Spirit of America Bookstore
Railroad Film Festival
Page Four
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back on page one:
books on railroad movies collections & documentaries railroad movies, A thru F back on page two, parts A & B:
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here on page four:
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"The Taking of Pelham One Two Three"
[United Artists Oct 1974]
Directed by Joseph Sargent; script by Peter Stone, based on the novel by John Godey; starring Walter Matthau,
Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo & Earl Hindman • full credits at IMDb
remake "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3"
[M.G.M./Columbia June 2009]
Directed by Tony Scott; script by Brian Helgeland; starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta,
Luis Guzmán, Victor Gojcaj & Gbenga Akinnagbe •
official movie site •
full credits at IMDb
"Teddy At The Throttle" silent short film
[Keystone/Triangle April 1917]
 | Gloria's evil guardian is also in charge of her sweetie's trust fund, and is spending the money on himself; when Gloria finds out, the villain ties her to some railroad tracks, but she is rescued by Keystone's Great Dane wonder dog Teddy; still photo at left shows engine number 2101, film also includes footage of Pacific Electric passenger trains above the unpaved Los Angeles River east of Silverlake in Hollywood, California. Produced by Mack Sennett; directed by Clarence G. Badger; starring Gloria Swanson, Bobby Vernon, Wallace Beery & Teddy the Dog • full credits at IMDb film is available on DVD on "Lost Silent Classics Collection" [2010] along with "A Hash House Fraud" [1915] directed by Charley Chase, and "The Danger Girl" [1916] starring Gloria Swanson & Bobby Vernon Alpha Home Ent. b&w silent DVD [4/2010] for $5.98 |
"Terror By Night" [Universal Feb 1946]
 | The owner of a fabulous diamond hires Sherlock Holmes to protect the gem during transport by train from London to Edinburgh, Scotland. Co-produced & directed by Roy William Neill; starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Dennis Hoey, Renee Godfrey, Frederick Worlock, Mary Forbes, Skelton Knaggs, Billy Bevan & Geoffrey Steele
Focus Films b&w DVD [2/2001] for $14.95 M.P.I. Home Video b&w DVD [1/2004] for $17.99 Hollywood Movie Classics b&w VHS [1/85] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 |
"Terror Train" [1980]
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode; starring Jamie Lee Curtis & Ben Johnson;
full credits at IMDb
"Terror Train" remake [Steamroller Productions for 2009]
current status at IMDb
"Terror Train" remake [for 2010]
current status at IMDb
"Tezz (Fast/Speed)" [India June 2012]
 | Bollywood melodrama filmed in Scotland and Mumbai; story copies many elements from "The Bullet Train" Japanese bomb plot movie • Directed by Priyadarshan; written by Robin Bhatt & Aditya Dhar; starring Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, V. Mohanlal, Kangana Ranaut, Zayed Khan, Boman Irani, Sameera Reddy, Philip Martin Brown, Sagar Arya, Dominic Power, Avika Gor, Puja Bhatt, Bhavna Pani, Mudit Kumar Nair, Cory Goldberg, Jatin Goswami, Ghizala Avan, Manpreet Bambra, Danny Sapani, Douglas Reith, Terence Harvey, Ken Bradshaw & Elizabeth Croft
United 7 Ent. Ltd. color DVD [6/2012] for $9.25 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"This Gun For Hire" [Paramount May 1942]
 | A kindly hitman is paid off in 'hot' money, and flees on a train, where he meets the undercover girlfriend of his cop pursuer. {After the sequence on the 'Coaster' train from San Francisco to Los Angeles, much occurs in the L.A. railyards along Figueroa Street north of Chinatown.) • Directed by Frank Tuttle; script by Albert Maltz & W.R. Burnett from Graham Greene's 1936 novel; starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, Tully Marshall, Roger Imhof & Frank Ferguson
Universal b&w DVD [7/2004] for $12.99 Universal b&w VHS [10/95] out of prodn/many used credits from IMDb |
Spirit of America Bookstore's
"Thomas the Tank Engine" Books & Toys & TV Pages
The adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine and all of his friends on the Island of Sodor
419 episodes were broadcast on B.B.C. & P.B.S. from 1984 to 2015, plus over eighty feature film & direct-to-video releases
on page 1: top of page • synopsis & history • the books • the authors • business entities • other media • merchandise • links
on page 2: top of page • movies & videos • principal characters • image gallery
on page 3: top of page • non-series TV • TV series
"Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train"
aka "Ceux Qui M'Aiment Prendront Le Train"
[France May 1998; U.S.A. August 1999]
