the ghost train ( 1941 film )
arthur askey is toe - curlinglingly unfunny, and the ‘ghost train’ isn’t a ghost train .
- hire a modern day train carriage to film the last scene needed to complete the film .
the version we are discussing today was made in 1941 and film critic leslie hallowell has said that it is almost a scene by scene remake of the 1931 film - - even using some of the surviving footage from the earlier film. the major differences between the two films were that the 1941 film was updated to world war ii and that one character' s role had been split into two roles .
the ghost train has been called the greatest and scariest stage ghost story of all time. it was written in 1923 by arnold who wrote more than 30 plays. yet it was, only the ghost train which achieved notable success, running for 665 performances at london’s st martin’s theatre and being adapted for the cinema three times .
john explains that he has never boarded the ghost train because he can’t leave his sister (who is still alive) .
it' s a mildly entertaining film from the start but really the only part to watch roughly the last 25 minutes - then you' ll actually get to the ghost train part of the show. as stated earlier, the rest of the film is the comedy of askey .
pg 1941 aka spellbound and the spell of amy nugent, passing clouds. a good film but suffers from a noisy soundtrack, worth persevering with .
first came across arthur askey in the ghost train and thought he was great. he' s just as good in band waggon
they are ‘greeted’ by the sombre station master, ted holmes, who reluctantly allows the group to spend the night at the station but not before telling them the story of the ghost train that has been seen at the station every night since a horrific train crash in 1941. ted then leaves the six strangers to reflect on the tale and their current predicament .
arthur askey' s the ghost train (1941) - first saw it as a poorly kid with toothache and last night twenty years on as a poorly adult with the flu. cheered me up both times :) clever, silly and fun .
all we need is a little help to complete this amazing project, and then hopefully audiences can enjoy a thrilling ride on the ghost train .
‎the ghost and mrs. muir (original motion picture soundtrack) by bernard herrmann on apple music
if you can get past the inclusion of askey (and it’s a big “if”), the ghost train is a very effective little film. everyone else is playing it dead straight, which makes the ghostly goings - on work very well indeed .
clearly, too, the makers of the ghost train recognised how thoroughly they were sabotaging their source material. it speaks volumes for everyone’s attitude to this film’s “star” that when it comes time for the first of the play’s two famous set - pieces, the recounting of the history of the ghost train by station - master saul hodgkin, tommy gander is banished from the room, so that the grim narrative can proceed uninterrupted. the scene is allowed to play out as originally written - - - and consequently is one of the few honestly effective aspects of this film .
eight people find themselves stranded at fal vale junction, truro and are told of the mysterious ghost train. two of them investigate and uncover a fifth - column plot .
this film is the product of so many fantastic people, who have all given their time and expertise to make the ghost train a success. we simply cannot bear to think that it won' t get finished, for the sake of a few thousand pounds !
vaudevillian arthur askey’s lead turns this film about passengers stranded in a haunted train station into the comedy genre, although it’s a stretch for the subject matter. the most interesting parts about the film are the matter of fact treatment of life in world war 2 britain .
the stationmaster tells a tale of 43 years ago, when the then stationmaster died from heart failure as he was half way through closing the swing bridge nearby. the next train crashed, killing the occupants. the line hasn’t been used since, but on some nights the train can still be heard… “they do say that to look on the ghost train would mean death, ” he adds, less than cheerily .
( 1941), war drama film; written and directed by michael powell and emeric pressburger. (released in the united states as the invaders .) starring anton walbrook, raymond massey, laurence olivier and leslie howard. despite the title, the only border scene is at niagara falls where the train episode takes place. incidental. *
war is hell: german troops during the battle for the city. the battle scenes in the film are terrible and convincing
the train is one of the most enduring features of the cinema. the locomotive has been present from film' s early beginnings to the present day and evolved from the late 19th. century along with the cinema into everyday life .
anyway, back to the 1941 movie and its plot. tommy gander (arthur askey), a vaudeville comedian, pulls the communication cord on a gwr express train, bringing it to a stop so he can retrieve his hat. “it was you who stopped the train” - “yes, i don’t know me own strength” .
still wrestling with their fate to different degrees, the passengers leave to board the ghost train. emma asks ted if he will ever get on the train, he replies that he ‘failed his post’ that night in 1941 and will work at the station until he believes his debt is paid. this seems to affect tom the most and after the smoke has cleared and the others have gone, tom is left standing on the platform with ted, ready to serve his time at the station for what he has caused .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
but now for something different: russian film - makers have got in on the act .
