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Trains in old movies but not necessarily train movies

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Monday, September 27, 2021 7:25 AM

There's the Barabara Streisand flick "Funny Girl" which uses scenes from CNJ's Jersey City Terminal

Also, and I admit they are railroad related,

Union Pacific (1939)

Union Pacific (TV Series 1958-59)

Hell on Wheels (TV Series 2011-2016)

The Train (1964)

Von Ryan's Express (1965)

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Monday, September 27, 2021 8:20 AM

BEAUSABRE
Try the British series "Danger UXB" about EOD teams in Britain in WW2.

I remember that series, it was excellent!  

A British friend of mine told me after the episode "Butterfly Winter" aired (I think that was the name) people all over Britain were bringing to the local police stations dud "butterfly bombs" they'd picked up after Luftwaffe raids, having no idea what they were!   They didn't look like "real bombs" after all.

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Posted by 54light15 on Monday, September 27, 2021 9:10 AM

BEAUSABRE- I lived in a Sears kit house when I lived in Poughkeepsie, New York. About a dozen houses on my street were Sears kits. I didn't know anything about them until one day, I'm mowing the lawn and a guy walking by told me that. Built in 1930, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, combined living/dining room,  small kitchen, an enclosed front porch which was nice and a one-car garage. It had a toilet in the basement which was handy when I was working on my model train layout. 

Back to trains in old movies- I recently saw the film "Marlowe" from 1969, based on the Raymond Chandler novel, "The Little Sister." it has no trains at all but there are interior shots of LAUPT. James Garner is no Bogart but he makes a credible Phillip Marlowe. Bruce Lee is in it too, doing some remodelling of Marlowe's office. 

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Monday, September 27, 2021 9:54 AM

Flintlock76
A British friend of mine told me after the episode "Butterfly Winter" aired (I think that was the name) people all over Britain were bringing to the local police stations dud "butterfly bombs" they'd picked up after Luftwaffe raids, having no idea what they were!   They didn't look like "real bombs" after all.

Here's an official British film from the war warning the population about the bombs 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj8mT6Z_LEY

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/the-northerner/2013/jun/21/butterfly-bombs-luftwaffe-cleethorpes-grimsby

 

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Monday, September 27, 2021 10:09 AM

BEAUSABRE

 

 
Flintlock76
A British friend of mine told me after the episode "Butterfly Winter" aired (I think that was the name) people all over Britain were bringing to the local police stations dud "butterfly bombs" they'd picked up after Luftwaffe raids, having no idea what they were!   They didn't look like "real bombs" after all.

 

Here's an official British film from the war warning the population about the bombs 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj8mT6Z_LEY

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/the-northerner/2013/jun/21/butterfly-bombs-luftwaffe-cleethorpes-grimsby

 

 

Looks like some people didn't "Get the word" during WW2. 

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Posted by 54light15 on Sunday, October 10, 2021 4:03 PM

Here's a great one- "Dodge City" from 1939 with Errol Flynn. Some great railroad scenes, a superb cast and the mother of all Western saloon fights. See it! 

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 4:08 PM

Flintlock76
Looks like some people didn't "Get the word" during WW2.

Can anyone find the American propaganda film -- I think it was one of the Disney films, but might have been the ex-Fleischer 'Famous Studios' -- that covered the United States version of the butterfly bomb?  It was on YouTube but now I can't find it.  Terrifying use of animation...

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Posted by York1 on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 4:19 PM

Overmod

 

 
Flintlock76
Looks like some people didn't "Get the word" during WW2.

 

Can anyone find the American propaganda film -- I think it was one of the Disney films, but might have been the ex-Fleischer 'Famous Studios' -- that covered the United States version of the butterfly bomb?  It was on YouTube but now I can't find it.  Terrifying use of animation...

 

 

 

Are you talking about the one that showed the dangers of nuclear war?

York1 John       

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 4:40 PM

York1
Are you talking about the one that showed the dangers of nuclear war?

No, this is antipersonnel butterfly bombs in WWII, complete with a one-sentence mention that the technology was adapted from 'the enemy' (to make it even more lethal).

As I remember it, you had evil soldiers invading something like Bambi's forest, only to have butterflies develop a patriotic urge, flutter down in increasing numbers, and blast them.  I don't remember in detail if there were stereotypical features on the enemy, but I uneasily recall there might have been.

