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Title: The Phantom Express (1932)
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Cast
| Cast overview: | |||
| William Collier Jr. | ... | Bruce Harrington | |
| Sally Blane | ... | Carolyn Nolan | |
| J. Farrell MacDonald | ... | D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan | |
| Hobart Bosworth | ... | Mr. Harrington | |
 |
Axel Axelson | ... | Axel - the Fireman |
| Lina Basquette | ... | Betty | |
| Eddie Phillips | ... | Dick Walsh | |
| Robert Ellis | ... | Reynolds | |
| Claire McDowell | ... | Ma Nolan | |
| David Rollins | ... | Jackie Nolan | |
|
|
Tom O'Brien | ... | Red Connelly - the Telegraph Operator |
| Huntley Gordon | ... | President of Rival Railroad (as C. Huntley Gordon) | |
|
|
Brady Kline | ... | Slim - a Thug |
| Jack Pennick | ... | Bubba - a Thug | |
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
An engineer at the throttle of a locomotive speeding through a tunnel sees the lights of a train approaching from the other end. Although the signals say the track is clear, he still sees the train's lights. He grinds the train to a halt, derailing it. He survives, but many passengers are killed. He is fired in disgrace, but sets out to prove his innocence by finding the "phantom express." Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
15 August 1932 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Il lampo See more »Filming Locations:
Los Angeles, California, USACompany Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Photophone System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
This film's earliest documented telecast took place in Los Angeles Wednesday 8 February 1950 on KECA (Channel 7). See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Without a doubt, The Phantom Express (1932) is my all-time favorite early talkie, railroad-themed movie. J.Farrel McDonald is outstanding as Smokey Nolan, the long-time engineer. I've seen a few other movies where McDonald plays a railroad-related part (e.g., with Victor McLaglen in The Broadway Limited) and it would appear that McDonald probably worked for the railroads prior to becoming a very good character actor as he played his parts with a great deal of ease and apparent intimate knowledge of the subject matter. Phantom Express was also very interesting from the standpoint that it was shot in live action, in/around LA and the Southern Pacific Railroad (including real shots of the SP boardroom at the old Central Station at 5th and Alameda), the SP Alhambra Roundhouse, Burbank Tower, etc. Also, the special effects modelling scenes were very much ahead of their time in terms of realism. All together, an excellent film of which I own several copies.