the film is suffused with a blend of brutality and sentimentality which has characterised the russian psyche for centuries .
arthur askey, richard murdoch and kathleen harrison were the main stars of the film version although saul hodgkin as the station master played a great role in setting the atmosphere for the group. the story concerns a group of mismatched train passengers who end up getting stranded at lonely country railway station called fal vale. the next train to truro is not for another nine hours and to make matters worse, the weather is terrible. they soon learn a local tale of mystery and fear concerning a phantom train that is sometimes heard and seen rushing down the track. the train carries the dead passengers, victims of a train crash that happened many years previously. one of the best lines in the film was by the station master: -
the ghost train by arnold ridley - different copy for the american market... ...... ...... ...... .... cast listing copyright 1931
the ghost train, produced at the st. martin' s theatre, west street, cambridge circus, westminster, london, england on the 23rd november 1925 was a huge hit which then moved to the usa where it did not fair as well .
this article is about the film. for music hall song, see oh! mr porter .
i' d been looking forward to the ghost train (1941) for quite some time now. had seen the much damaged 1931 version and it felt like it had a lot in common with it. almost too much, and i' m struggling a little with the light comedian arthur askey, so not as original as i' d hoped. semi - zany comedy, but a bit of a letdown overall all things considering. especially with it' s long wait for the ghost stuff. still plenty of goofball madness to enjoy .
it would have made more sense for me to watch the original sound version of the ghost train (1931) with the 1941 remake of the same title, because the' 31 version is missing about 30 minutes of footage (start and middle) along with most of the sound discs. meaning there is only 50 minutes left of the film and only the last 20 of it with sound. thankfully this is where broad acting helps one understand what' s going on. no matter how charming jack hulbert is, this one is simply too damaged to truly enjoy .
due to the moratorium imposed on horror films during the war, scary movies were issued under the comedy label – hence the involvement of arthur. this being 1941 and wartime propaganda, the train is really being used by nazi fifth columnists to secretly transport arms. all ends well with the train plunging into a river but, tragically, arthur survives. to paraphrase the germans in fawlty towers, “how did we ever win? ”
tall, handsome and charming, his first career was on the stage, coming to some prominence in the 1930s, although already selling books between performances. he appeared in a dozen or more films between 1938 and 1945, including the outsider (1939), with george sanders; the ghost train (1941), with arthur askey; a leading rôle in mr. reeder in room 13 (1941), based on an edgar wallace story; another leading rôle in rhythm serenade (1943), opposite vera lynn, and bell - bottom george (1944), with george formby .
the film that makes private ryan look like kids' stuff: the russians are coming - with a blood - drenched film about the most savage battle in history. but, says max hastings, the reality was even more barbaric
if this film is anything it is an arthur askey showpiece. 90% of this film belongs to askey and his style of comedy. that is not necessarily a bad thing but he really distracts from the reason most of us are watching the film to being with - a ghost train. at the time this was filmed the audiences may have gone to watch this for askey' s comedy but i think today most of us are watching this for a comedy - horror / thriller and not so much for askey .
the ghost train has been fully self - funded thus far and we have filmed all but' one' scene! the rest are' in the can' as they say, all filmed in high definition and will be broadcast quality when completed. we already have interest from various satellite television companies wanting to possibly transmit the film when it is completed .
film # 23 in my 2016 hoop - tober (3. 0) list .
digital still digital copy of the iconic poster, pdf of screenplay script, digital version of the finished feature film .
tom shows the clipping to the others on the platform. ted appears and implores them all to come inside. once back in the waiting room the startled passengers listen to ted explain that the station is a ‘sort of limbo’ and that the ghost train takes people on to the next life. the television flashes onto a news report, about a train crash caused by the emergency brake being pulled. they listen as their names are read out as the six dead passengers .
we chose to do a modern day re - imagining of the ghost train because it was a brilliantly simple story with characters that could easily be adapted to become recognisable, relateable and interesting and it lent itself to tradition' ghost story telling' which is thrilling and suspenseful rather than' gorey'. the ghost train could also be described as a situation comedy as it explores the humour that arises from the real conversations such a diverse group of characters / ages / classes would have in this situation. this makes the film feel very naturalistic and real. the story takes place throughout one night, so the timing of it also feels very real with no big jumps or timelapse between scenes. we, as an audience see exactly how their night unfolds .
who stopped the train! ” / “yes, i don’t know me own strength! ”) .