 | A Paris painter asks that his remains be buried in Limoges; the body is transported by car while a group of mourners travel by train. Co-written & directed by Patrice Chéreau; starring Pascal Greggory, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Charles Berling, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Bruno Todeschini, Sylvain Jacques, Vincent Perez, Roschdy Zem, Dominique Blanc, Delphine Schiltz, Nathan Kogen, Marie Daëms, Chantal Neuwirth, Thierry de Peretti, Olivier Gourmet, Genevičve Brunet & Didier Brice; won César Awards for Best Director, Best Cinemato-graphy, Best Supporting Actress (Blanc), nominated for Best Film, Best Writing, Best Actor (PG), Best Supporting Actors (VP & JLT), Best Production Design, Best Editing & Best Sound
Kino Video widescreen color DVD [4/20000] for $26.99 Kino Video letterboxed color VHS [12/2000] for $23.70 full credits from IMDb |
"Thunder" silent feature [M.G.M. July 1929]
 | Location filming was on the Lake Shore Division of the Chicago & North Western Railroad, especially at the railroad yards in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Locomotive engineer/driver Grumpy Anderson is a stickler for being on time, and folks quickly get tired of his behaviour and withdraw; but when he takes a Red Cross relief special train thru dangerously-flooded country, he becomes a hero. • This film is considered lost; only half of a reel (maybe five minutes) is known to exist • Co-produced & directed by William Nigh; starring Lon Chaney, Phyllis Haver, James Murray, Tom Keene, Frances Morris, Wally Albright & John MacIntosh
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"The Timber Queen" 15-chapter serial
[Hal Roach Studios/Pathé Exchange July 1922]
 | At least four chapters exist at U.C.L.A and at the Gosfilmofond archives in Moscow, Russia; the rest are considered lost • Chapter Titles: (1) The Log Jam; (2) The Flaming Forest; (3) Guilty As Charged; (4) Go Get Your Man; (5) The Yukon Trail; (6) The HIdden Pearl; (7) Mutiny; (8) The Smuggler's Cave; (9) Horned Fury; (10) Human Vultures; (11) The Runaway Engine; (12) The Abyss; (13) The Stolen Wedding; (14) One Day To Go; and (15) The Silver Lining • Production supervisor Hal Roach; directed by Fred Jackman; written by Carl Krusada & Bertram Millhauser; starring Ruth Roland, Bruce Gordon, Val Paul, Leo Willis, Frank Lackteen, Bull Montana, Al Ferguson, Al/Otto Freez, Chris Lynton
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"The Titfield Thunderbolt"
[Ealing/Universal 1953]
 | When the government decides to close the local railway branch, residents rally and take over operation of the line; but the competing bus company decides to use ruthless tactics to prevent their success. • Directed by Charles Crichton; starring Stanley Holloway, George Relph, Naunton Wayne, John Gregson & Hugh Griffith
Anchor Bay Ent. color DVD-R [4/2011] for $19.99 DVD also available as part of The Ealing Comedy Collection 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Tom Alone (Last Train Home)" TV Western movie [CBC-TV 1990] /tt0099989/
"The Train" [1964]:
full credits at IMDb
watch full movie free with ads [9/2020 upload; 2:13:17] online at YouTube {may require different browser}
"Train" [NuImage/LionsGate 2008]
 | Filmed in Bulgaria; an American college wrestling team touring Eastern Europe miss their train and are offered a ride on a later train, which turns out to be a horrifying journey to Hell • Written & directed by Gideon Raff; starring Thora Birch, Gideon Emery, Kavan Reece, Derek Magya, Gloria Votsis, Todd Jensen, Vladimir Vladimirov, Koyna Ruseva, Valentin Ganev, Ivan Barnev, Nikolay Mutafchiev, Miroslav Emilov, Aleksandra Vasileva, Lina Zlateva, Matthew Tibbs, Dilyana Popova, Mihail Miltchev, Israel Baharov, Zachary Baharov, Andrey Slabakov, Tezdzhan Ismailova, Velislav Pavlov, Shelly Varod, Daniel Dimov, Mike Straub, Violeta Markovska, Teodor Yordanov, Marieta Krusteva, Petar Dimitrov, Marli Grigorov, Mimoza Bazova
LionsGate widescreen color DVD [11/2009] for $9.99 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia • watch 11/2009 official trailer [2:23] online at YouTube |
"Train 48" TV soap opera [Canada 2003-2005]
 | Half-hour Canadian TV evening soap opera of 318 episodes; filmed by Global TV Network same day as broadcast (thus often topical) on a mockup of a GO Transit bi-level coach (the finale included a scene where the cast stepped out of the train onto the platform at Burlington, Ontario); actors were handed an outline of the day's show, and much of the dialog was then improvised •
full credits at IMDb •
movie entry at Wikipedia
