edited out, which shows Lionel's 'O' Gauge Santa Fe Super Chief F3/7 diesels with a freight consist, running on the floor, around the Christmas Tree and Natalie kneels down to look at them.This taken out scene was always shown years ago, throughout the '50's, but later on, not as much.
Because, I like trains, I don't know why this train set scene is mostly edited out, on most T.V. stations and at different years?!!!!Train-O
Hey! I forgot one of the best! In the 1949 Batman and Robin serials they used a Lionel hudson to demonstrate the villain's machine that could control other machines.
Wow, I have to look for those old serials!
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
Try your local K-Mart. That's where I found my copies of both the 43 and 49 serials.
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