frasier (season and episode unidentified) - a christmas episode, with a train around the tree .
the “horror - comedy” is always a perilous undertaking. the comedy can sometimes undermine rather than enhance the horror, often by implying that there’s really nothing to be scared of in the first place. that, mind you, is when the comedy is done right. done wrong - - - well, there are all sorts of horrors in the world, and when it comes to the world of film few things can inflict suffering like an unfunny comedy. in this respect, 1941’s the ghost train is one of the most astonishing things i have ever seen, a comedy that becomes almost hypnotic in its sheer inability to entertain .
the person who caused the train to stop in the first place did it on purpose because he' s actually investigating the goings - on ...
but on film, compressed and inescapable - - - “cruel and unusual” doesn’t begin to describe the punishment dished out here. askey is no mere odious comic relief in the ghost train: he dominates the film, with the bare bones of arthur ridley’s play becoming nothing more than a framework on which to hang a barrage of capering, silly voices, unfunny jokes and even a song - and - dance number. the cumulative effect is nothing less than excruciating - - - and not only for the viewer .
the country doctor (1947) stars bing crosby, set in maine, and has a rare scene of a maine central passenger train, pulled by a pacific, departing the portland station with its train shed .
in this thriller, a group of stranded passengers are terrified by the weird tales of a stationmaster who tells them of the
ghost train
that rumbles down the darkened tracks. it turns out that phantasmal locomotive is very real and is used by a gang of arms smugglers .
the railrodder (1965) national film board of canada. buster keaton ventures across canada in a speeder (handcar). final silent short (21 minutes) comedy film. directed by gerald potterton .
classic ghostly comedy, starring arthur askey and based on the play by' dad' s army' actor arnold ridley. when a group of mismatched train passengers are stranded at a rural station overnight, they soon hear of a sinister local legend telling of a ghostly train that passes through the area, ever since a terrible accident 43 years ago. anyone who happens to gaze upon the train will face death and disaster. when the station master is suddenly found murdered, and when a disturbed young girl arrives from the local mental hospital, the passengers are thrown into further panic when they hear the roar of the approaching ghost train ...
in the opening scene, the train is shown traveling on the left side track, when gander pulls the cord and stops it, it' s on the right side track .
this is an old one, 1941 in fact an attemp to mix comedy and horror, didn' t do much for me. just to much slapstick. 2 1 / 2 stars
the ghost train is based on the arnold ridley play, of the same name and is a true' ghost story'. we had been huge fans of the original and have tried to be very respectful to the original material, with many subtle' nods' to the play. but we ultimately felt that the ending needed a more' ghostly' twist. when i started to write the modern day version i was amazed how quickly it all came together and how people who have read it are truly spooked and shocked by the dramatic twist at the end !
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
in wartime, the british film industry consciously avoided potentially upsetting or disrespectful themes, and the recently installed
h
certificate almost eliminated horror movies entirely. so, when forde remade his 1931 film ten years later, humor was brought to the forefront .
ghost train [ dvd ] [ 1941 ]: urltoken arthur askey, richard murdoch, kathleen harrison, peter murray - hill, carole lynne, morland graham, betty jardine, stuart latham, herbert lomas, raymond huntley, linden travers, d. j. williams, jack e. cox, walter forde, edward black, arnold ridley, j. o. c. orton, marriott edgar, val guest: dvd & blu - ray
the hounds of notre dame (1980). a canadian drama film directed by zale dalen, starring thomas peacocke and barry morse. it used the sukanen pioneer village museum train station in moose jaw, sask and added the sign
wilcox
to it for the filming .
the battle for stalingrad was the turning point of world war ii. following the german invasion of russia — operation barbarossa, which began in june 1941 — the wehrmacht swept eastwards, destroying whole soviet armies and capturing two million prisoners, most of whom they starved to death .
contemporary audiences would have taken this stuff for granted, of course, but there is something quite fascinating in the film’s details, and the matter - of - fact way in which they are presented: the obsessive checking of the train passengers’ tickets, for instance; the removal of the place name signs from the train platforms; the references to blackouts, and to rationing; and the willingness of these strangers to pitch in and share their limited resources with one another .
mystery of the blue train. some fleeting or short exterior images, and the usual interior corridor and compartment shots. incidental. * *
additional recommendations by john d. thompson, photographer, writer, steam train and classic movie connoisseur :
a timeless masterpiece. i can watch this film over and over again and still laugh out loud at arthur askey' s performance. i quote this film more often than i probably should and i just wish more people would watch it to understand the brilliance of it. all of the characters have their own charms in this classic film and it is really something to see a film so light - hearted being produced during a war. a must - watch for the whole family .