The "Train 48" series ran four times a week from June 2003 to 2005, then three times a week until the 1 July 2005 finale, followed by a few repeats to September 2005; the entire series was uploaded to YouTube for Canadian viewers, but in the United States, episodes can be viewed only on Amazon Video's on-demand platform; the uploads to Amazon Video were broken into 18 monthly 'seasons'; each season is available for FREE with signup for Amazon Prime Season 1, 21 episodes: Amazon Instant Video [2016] purchase option: each episode is 99˘ Season 18, 23 episodes: Amazon Instant Video [2016] purchase option: each episode is 99˘ watch 6/2016 official trailer [1:18] online at YouTube watch episodes on the Train 48 Channel [est. 5/2016] online at YouTube |
"The Train Killer" aka "Viadukt" [Hungary Jan 1983]
 | details scarce, but film is about destruction of the Orient Express and 'based on a true story'; really negative reviews on Amazon, mostly for ineptitude all around • Co-written & co-produced by Peer J. Oppenheimer; directed by Sándor Simó; co-written & co-produced by Egon Eis & Miklós Vásárhelyi; starring Michael Sarrazin, Towje Kleiner, Constanze Engel-brecht, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ferenc Bács, Antal Leisen, Teri Tordai, Dorottya Udvaros, Róbert Koltai, Robert Dietl, Pál Hetényi, Géza Tordy, Péter Müller, István Budai, János Derzsi, János Gosztonyi, Anita Ábel, Gabriella Marschek, Ottilia Marschek, Edit Soós, Gyula Szersén, Herlinde Latzko, Károly Ujlaky, István Szilágyi, Zoltán Bonta, Attila Tyll, Anikó Sáfár, Mátyás Usztics, Lajos Mezey, László Turán, Imre Csuja, István Butala, György ifj. Gonda, János Harkányi, Tibor Kenderesi, Ildikó Molnár, László Szacsvay, Gábor Kiss, Tamás Puskás •
full credits at IMDb
Osiris Ent. color DVD [3/2011] for $6.98 A.F.A. Ent. LLC color DVD [5/2015] for $12.95 |
"Train Man" [in development?] 
Announced 3/2016: Julia Roberts will play a lawyer tasked with defending Darius McCollum, the criminal (and Internet celebrity) known for impersonating public transit authorities in order to drive away subway trains and Greyhound buses. McCollum is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and has been arrested more than 30 times for such crimes, and his previous heists (starting at age 15) are shown throughout the film via flashbacks • not yet listed at IMDb
"Off The Rails" documentary [indep 2016]
Co-produced & written by Tchavdar Georgiev & Adam Irving; directed by Adam Irving
latest info at IMDb •
official movie site
"Train Master" [indep 2008]
 | When a railroad in the East buys up an Oregon shortline, the owner's son clashes with 'train master' Jeremiah, who is quickly fired – two years short of his retirement. The owner's visiting grandson holds Jeremiah's grandson's favorite toy dinosaur for ransom, and demands a ride on a locomotive, which turns into a runaway with five children on board • Co-produced, co-written & directed by Phil Bransom; railroad locations in Oregon; starring Michael Biesanz, Jonathan Hall, Elijah Nelson, Daniel Nelson & Mercedes Rose
video/DVD not yet available • full credits at IMDb • official movie site |
"Train Mice" [WDR-TV Germany 1984]
 | Half-hour cartoon about a mouse living in Munich whose grandfather told him stories of Switzerland being a 'mouse heaven' made of cheese; he gets trapped on a train to Köln ... Original German TV cartoon of 1984 is based on the children's book "Die Zugmaus (The Train Mouse)" by Uwe Timm; the 1991 video has English-language narration. (The beginning 6½ minutes of the tape is promos, the ending 8 minutes is more of the same.) •
1984 credits at IMDb
45-minute Just For Kids color VHS [1991] for $19.99 watch full cartoon [starts at 7:00] online at Veoh Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH German-language pb [1/2007] import/new-used |
"Train of Life (Train de Vie)"
[France Sept 1998, Paramount USA Nov 1999]
 | When Jewish peasants in wartorn Central Europe realize that the Nazi Army plans to deport them to death camps, the village idiot suggests that they deport themselves. The villagers build a train and make Nazi uniforms and set out for Palestine. In French with English subtitles • Written & directed by Radu Mihaileanu; starring Lionel Abelanski, Rufus, Agathe de la Fontaine; nominated for 2 Cesar Awards, won David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film, other festival awards
Olive Films widescreen color Blu-ray [10/2012] for $28.83 Olive Films widescreen color DVD [10/2012] for $24.29 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Train of The Dead" aka "Chum Thaang Rot Fai Phii" [Thailand May 2007]
 | No reason to expect much from a low-budget horror film from Thailand, but included here for the rare chance to see railroad equipment in Southeast Asia • Five teenagers in Thailand rob a kindergarten and then escape the police in a car chase and crash into a shop; they take the shopkeeper hostage and escape into an empty railroad car, planning to wait and divide the loot later; the car fills with rich people and the thieves are about to start robbing them when the passengers disappear and they realize that they have died and are "All aboard . . . for the ride to Hell!"