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Posted by 54light15 on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 10:34 PM

Regarding the video about Cleethorpes- I've been there. There is a very narrow gauge steam railway along the waterfront that runs about two miles. At the main station, there are two pubs, Pub One and Pub Two, one on each platform. Some very friendly people there and I got on well with them. One told me how back in the big show, there were a lot of Canadians stationed at the nearby airbase. I said how I've heard that they were awarded a fair amount of DSOs. One asked what that meant. I said, D*** Shot Off. They all cracked up.

At the station for the narrow gauge, there was the tiniest pub I've ever seen that would fit about 3 people in it. The whole structure would fit in the back of a pickup truck but they had 3 kinds of real ale. Do you recall the scene in the movie, "Tommy" where Roger Daltry is running along the water and there were a lot of elderly people in their cars looking at the water? In Cleethorpes, that's exactly what I saw. An English thing, I suppose. 

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Posted by 54light15 on Friday, October 22, 2021 10:06 PM

I just watched Harold Lloyd's last silent film called "Speedy" from 1928. He plays his usual ner do well who can't hold a job. No trains, really but a lot of conduit driven New York streetcars plus a horse car. Many, many scenes of Manhattan and Coney Island and there's a bit featuring Babe Ruth himself and the original Yankee Stadium. Funny as hell! 

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Posted by 54light15 on Friday, November 19, 2021 9:49 PM

"Crashout" from 1955 is a spiffy prison break movie with William Bendix and Arthur Kennedy. There are a lot of train scenes featuring a "Hern Pacific" locomotive with a Vanderbilt tender and the other rolling stock is all lettered the same. Hey, that's the way they were painted. Well worth seeing. 

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Posted by Pauley on Sunday, November 21, 2021 5:55 PM

New to this forum and didn't read this entire thread, so sorry if this one has been mentioned before.

There is a spooky railroad crossing scene in the Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds. Anyone remember that?

 

Oops, was this thread for steam only? Ashamed

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Posted by 54light15 on Sunday, November 21, 2021 9:08 PM

That is a Tom Cruise movie I've never seen and no this isn't for steam only. There are train movies like "The Train" or "The Lady Vanishes" where trains are central to the plot, which isn't really the point of this thread. Movies where trains play a part but are not the centre of the plot, is the point. But, there are no hard-set rules- if it's a movie with trains in any form, fine. We're all on the same page here.   

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Posted by M636C on Monday, November 22, 2021 4:50 AM

I watched Schindler's List last night.

In the earlier part of the movie, one of the trains was headed by a WWI era Austrian 2-8-0, I think a kk St B type 170. Later in the movie when one of Schindler's trains was redirected to Auschwiz, the train was hauled by a  DRG Class 52 2-10-0. These are both very likely locomotives to have been used at the times concerned. The scenes at Auschwiz appear to have been filmed at the still standing entry gate. But the rail scenes seemes as accurate as could be expected.

Peter

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Posted by Overmod on Monday, November 22, 2021 6:35 AM

Just came across 'Oh! Mr Porter' from 1937, containing the delightful scene of the A4 'Silver Link' of the Southern Railway* being christened with a bottle of champagne and an "1854" steam locomotive named Gladstone being treated in an increasingly astounding fashion.

 

*Yes, I am aware of the situation.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Monday, November 22, 2021 10:16 PM

Watched  " Von Ryans express"   the other night.  Very few faux pas .  Train Did not coal and water often enough. The borrowed rail was a curve rail that was to go on a straight section.  If borrowed rail was in the tunnel would never have been seen by following German train.

When the German office car was connected to the train I cringed when the car knocker jumped in between the train and car to connect the link and pin while car was still moving.

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 6:17 AM

blue streak 1
Watched  " Von Ryans express"   the other night.  Very few faux pas . 

Aside from the train action the movie's a bit of a dud, at least to me.  I read the novel before seeing the film.  It's a cliche' to say so but the book's a LOT better than the movie.  

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Posted by Shock Control on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 7:32 AM

It's probably been mentioned, but here's a plug for Holiday Affair (1949), starring Robert Mitchum in an uncharacteristic role.  The plot in part centers on a Lionel train set called the Red Rocket, essentially Santa Fe Super Chief F units with Pullman cars.

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Posted by 54light15 on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 9:07 AM

What is interesting about Von Ryan's Express is the use of a Franco-Crosti locomotive. I've never seen one otherwise. 

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Posted by NorthBrit on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 2:20 PM

'Sweet Tooth'.   Netflix series   Has a part where people are on a train.   

The book was written 2009.  Although the  storyline is a little strange it has Covid 19 down to a T.