at the grand cafe on the boulevard de capucines in paris on the 28th. of december 1895, an invited audience and the public who paid one franc saw l' arrive d' un train en gare, (the arrival of a train at la ciotat station), the first public showing of a motion picture and the first ever recorded scene of a train pulling into a station filmed by the lumiere brothers during their family holiday in july that same year. reports soon appeared that the audiences had ducked behind their seats fearing that the oncoming engine would run over them. in this way the first
horror
film was born .
it is the night before christmas eve and unbeknownst to 5 unlucky train passengers their fate lie’s in the clumsy hands of budding ‘magician / comedian’ tom gander. tom pulls the ‘emergency brake’ on the train after dropping his phone from the window and this unscheduled stop causes the six of them to be stranded at an old station in the middle of yorkshire .
ten years ago, that train would have more likely been carrying lumber; but this one, originally destined for a refinery, was carrying bakken shale oil from north dakota, where the business of oil is a runaway train of its own, a rush of opportunity and construction transforming the prairie so fast that regulation can hardly keep up. the oil had been improperly labeled less volatile than it was. the car had been left unmanned. the “ghost train, ” as it has come to be known, was 11, 300 tons of steel and oil poised to inflict maximum damage .
was a wartime film in every sense of the expression. it was shot at studios in london at the very height of the blitz – the actors’ dressing - rooms were positioned handy to the bomb - shelters ,
( 2013) a british–australian war film directed by jonathan teplitzky; an adaptation of the bestselling autobiography of the same name by eric lomax, and stars colin firth, nicole kidman, jeremy irvine and stellan skarsgård. it premiered at the 2013 toronto international film festival on 6 september 2013 .
different about this version of the venerable tale is that it has been updated to fit in with the times in which it was produced. in the original play, and the earlier filmed versions, the “ghost train” is revealed to be a cover for the activities of a gang of smugglers; here, the bad guys are nothing less than a group of gun - running fifth columnists. and this is, i believe, where
it was turned into a silent motion picture in 1931. directed by walter forde, it starred comic stage actor jack hulbert. only five reels of the film are known to survive; the only known complete copy of the film had been seized and destroyed by british customs for copyright infringement .
at the core of the film is a big truth: the successful defence of the city proved a critical landmark in the war — much more so than el alamein or any other british military achievement in the years between the battle of britain and d - day .
– and its attitude is entirely typical for a british film of the time. certainly, there’s a war going on; but you won’t find the characters of
his first film
band waggon
is really askey playing himself, as is his co - star ...
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 .
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. this film is in the public domain and can be downloaded here for free: urltoken
based on that version of the film. (confused yet ?) late that same year, the bbc broadcast a well - received 40 minute version of the play. and in 1939
north by northwest (1959) directed by alfred hitchcock. wonderful scenes of new york' s grand central terminal, boarding the 20th century limited, scenes of the train heading alongside the hudson river, and an accurate recreation of the interior of a nyc diner. at the end, a brief shot of an sp train entering a tunnel .
one of the scenes in the opening credits is set in 1941. i added this scene specifically because i knew of the large number of 1940' s enthusiasts in and around haworth who all have their own, hugely detailed and accurate, 1940 outfits; soldiers, land girls,' civvies' and' dad' s army'. they all kindly donated their time and knowledge to the film to make it look as authentic as possible .
fish hawk (1979), directed by donald shebib and starring will sampson, used the huge railway trestle at the forks of the credit, ontario (close by
the devil' s pulpit
on the niagara escarpment) to film the final scene .
who has seen the wind (1977), canadian drama film. directed by allan king and written by patricia watson, the film is an adaptation of w. o. mitchell' s influential novel. the film stars brian painchaud as brian o' connall, with a supporting cast including douglas junor, patricia hamilton, gordon pinsent, helen shaver, chappelle jaffe, charmion king, leslie carlson and josé ferrer. the arcola (sask) cpr station .
the general (1926). silent film, based on the great locomotive chase, starring buster keaton. directed by clyde bruckman. central. * * * * *
the film was parodied in the harry enfield spoof documentary norbert smith - a life, as oh, mr bank robber! starring
will silly
. [ 15 ]
, it’s that even a pathetic, annoying, essentially useless little twerp like tommy gander can, when the necessity confronts him, find a store of buried courage, rise to the occasion, and do his bit in the defence of his country: for british audiences of 1941, a comforting and reassuring message .