Co-produced, written & directed by Sukhum Mathawanit • credits at IMDb Tai Seng subtitled widescreen color DVD [12/2008] for $13.00 |
"Train Quest" [Kushner-Locke April 2001]
 | "The ride of your life!" Filmed in Romania; a train-loving teenager gets a date with his dream girl, but the evil owner of a toy store shrinks and imprisons them inside a speeding toy train . . . Directed by Jeffrey Porter; starring Donnie Biggs, Tanya Garrett & Cristian Irimia Artisan/Tango Ent. color DVD [6/2010] for $7.99 full credits at IMDb |
"Train Ride To Hollywood" [1975] /tt0078412/ also >> musicals
"The Train Robbers"
[Batjac/Warner Bros. Feb 1973]
 | A widow hires an old cowboy and his pals to go to Mexico and find the gold that her husband stole from the railroad, so she can return the loot for the reward and clear her family's name. Written & directed by Burt Kennedy; music by Dominic Frontiere; staring John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor, Ben Johnson, Christopher George, Bobby Vinton, Jerry Gatlin & Ricardo Montalban
Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [5/2007] for $11.49 Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [5/2005] for $13.49 Warner Home Video color VHS [2/93] out of prodn/used 14"x11" poster from Amazon for $9.99 28"x22" poster from Amazon for $19.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Train To Busan" [Korea July 2016]
 | A virus is turning residents of Seoul, Korea into zombies; several families attempt to survive by escaping on the train to Busan; budget was $8.5M, worldwide box office of $100M by September 2016 Written & directed by Sang-ho Yeon; starring Yoo Gong, Soo-an Kim, Yu-mi Jeong, Dong-seok Ma, Woo-sik Choi, Ahn So-hee, Eui-sung Kim DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia watch 7/2016 official trailers at YouTube: trailer #1 [2:08] • trailer #2 with more action [2:28] |
"Train To Pakistan" [India 1998]
 | When India gained its freedom from the English in 1946, Pakistan was separated from India (and the eastern part later became Bangladesh). Not all of the residents were happy with the changes, and the Hindus and the Muslims and the Sikhs clashed in deadly riots. The film is based on the classic novel by Khushwant Singh about events in a small border village. Co-produced, adapted & directed by Pamela Rooks; starring Nirmal Pandey, Rajit Kapur, Mohan Agashe, Smriti Mishra, Mangal Dhillon, Divya Dutta
Video Sound all-region color DVD [2006] for $6.79 Video Sound color DVD [1997?] for $11.34 NDFC Shemaroo color DVD w/English subtitles [undated] for $15.50 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "Train To Pakistan: A Novel" [Chatto & Windus 1956] by Khushwant Singh, Introduction by Arthur Lall Kindle Edition from Penguin [2/2016] for $3.75 {sic} Penguin 7¾x5¼ pb [2/2016] out of print/50+ used Grove Press mass pb [1956] out of print/used Grove Press 8¼x5½ pb [2/94] for $10.27 South Asia Books 7x5 hardcover [6/2003] out of print/used South Asia Books 7¼x4¾ hardcover [5/99] out of print/used book entry at Wikipedia • author entry at Wikipedia Roli Books in New Delhi published a 50th Anniversary Edition that includes 66 photographs of the partition violence by Margaret Bourke-White [1904-71] Roli Books pb [2006] out of print/used |
"Train To Tombstone" [Lippert Pictures Sept 1950]
 | One of the passengers on the train thru dangerous Indian country to Tombstone has plans to steal the $250,000 that is on board. • Co-produced & directed by William Berke; co-written by & starring Don 'Red' Barry; co-written by Orville H. Hampton & Victor West; also starring Robert Lowery, Wally Vernon, Tom Neal, Judith Allen, Barbara Stanley, Minna Phillips, Nan Leslie, Claude Stroud, Ed Cassidy, Carol Henry, Bill Kennedy, Jack Perrin; location filming on the Carson & Colorado Railway in Owens Valley, California •
full credits at IMDb
unbranded b&w DVD-R [8/2017] for $14.95 |
"Train Wreckers" short [1905] /tt0234913/
"The Train Wreckers" silent feature [Dec 1925] /tt0016450/
Directed by J.P. McGowan; starring Helen Holmes, Franklyn Farnum, Nelson McDowell
"Trainwreck" [Universal Pictures July 2015]
This is a comedy about modern dating in Manhattan, there are no actual trains in it.
