The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)

Director:

Francis D. Lyon

Writer:

Lawrence Edward Watkin (written by)

Release Date:

8 June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family | War | Western

Tagline:

A true-life spy story of ultimate suspense. High speed and inconceivable bravery!

Plot:

This is based on a true story. During the Civil War, a Union spy, Andrews, is asked to lead a band of...

Plot Keywords:

Railway | Soldier | Train | Delay | Freight Train

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Fess Parker	...	James J. Andrews
Jeffrey Hunter	...	William A. Fuller
Jeff York	...	William Campbell
John Lupton	...	William Pittenger
Eddie Firestone	...	Robert Buffum
Kenneth Tobey	...	Anthony Murphy
Don Megowan	...	Marion A. Ross
Claude Jarman Jr.	...	Jacob Parrott
Harry Carey Jr.	...	William Bensinger
Leonard P. Geer	...	J.A. Wilson (as Lennie Geer)
George Robotham	...	William Knight
Stan Jones	...	Wilson Brown
Marc Hamilton	...	John Wollam
John Wiley	...	John M. Scott
Slim Pickens	...	Pete Bracken
Morgan Woodward	...	Alex
W.S. Bearden	...	A switchman
Harvey Hester	...	Jess McIntyre
Robert Kent	...	A switchman (as Douglas Bleckley)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joel Ashley	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Richard H. Cutting	...	Union General Mitchell (uncredited)
John Daheim	...	Cox (uncredited)
Robert Foulk	...	Confederate General Ledbetter (uncredited)
Roy Gordon	...	Secretary Stanton (uncredited)
Mitchell Kowall	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Hank Patterson	...	Turner, Friendly Jailer (uncredited)
John Pickard	...	Confederate Lt. Fletcher (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	...	Confederate Prison Captain (uncredited)
Dick Sargent	...	Union Soldier (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Alonzo Martin (uncredited)

Directed by
Francis D. Lyon		(as Francis Lyon)

Writing credits
Lawrence Edward Watkin		(written by)

Produced by
Lawrence Edward Watkin	....	producer
Walt Disney	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Paul J. Smith		(as Paul Smith)

Cinematography by
Charles P. Boyle		(photographed by) (as Charles Boyle)

Film Editing by
Ellsworth Hoagland

Art Direction by
Carroll Clark

Set Decoration by
Patrick Delany		(as Pat Delaney)
Emile Kuri

Makeup Department
Louis Haszillo	....	hair stylist
Louis Haszillo	....	makeup artist
David Newell	....	hair stylist
David Newell	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Russ Haverick	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert G. Shannon	....	assistant director (as Robert Shannon)

Sound Department
Robert O. Cook	....	sound supervisor
Virgil Smith	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Peter Ellenshaw	....	matte artist
Ub Iwerks	....	special processes
Albert Whitlock	....	assistant matte artist

Stunts
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Wilson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joseph Dimmitt	....	wardrobe
Chuck Keehne	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Franklyn Marks	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Walt Disney	....	presenter
Harper Goff	....	production researcher
Wilbur G. Kurtz	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions

Distributors

• Buena Vista Film Distribution Company (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1961) (USA) (TV)
• Daiei Motion Picture Company (1957) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum  generous cooperation

Also Known As:

"Andrews' Raiders" - USA (TV title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved | Canada:G (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Georgia, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

The locomotive the plays The General in the film (Baltimore and Ohio #25 William Mason) was built around the same time as the General, and had been in service during the Civil War. This is also the same locomotive used as The Wanderer in Wild Wild West (1999).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Yonah, in this film was portrayed by an early 1920s reproduction of an 1830s engine of the 4-2-0 wheel arrangement. The real Yonah was a 4-4-0 engine, as were the General and the Texas, and was built in 1849. Moreover, the real Yonah featured a headlight and cowcatcher, which the one in the film lacks.

Quotes:

[the General finally leaves Kingston Station after being stranded there for an hour]
Marion A. Ross:When I was a little boy, my father locked me in a closet for 14 hours. I always obeyed him after that, but I never *liked* him much.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Living Steam: Virginia and Truckee Then and Now at the Nevada State Railroad Museum (2008) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sons of Old Aunt Dinah

Connection to GWTW

This is really not a review as such, even though I really enjoyed this film when I saw it as a kid and am glad it is now available on DVD.I do hope they have included the "making of" that aired on Disneyland when the film was first released. My main comment is about the obscure connection of The Great Locomotive Chase,the actual event and Gone With the Wind. The conductor who chased Andrews, Capt William A.Fuller lived in Atlanta after the war and he had a daughter named Annie Laurie Fuller. Annie married Atlanta architect, artist and historian Wilbur G.Kurtz. Wilbur and Annie were friends of Margaret Mitchell. When GWTW was being filmed, Mitchell suggested Kurtz be the technical adviser on the film. The Kurtzs spent a great deal of time in Hollywood. Kurtz kept a diary of his work on the film that was published in the The Atlanta Historical Journal in the Summer 1978 issue, Vol XXII Number 2. Annie Laurie took some of the pictures that accompany the article. I found this connection to be interesting and if anyone out there is a GWTW junkie like myself, try to get a copy of the above mentioned journal. There is a wealth of information on the making of GWTW.