The Ghost Train (1941)

High jinks and chills ensue when a group of people become stranded at an isolated station and a legendary phantom train approaches.

Director:

Walter Forde

Writers:

Arnold Ridley (based on the famous play by), J.O.C. Orton (scenario)

Stars:

Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, Kathleen Harrison

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Arthur Askey	...	Tommy Gander
Richard Murdoch	...	Teddy Deakin (as Richard {Stinker} Murdoch)
Kathleen Harrison	...	Miss Bourne
Peter Murray-Hill	...	R.G. Winthrop
Carole Lynne	...	Jackie Winthrop
Morland Graham	...	Dr. Sterling
Betty Jardine	...	Edna
Stuart Latham	...	Herbert
Herbert Lomas	...	Saul Hodgkin
Raymond Huntley	...	Price
Linden Travers	...	Julia Price
D.J. Williams	...	Ben Isaacs

Storyline

Mismatched travellers are stranded overnight at a lonely rural railway station. They soon learn of local superstition about a phantom train which is said to travel these parts at dead of night, carrying ghosts from a long-ago train wreck in the area. The travelers eventually get to the bottom of the things that go bump in the night. In between the scary bits, comedian Arthur Askey plays the gags with his Vaudeville style humor, to the constant irritation of his fellow passengers.

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Plot Keywords:

train | ghost | railway | hat | thunderstorm | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 1941 (UK)

Also Known As:

El tren fantasma

Filming Locations:

Gaumont-British Studios, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gainsborough Pictures,Gaumont British Picture Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (British Acoustic Film Full Range Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tommy Gander makes a comment about the parrot singeing its 'parson's nose'. The 'parson's nose' is a nickname for the pygostyle, the fleshy protuberance visible at the posterior end of a chicken that has been prepared for cooking. It has a swollen appearance because it also contains the uropygial gland that produces preen oil.

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Goofs

The station-master manages to escape out of the side office without anyone seeing him, despite the fact that the room had only one door and no window (only the ticket box opening). There was always someone in the waiting room through which he would have had to pass to escape.

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Quotes

Gander [telling a story]: [to parrot] I say, I wonder if I could teach you to talk. I wonder if you could say 'Heil Hitler.' Eh? No, not with a beak like that.

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Connections

Version of Spøgelsestoget (1976)

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Soundtracks

The Seaside Band
Written by Kenneth Blain
Performed by Arthur Askey (uncredited)

User Reviews

"If it be natural where do it come from, where do it go?"

Now this is one of Big's Best, Jack Hulbert's single role in 1931 split into two for the Band Waggon radio team Askey & Murdoch. It boasts a great stalwart cast, who ham the play up for all they're worth, especially Askey of course. Histrionics were provided by Linden Travers, melodramatics by Herbert Lomas, and pragmatics by Richard Murdoch.

The group of rail passengers stranded at the lonely country station for the night find more than they bargained for, ghostly trains, spectral porters, hairy sausage rolls and Arthur trying to entertain them all. His repartee with everyone falls between side-splitting and ghastly dull. When the formula works it's very good, but it sometimes gets very contrived and forced making the film seem more dated than it is. But those damn treacherous fifth columnists - thank any God Britain hasn't got any nowadays!

Ultimately a nice harmless film, to welcome back to the TV screen as an old friend, but if you were expecting to be shivered out of your timbers you'll probably be very disappointed!