Co-produced & directed by Judd Apatow; written by & starring Amy Schumer
full credits at IMDb •
official movie site
"Twentieth Century"
[Columbia Pictures May 1934]
 | The actress protege of a Broadway director decamps for Hollywood; her career soars and his fades. When he meets her on the train to the West Coast, he tries to persuade her to return to the stage. Co-produced & directed by Howard Hawks; script by Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur, based on their Broadway play; starring John Barrymore, Carole Lombard, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, Ralph Forbes, Charles Lane, Etienne Girardot & Edgar Kennedy Sony b&w DVD [2/2005] for $12.99 Sony b&w VHS [6/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • credits on Broadway |
"Turksib" [Vostokkino Russia Oct 1929]
 | 'Turksib' is a common term for the 2,000-mile {3,200km}-long broad-gauge Turkestan-Siberia Railway, built between 1926 and 1931; filmmaker Viktor Alexandrovitsh Turin resisted the standard character-driven narrative and made a grand, elemental drama centered around the construction of the railway from the arid plains of Turkestan to the icy Siberian mountains and the struggle for survival in Asia; released in Russia and U.K. at 75 minutes length, in USA at 57 minutes • Directed by Viktor A. Turin & AD Yakov Aron; written by Yakov Aron, Aleksandr Macheret, Viktor Shklovsky & Viktor A. Turin • bare credits at IMDb
the 'dual format' DVD/Blu-ray package seems to be playable on both Region A/1 and Region B/2 machines; it contains a newly-remastered 1930 British version by John Grierson, plus several short British films showing the influence of "Turksib" British Film Institute b&w DVD/Blu-ray combo [6/2013] for $16.99 |
"Twisted Rails" [Imperial Prodns May 1934]
 | A railroad employee is killed when he discovers who is sabotaging the trains . . . IMDb says that only an incomplete nitrate print {missing reel 1?} exists at UCLA Archive, not scheduled for preservation; IMDb says 51 minutes, Amazon says DVD is 61 minutes; B&N says DVD is 68 minutes, which length may include the 17-minute bonus silent short "The Lonedale Operator" [1911] by D.W. Griffith • Directed by Albert Herman; starring Jack Donovan, Alice Dahl, Philo McCullough, Donald Keith, Tom London, Robert 'Buddy' Shaw
Alpha Home Ent. b&w DVD [4/2010] for $7.98 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Tycoon" [R.K.O. 1947]
starring John Wayne •
full credits at IMDb
"Union Pacific" [Paramount Pictures April 1939]
 | Paramount owned and used former Virginia & Truckee Railroad coaches #9, #10, #11, #12 & #14 (wreck scene), combine #15, and V&T locos #21 & #22; V&T loco #11 worked as U.P.R.R. #41, and V&T loco #18 worked as U.P.R.R. #119 'Jupiter' • After President Lincoln authorizes construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, a 'financial opportunist' decides to obstruct the railroad for personal gain; railroad trouble-shooter Jeff Butler has his hands full fighting the bad guy's agent as well as Indians on the warpath, and competing with a former friend for the construction foreman's daughter. An action-packed 135 minutes (road show length). • Co-produced & directed by Cecil B. DeMille; based on the Ernest Haycox novel "Trouble Shooter"; starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Robert Preston, Akim Tamiroff, Lynne Overman, Brian Donlevy, Robert Barrat, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Ridges, Henry Kolker, Francis McDonald, Willard Robertson, Harold Goodwin, Evelyn Keyes, Richard Lane, William Haade, Regis Toomey, Fuzzy Knight, Lon Chaney Jr., Ward Bond, Lane Chandler, Iron Eyes Cody, Will Geer, Elmo Lincoln & Chief Thundercloud; won Western Heritage Bronze Wrangler Award in 1975
Universal Vault Series b&w DVD-R [11/2014] for $13.48 Universal Studios b&w VHS [3/95] for $25.95 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia also available on C.B. DeMille 5-Pack Box Set, along with "The Sign of The Cross" [1932], "Four Frightened People" [1934], and "Cleopatra" [1934] – all starring Claudette Colbert – and "The Crusades" [1935], starring Loretta Young Universal Studios DVD set [5/2006] 5 disks for $25.40 |
 | "Trouble Shooter" Western novel [Doubleday, Doran & Co. 1936] by Ernest Haycox The westward-building Union Pacific Railroad hires 'trouble shooter' Frank Peace to prevent trouble, and there is plenty of it! Signet mass pb [1975] out of print/used Popular Library mass pb [1952] out of print/used Chivers N/A 8x5¼ hardcover [2/99] out of print/used more of the same on Spirit of America Bookstore's 'Railroads in Fiction' Pages |
"Union Station" [Paramount Oct 1950]
