QUOTE: Originally posted by wjstix I have the original movie on DVD. It's actually a pretty good movie. BTW it has nothing to do with the 1970's movie except the title, completely different stories. The 30's movie is about an engineer who designs a new diesel train for a railroad, and his problems getting everything to work correctly. The RR is about to cancel the diesel program when the RR president's son is taken ill while working on building Hoover Dam and has to be rushed east for treatment. It turns out only the diesel train can make the run in time. The train saves the day, the engineer is a hero and gets the girl etc. etc.
QUOTE: Originally posted by nfmisso The locomotives are FP9. Movies and TV series are shot in Canada because the Canadian goverment believes that it is advantagous to thier economy, thus the film companies get breaks that are not offered in the USA.
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QUOTE: Originally posted by Jerry Leeds This is a remake of a movie of the same name. It came out in either the 30s or 40s. It doesnt seem to be around, but can probably be found on the net if it was ever released on DVD or VHS. Should be interesting to watch
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
BR60103The train seems to run down all the lines coming into Toronto;
The Wiki page on the movie says the station scenes (both Chicago and K.C. were filmed at Toronto's Union Station. The biplane scenes were filmed in Alberta.
My favorite scene in that movie is when Gene Wilder is in the sheriff's office.
"Tell them I have the Rembrandt letters."
"Is he with the Feds?"
"Who?"
"This guy Rembrandt."
"Rembrandt is dead."
"Dead?! That makes four."
Steven S BR60103The train seems to run down all the lines coming into Toronto; The Wiki page on the movie says the station scenes (both Chicago and K.C. were filmed at Toronto's Union Station. The biplane scenes were filmed in Alberta. My favorite scene in that movie is when Gene Wilder is in the sheriff's office. "Tell them I have the Rembrandt letters." "Is he with the Feds?" "Who?" "This guy Rembrandt." "Rembrandt is dead." "Dead?! That makes four."
Steven S,
Even though,this is a seven year old thread,,that was funny.
Cheers,
Frank
I hadn't noticed. But Basinger1 resurrected it so might as well keep it going.
Steve S
Yeah I know he started it,but I still think,a lot in that movie,was funny.
AnonymousIt's funny how after getting immersed in the hobby for a while movies like this take on a whole new perspective.
I know what you mean, now my favorite Hitchcock movie is "North by Northwest", still can't decide which is more elegant, Eva Marie Saint or the "20th Century Limited".
regards, Peter
AnonymousJust watched Silver Streak again last night on Fox movie channel. For passenger train freaks this movie has a lot of good interior shots that would be useful for gathering interior detail information.
I would wonder whether an entertainment movie would be a good place to get passenger train interior information. I understand most extended interior train scenes are filmed on mockup sets, where walls can be moved out of the way to allow camera angels, with background action out the windows matted in through the green screen process. Since "Silver Streak" was not duplicating any exact specific prototype, the set designer would be under little incentive to copy any train interior verbatim. Just get the general appearance, "suggest" the dimensions of a typical railcar and design the details to fit the story needs.
I've seen both "Silver Streak"'s, The 1976 one with Gene Wilder and the 1934 one with Sally Blane and Charles Starrett and I have to say I prefer the 1934 one.
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The 1934 movie has Arthur Lake - best known as Dagwood in the "Blondie" radio show and movie series - as a supporting actor, the assistant to the chief engineer trying to get the diesel train accepted.
Here's a photo of CP's Kokanee Park in revenue service with the Silver Streak applique still showing.
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=556681
Sure looks like the emblem hints at Amtrak's "Pointless Arrow!" It was a fun movie. As I recall the engineer's control stand alternated from right to left throughout the movie, plus dozens of other technical misgivings
Ed
All:
Who cares about Wilder, Pryor, or McGoohan, or even the bogus stage-set interiors? I was looking at Jill Clayburg.
Tom
Southwest ChiefWhile it is true Amtrak did not want any part of the movie (mainly because of the crash scene)...they do appear in it. If you look closely in the background when the dispatcher (Fred Willard) is talking to the cop about the Silver Streak being a runaway, you'll see a black Alco switcher pulling a few Amtrak baggage cars. This background shot was clearly taken in Chicago. The baggage cars were in phase I paint. So Amtrak does appear in Silver Streak. Wonder if they ever noticed it? Silver Streak (1976) is my favorite movie. Fantastic actors and a somewhat interesting story loaded with action and trains makes this a winner. Gene Wilder and Richard Prior were fantastic in this movie. And Mr. Devereau (Patrick McGoohan) was perfect. I've contemplated a new cast for a modern day version of the movie, but just can't seem to find anyone up to McGoohan’s talent to fill the role. Recasting for Gene Wilder is also challenging as no one has his range of seriousness and comedic timing.
Silver Streak is one of my all time favorites too. The above post got me thinking about who I would cast I a a remake. Here goes:
George: Jeff Daniels, he's done both drama and comedy quite well.
Hilly: Emily Perkins
Devereau: Daniel Craig
Grover: Edie Murphy
Whiney: Matt Damon
Reece: Any suggestions?
Porter: Samuel L Jackson
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
GP-9_Man11786 Silver Streak is one of my all time favorites too. The above post got me thinking about who I would cast I a a remake. Here goes: George: Jeff Daniels, he's done both drama and comedy quite well. Hilly: Emily Perkins Devereau: Daniel Craig Grover: Edie Murphy Whiney: Matt Damon Reece: Any suggestions? Porter: Samuel L Jackson
Not bad. Maybe too many "big" names to be economically feasible though.
These are some I've been thinking within a normal movie budget:
George: Will Ferrell
Grover: Will Smith
Bob Sweet: Tom Arnold
Devereau: Pierce Brosnan (interesting we both picked Bonds)
Porter: Was thinking of changing to a female role, but can't come up with the right actress. Maybe Wanda Sykes? Not the biggest Wanda fan though.
Hilly: Doesn't have to be a big name. Any newcomer could fill the role.
Jerry Jarvis: Fred Willard of course. He still has the same job after all these years
I find the story of the script of the first Silver Streak interesting, something I realized after reading Pioneer's history and seeing the film.
CBQ and UP were in an intense rivalry to get the first lightweight petroleum-power streamlined passenger train on the track. They both wanted the Winton 201a diesel, which was unreliable at first and delayed CBQ for many months; UP chose to use a distillate engine instead and beat them into service. But tho CBQ was second, they worked harder at publicity, doing stunts like the speed run from Denver to Chicago with all switches pinned and all crossings manned, and later, the Twins parallel run with many sets of twins. The film was part of that publicity.
The 9900 was only a few months old when the movie was shot. The liberties taken in the script changed the run to a roughly 2000 mile trip to save the son of the railroad's owner, as said. The spy/killer who threatened the train by pulling breakers so he could escape arrest came from an actual incident during the speed run when a reporter leaving the cab slammed a door on a temporary cable. killing the engine. While the Zephyr was drifting downgrade, the assistant engineer tried to reconnect the severed cable, but finally picked up the ends and pushed them together, yelling to re-start, and sustaining severe burns to his hands.
The irony is that UP was first, but lost its aluminum M10000 series as scrap in WWII, while the Zephyr, built with new stainless steel welding techniques, survived for years longer.
Hal
I think the M-10000's problem was the distillate motors, not the body. Had they used diesel engines, it might have been economical to keep them longer. As it was, it made more sense to buy passenger diesels to replace them.
There was also pressure from the government to turn in aluminum for aircraft production.