 

David

To the world you are someone.    To someone you are the world

I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought

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Posted by M636C on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 5:47 PM

Overmod

Just came across 'Oh! Mr Porter' from 1937, containing the delightful scene of the A4 'Silver Link' of the Southern Railway* being christened with a bottle of champagne and an "1854" steam locomotive named Gladstone being treated in an increasingly astounding fashion.

 

*Yes, I am aware of the situation.

 

Presumably the filming of "Oh Mr Porter" was carried out in 1936 for a 1937 movie. "Silver Link" had its name added to the front of the streamline casing, since the painted name (in the same font) on the side of the boiler above the middle coupled axle was invisible. The four Silver locomotives had been repainted "Garter Blue" by 1939 and were fitted with brass nameplates on the side of the smokebox which were much more visible from the front of the locomotive.

The origin of Gladstone is less obvious, to me at least. It is a 2-4-0 tank so must have been a branch line locomotive of some type. I don't think it belonged to the Southern Railway. It looks as though an extended stack  was added to make it look "older" and the enclosed cab was removed, possibly to improve filming on the footplate.

The locomotive collapsing at the end of the movie was repeated by the former police car in "Blues Brothers", for example...

This was one of a series of movies by Will Hay that had the same basic cast.

"Oh Mr Porter" was a song, much older (100 years?) than the movie that was a criticism of the route of the London And North Western Railway ("I wanted to go to Birmingham and you took me on to Crewe") but was still a known song in 1937. The wording in the opening sequence was altered to suit the movie.

Peter

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Posted by Sunnyland on Wednesday, November 24, 2021 11:40 AM

I just read this thread. Dad's favorites were The Train and Von Ryan's Express, I have both of them on VHS and also on DVR.  Another one I liked was Silver Streak, lots of train running and at the end when train crashes into station.  Probably based on the DC crash when I believe it was Pennsy crashed and dropped to the lower level. Somebody sent me a copy of old news story when Wabash crashed into our St. Louis Union in 1943. Never heard about that one, trains always backed in keeping smoke out of depot and less walking for Pullman passengers. Never knew why until I read this. Wabash backed  thru the bump post and into the station concourse.  Parents and I always left on our trips from there, busy place in 50's but started to decline in 60's so glad we did it when more trains were running. I got in on the tail end of glory days of passenger trains.  When friends and I took Pullman on UP/SP City of St. Louis, we were in the last car, so when train backed into station, the N&W conductor came back to beep us in and the Pullman conductor stood on the side.  Dad said host RR was in charge of train and not Pullman, only their cars.  I saw what he meant when that happened.

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Posted by 54light15 on Sunday, November 28, 2021 4:13 PM

Buster Keaton's "Go West" from 1925 is hilarious! it features a lot of train scenes involving stock cars and shows a freight station in Los Angeles. Also a cattle stampede through the streets and stores of L.A. Great stuff! 

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Posted by 54light15 on Thursday, December 2, 2021 10:04 PM

The Fallen Sparrow from 1943 features one of my favourites, John Garfield and the exqusite Maureen O'Hara. Also with Hugh (Ward Cleaver) Beaumont and John (Sergeant Schultz) Banner. It's a spy film set in 1940 New York and in the beginning is a NYC Commodore Vanderbilt type of locomotive but at the end is a Boeing 314 flying boat! Exterior, interior and take-off shots and worth seeing for that alone.

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Posted by York1 on Thursday, December 2, 2021 10:32 PM

I know the film has been mentioned earlier -- "Leave Her To Heaven".

It begins in the lounge car of a train.  It's on TCM Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. Central time.

If you haven't seen it, it's worth the time just to see the magnificent houses, and especially the cabin at the Maine lake.

York1 John       

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Posted by 54light15 on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 11:45 AM

I was a little kid at the time but I loved the Dobie Gillis show. And speaking of Bob Cummings, he was an avid pilot and owned one of these. I've seen it at a classic car show in Michigan. 

http://www.aerocarforsale.com/history.htm 

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Posted by 54light15 on Thursday, January 13, 2022 9:40 PM

Here's a good one, a film noir filmed on location in Boston in 1950, "Danger Street" with Ricardo Montalbon. Late in the film there is a lot of train stuff filmed at Trinity Station in a passenger train service yard. You can see cars lettered for the Boston and Albany.  Anyone from Boston ought to be able to recognize locations. 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Monday, January 17, 2022 1:12 AM

PBS has a remake of "around the world in 80 days".  2nd episode has fogg taking an Italian loco over a  damaged bridge on rails hanging loose for about 30 feet. No cross ties for that length.  Cannot believe rail would not have spread when loco went over it.

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