 | Mostly filmed at Union Station in Los Angeles (playing Chicago), with exterior shots of the Third Avenue Elevated in New York City (playing Chicago) and on-board shots using cars of the Pacific Electric Railway in Los Angeles. A commuter notices some suspicious men on her train, and she reports to security at Union Station, who discover that the men have kidnapped a blind girl for ransom • Directed by Rudolph Mate; starring William Holden, Nancy Olson, Barry Fitzgerald, Lyle Bettger, Jan Sterling, Allene Roberts, Herbert Heyes, Don Dunning, Fred Graff, James Seay & Parley Baer
Olive Films b&w DVD [7/2010] for $22.49 full credits at IMDb |
"Unstoppable" [Fox Nov 2010]
 | Filmed in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania & West Virginia; a half-mile-long freight train hauling dangerous chemicals and with no crew aboard speeds toward the destruction of a major urban area • Co-produced & directed by Tony Scott; written by Mark Bomback; starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine & Rosario Dawson
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb • official movie site |
"The U.P. Trail" silent feature [Zane Grey Pictures/Pathé Exchange Nov 1920] /tt0011802/
Directed by Jack Conway; written by William H. Clifford, based on the 1918 novel by Zane Grey
"The Utah Trail" [Grand National Pictures Aug 1938] /tt0030921/
56-minute B-movie Western; directed by Albert Herman; starring Tex Ritter, 'Snub' Pollard & Pamela Blake
http://www.amazon.com/Utah-Trail/dp/B0083COJYK/
"Vintage Santa Fe TV Commercials" from the 1970s
watch five color ads - turn sound down! [7/2007 upload; 5:04] online at YouTube
"More Vintage Santa Fe TV Commercials" from the 1970s
watch six color ads [1/2008 upload; 6:20] online at YouTube
"Von Ryan's Express" [1965]: full credits at IMDb
"Water For Elephants" [Fox April 2011]
 | Just at graduation from college in 1931, Jacob's life falls apart; he finds work with the struggling Benzini Brothers traveling circus and falls in love with the wife of the ruthless circus owner. Filmed in California, Georgia & Tennessee, especially on the Tennessee Valley Railroad near Chattanooga (with Engine #18 clearly visible). • Directed by Francis Lawrence; script by Richard LaGravenese, based on Sara Gruen's bestseller novel; cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto; starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz, Hal Holbrook, Jim Norton, Paul Schneider, Richard Brake, Mark Povinelli & Tai the Elephant
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "Water For Elephants: A Novel" [2006 bestseller] by Sara Gruen Algonquin Books movie tie-in mass pb [3/2011] for $5.50 Algonquin Books 8¼x5½ pb [8/00] for $8.22 Algonquin Books 9½x6¼ deckle-edge hardcover [5/2006] for $16.29 book entry at Wikipedia • author's website |
"The West-Bound Limited" [Film Booking Offices April 1923]
 | A railroad engineer rescues the daughter of the president of the company from a speeding train; after he is rewarded, he becomes involved in the villainous schemes of the president's personal secretary. Directed by Emory Johnson; starring Ralph Lewis, Claire McDowell, Ella Hall & John Harron DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb |
"West Bound Limited" [Universal Pictures July 1937]
 | A railroad employee rejected by the president's daughter takes revenge by setting up a head-on collision between a speeding passenger train and a freight train • Co-written & directed by Ford Beebe; starring Lyle Talbot, Polly Rowles, Frank Reicher, Henry Brandon, Henry Hunter, William Lundigan, George Cleveland, Claire McDowell & J.P. McGowan
Grapevine Video b&w DVD [6/2011] for $17.08 Alpha Video Double Feature b&w DVD [1/2013] for $5.98 with 1909 silent "A Corner In Wheat" full credits at IMDb |
"West Highland" [BBC-TV 1960]
 | 30-minute b&w documentary short; PAL format DVD includes second short film "Night Mail" [1936] • Produced & directed by John Gray; featuring Cecil J. Allen, Kenna Campbell (songs), Jameson Clark, Bill Jack, Duncan McIntyre BBC Region 2 (PAL format) b&w DVD [10/2002] out of prodn/used credits at IMDb |
"The Western Limited" [1932] /tt0023683/
"Western Pacific Agent" [1950]: full credits at IMDb
"Where The Hell's That Gold?!!?" [CBS-TV Nov 1988] /tt0096434/
Co-produced, written & directed by Burt Kennedy; starring Willie Nelson, Delta Burke, Jack Elam,
Alfonso Arau & Gerald McRaney; filmed at the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad at Chama, New Mexico
and at Eaves Movie Ranch in New Mexico
"Whispering Smith" silent feature [Metropolitan/P.D.C. March 1926]
Produced by Cecil B. DeMille; directed by George Melford; adapted by Elliott J. Clawson & Will M. Ritchey; starring
H.B. Warner, Lillian Rich, John Bowers, Lilyan Tashman, Eugene Pallette, Richard Neill, Jim Mason •
full credits at IMDb
"Whispering Smith Rides" 10-chapter silent serial
[Universal June-Aug 1927]
 | Chapter Titles: 1. Lawless Men; 2. Caught In The Crash; 3. Trapped; 4. The Ambush; 5. Railroad Gold; 6. The Interrupted Wedding; 7. A Coward of Conscience; 8. The Bandit's Bargain; 9. The Trail of Sacrifice; and 10. A Call of The Heart • Directed by Ray Taylor; written by Frank H. Spearman; scenario by Arthur Henry Gooden; starring J.P. McGowan, Wallace MacDonald, Rose Blossom, Henry Hebert, Merrill McCormick, Nelson McDowell, Willie Fung & Dick La Reno • VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available
This film serial is considered lost • serial credits at IMDb • serial entry at Wikipedia |
"Whispering Smith Speaks" [Fox May 1935]
 | Railroad scenes filmed in Northern California, with amazing b&w footage of S.P. cab-forward locomotives; deciding that he will never learn the railroading business working in an office in Detroit, the son of a railroad owner goes out in the field; he becomes a track-walker for a small rail line and becomes smitten with the female manager-owner; when scoundrels discover tungsten deposits on her ranch, their intrigue puts her in danger, and the young man commandeers a special train to race to her rescue • Directed by David Howard; starring George O'Brien {as Gordon Harrington, Jr. aka John 'Whispering' Smith}, Irene Ware, Kenneth Thomson, Maude Allen, Spencer Charters, Victor Potel, Edward Keane, Frank Sheridan, William V. Mong, Maurice Cass & J.P. McGowan
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb |
"Whispering Smith" color feature [Paramount Dec 1948]
 | A railroad detective's friend is fired, and then joins a gang of train robbers; Smith is assigned to bring the man to justice, and matters are complicated by a mutual attraction with the man's wife • Directed by Leslie Fenton; based on the Spearman novel; starring Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall, Donald Crisp, William Demarest, Fay Holden, Murvyn Vye, Frank Faylen, John Eldredge, Ward Wood, J. Farrell MacDonald, Will Wright, Don Barclay, Eddy Waller, Ray Teal & Bob Kortman; WGA nomination for Best Western Script
Universal color DVD [6/2004] for $11.24 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia also available as part of "4 Movie Marathon" package, with "Albuquerque" [1948], "War Arrow" [1953], and "Duel At Silver Creek" [1952] Universal color DVD set [3/2011] 2 disks for $9.68 |
"Whispering Smith" TV series [Revue/NBC-TV May-Oct 1961]
 | 26 b&w half-hour episodes filmed in 1959, not broadcast until 1961; officially based on the Spearman novel about Denver, Colorado police detective 'Whispering' Smith (here called Tom). Starring Audie Murphy, Sam Buffington & Guy Mitchell Shout! Factory / Timeless Media Group b&w DVD set [4/2010] 3 disks for $18.41 full credits at IMDb • series entry at Wikipedia DVD includes bonus "Medal of Honor: The Audie Murphy Story" [1955 short] |
more info on real-life railroad detective James L. Smith and the many fiction & non-fiction books & stories and silent & sound movies
can be found on
'Readers of The Purple Sage' Western Bookstore's "Whispering Smith" Page
"The White Desert" silent feature film
[M.G.M. May 1925]
 | "This photo-drama was produced at tremendous cost and at a terrible risk of life." Filmed on location in the Colorado Rocky Mountains; the supervisor of the work gang pushing the digging of a railbed and tunnels over the Continental Divide wants speed, so he demands the use of dynamite. As predicted by the crew, the dynamite eventually causes an avalanche, which half-buries the camp and blocks arrival of supplies. Directed by Reginald Barker; adapted by Monte M. Katterjohn & Gordon Rigby from the 1922 novel by Courtney Ryley Cooper; starring Claire Windsor, Pat O'Malley, Robert Frazer, Frank Currier, William Eugene, Roy Laidlaw, Sôjin, Priscilla Bonner, Snitz Edwards, Milton Ross & Matthew Betz
DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | adapted from Denver author Courtney Ryley Cooper's novel "The White Desert" [Musson Book Co. 1922] Fili-Quarian Classics 11x8½ pb [7/2010] for $9.99 1st World Publng 8½x5½ hardcover [10/2008] for $24.95 |
"Wild Boys of The Road" [1933] /tt0024772/
kids hopping freights during the Great Depression; directed by Wm. Wellman
"The Wild Wild West" feature film
[Warner Bros. June 1999]
Filmed in Technicolor in California, Utah & Idaho, at Old Tucson Studios, Arizona, and in Abiquiu, Cook Ranch, Santa Fe
& Stanley in New Mexico; railroad footage shot in Idaho & at Old Tucson; directed by Barry Sonnenfeld; starring
Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Salma Hayek, M. Emmet Walsh, Ted Levine, Frederique Van Der Wal,
Musetta Vander, Sofia Eng, Ling Bai, Garcelle Beauvais, Mike H. McGaughy, Rodney A. Grant & Clayton Moore;
swept the Razzie Awards, with 5 'wins' • full credits at IMDb •
movie entry at Wikipedia •
official movie site
"Without Reservations" [R.K.O. 1946]
The female author of a novel in a similar tone as Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" meets a tough-guy actor on a train
bound for Hollywood where her novel is to be made into a movie; she actively pursues him for the lead role,
though he's read the novel and openly mocks it as ridiculous nonsense.
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy; starring John Wayne & Claudette Colbert •
full credits at IMDb
"Wolves of The Rail"
[Hart/Artcraft/Famous Players-Lasky Jan 1918]
| Buck and his gang of bandits have terrorized the West, but when his dying mother asks him to go straight, he does. Then he meets a railroad detective with orders to capture Buck dead or alive. When the detective realizes who Buck is, they fight and Buck locks him in a remote cabin and takes his identity. Buck then captures most of his old gang, but two bandits release the detective and meet the railroad president. But Buck's capture of the bandits and saving a trainload of soldiers convinces the railroad boss that Buck is free to move on (with his new girlfriend). Co-produced by Thomas Ince; co-produced & directed by & starring William S. Hart; with Vola Vale, C. Norman Hammond, William Elmer, Melbourne MacDowell & Kisaburo Kurihara • video/DVD not available • full credits from IMDb |
"The Wrecker" [Gainsborough Pictures/F.P.S.-Film GmbH July 1929]
 | Filmed as a silent, soundtrack later added; location filming at Sevenoaks, Kent and at Waterloo Station in London; extensive cooperation from the Southern Railway (U.K.), including the train wreck staged near Herriard on the Basingstoke-Alton Light Railway in Hampshire; a mysterious saboteur is wrecking trains, seemingly just for fun; hero and his girl cannot figure out how The Wrecker can be so many places at the same time, until they realize that he is the leader of a gang . . . • Directed by Géza von Bolváry; adapted by Angus MacPhail & Benno Vigny, based on the Broadway stageplay by Bernard Merivale & Arnold Ridley; starring Joseph Striker, Benita Hume, Carlyle Blackwell, Winter Hall, Gordon Harker, Pauline Johnson, Leonard Thompson • Region 1 DVD not available • full credits at IMDb |
 | "The Wrecker" novelization [1924] by Ruth Alexander
from the famous 1924 play by Arnold Ridley and Bernard Merivale Eldon Press hardcover [1951] out of print/scarce World Wide Publrs/Readers Library, London illustrated edition hardcover [1928] out of print/used World Wide Publrs/Readers Library, London hardcover [1929] out of print/scarce stageplay entry at Wikipedia |
"You Can't Win" [Parts & Labor 2016?]
Announced 4/2012: Scheduled to begin filming in Washington State at end of April; apparently emphasizing the hobo/railroad
aspects of the book; Michael Pitt will produce & star, with Robinson Devor directing; script adapted by Devor, Pitt,
Barry Gifford & Charles Mudede • latest info at IMDb
 | "You Can't Win" [1926 bestseller] by Jack Black The amazing autobiographical novel of burgler, safe-cracker, highwayman, and petty thief Jack Black tracks his life freight-hopping across the western United States and Canada, and his experiences with the brotherhood of hobos, bums, tramps, and criminals who rode the rails in turn-of-the-century America, and his three major stints in prison. This was the favorite book of Beat poet Wm. S. Burroughs [1914-97], who contributed an Introduction for the 2000 republication; the hardcover has the original Foreword by Robert Herrick [1868-1938] UNABR Kindle Edition from Wilder Publns [12/2010] for $2.99 {sic} A.K./Nabat Books 9x6¼ pb {with WmSB Intro} [4/2001] for $10.24 BNpublishing 9x6 pb {without WmSB Intro} [6/2007] for $9.99 Macmillan & Co. hardcover [1926] out of print/used |
"The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet" in 3-D
[indep USA July 2015]
 | Filmed in Canada & Washington, DC; 3-D train sequences filmed in British Columbia; a boy on a remote Montana ranch enters his invention in a national contest without telling anyone; when he wins, the folks at the Smithsonian don't yet know that he is a child . . . Co-produced, co-written & directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet; co-written by Guillaume Laurant; based on the novel by Reif Larsen; cinematography by Thomas Hardmeier; starring Kyle Catlett, Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis, Callum Keith Rennie, Niamh Wilson, Jakob Davies, Rick Mercer, Dominique Pinon, Julian Richings, Richard Jutras, Mairtin O'Carrigan, Michel Perron, Dawn Ford, Harry Standjofski, Susan Glover, James Bradford, Leni Parker, Kyle Gatehouse, Lisa Bronwyn Moore & Tapioca the Dog; won César Award & Lumiere CST Award for Best Cinematography
Anchor Bay widescreen color Blu-ray [11/2015] for $26.99 Anchor Bay widescreen color DVD [11/2015] for $13.99 full credits at IMDb • French-language official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia watch 7/2015 official trailer [2:17] at YouTube |
 | "The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet" [2009] by Reif Larsen Penguin Books 9x7½ pb [4/2010] for $13.83 Penguin Books 9x7½ pb [4/2010] out of print/50+ used Penguin Press 9½x8¼ hardcover [5/2009] for $19.12 |
"Zhou Yu de huo che (Zhou Yu's Train)"
[China Aug 2002, USA July 2004]
 | A ceramics artist in Sanming falls in love with a poet who lives in Chongyang, a town several hundred kilo-meters away; she visits him twice a week and during the train trips also meets a veterinary surgeon • Co-produced, co-written & directed by Zhou Sun; co-written by Mei Zhang, from a story by Bei Cun; starring Gong Li {dual role}, Tony Leung Ka-Fai & Honglei Sun
Sony Pictures Home Ent. subtitled widescreen color DVD [11/2004] for $4.72 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia watch full movie w/English subtitles [12/2016 upload; 1:28:58] online at YouTube based on a short story by avant-garde Chinese writer Bei Cun Better Link Press 8¼x5½ pb anthology [10/2010] for $22.93 |
"Zug der Abenteuer (Train of Adventures)" [Germany 2013?] /tt2331616/
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