high jinks and chills ensue when a group of people become stranded at an isolated station and a legendary phantom train approaches .
all of the above! and; a blu ray version of the finished feature film sent to you. two tickets to the 1940' s themed premier and a meeting with cast and crew .
the film critic barry norman included it among his 100 best films of all time, and fellow critic derek malcolm also included the film in his century of films, describing it as
perfectly representing a certain type of bumbling british humour
, [ 11 ] despite being directed by a parisian director .
in the man’s defence, it does appear that he’s playing a character who’s supposed to be that annoying, but he really is good at it. and the viewer has to admire the guts of a “star” who is willing to be the lead in a film which portrays him as such a tosser – by the end of the film you really are hoping that something nasty will happen to the little buffoon (as, by the look of it, are the rest of the cast) .
the hackneyed plot involves a group of passengers who are stranded at a railway station. the station manager tries to warn them away with the story of a phantom train that goes throught the station and all who see the train are doomed. normal right - thinking britishers, of course, would see through such a ploy, but this is a film of course, so they don' t. the atmosphere, the special effects (such as they are), and the all - star cast of (mainly) stage actors make this one worth a lokk .
then again, if you manage to ignore him, this is actually a pretty nice movie with an interesting story about a ghost train and with some interesting twists and turns. too bad this is entirely overshadowed by askey' s obnoxious character. the best moments were those in which he was sent away or locked outside or in another room .
dennis the menace (season 2, episode 30) the soapbox derby. the prize was an h0 train set, but dennis' s father made a bet on the side, and with the winnings bought dennis a lionel 0 set that goes right round the living room on the floor .
i enjoy his films but it was more about the big bands, so did a disservice to arthur, but it was a film of its time .
this film was ruined for me by arthur askey. his irritating character kept popping up until i wanted to punch him. i am giving two stars for arnold ridley who wrote the play as i think it was a good idea and could be a great film if they cut out the silly, unfunny character of tommy gander played by askey. to be fair, i can' t comment on the last scene of the film because by then i had fallen asleep. so disappointing .
elaborate, in fact, that a phantom train and an undead station - master would have been a lot easier to believe .
the trio find the missing train inside a derelict railway tunnel, underneath a supposedly haunted windmill. they investigate and are briefly captured by the gun runners, but escape and climb progressively higher up the windmill until eventually they are trapped at the top .
( 1958) national film board of canada. directed by fergus mcdonell. this short documentary offers a step - by - step account of a fast freight train on a run from toronto to halifax, with glimpses of the vast amount of organization necessary in the operation of a country - wide transportation network .
the narrow margin (1952) a suspense film set aboard a transcontinental train, starring charles mcgraw and marie windsor, with numerous scenes in sleeping cars and the diner. exterior scenes featured a southern pacific train pulled by one of their magnificent
daylight
4 - 8 - 4 locomotives. (re - made about 30 years later, same title, with gene hackman and anne archer; given a contemporary setting and filmed on the british columbia railway. )
when teddy shoots at the' ghost' on the platform, he uses what appears to be a 1910 model browning automatic, a popular police and civilian pistol of the time; but when he re - enters the waiting room he is holding a 1901 model browning, quite different in appearance. later when the villain price threatens the passengers on the bus, he now has the m1910. see more »
it' s a great film; suspenseful, well - shot and acted and, as the older generation fail to get off at the last stop, there is only one solution .
digital still and poster, pdf of screenplay script, hardcopy of the poster signed by cast and crew, digital version of the full feature film, sent to you after its premier .
chris hemsworth kicks off filming for the star - studded men in black spin - off as he cuts a sharp figure in london... 21 years after the first film hit screens
but porter is unaware that he has really agreed to transport a group of criminals who are involved in running guns to the irish free state. the' football' train leaves at six a. m. the following morning, rather than the scheduled ten a. m. , at the insistence of joe and although porter questions some of the odd packages being loaded onto the train, he accepts joe' s claim that these are in fact goalposts for the game .
great old film with a wonderfull cast including my great uncle, bruce trent. nice to be able to see and hear him sing .
dr. zhivago (1965) directed by david lean; starring omar sharif and julie christie. the grand love story at the time of the russian revolution. the rail travel scenes were filmed in canada, and all the trains used in the film were spanish equipment. incidental. * *
suicide squad (2016) an american superhero film, written and directed by david ayer and stars an ensemble cast - featured the union station, toronto, ont .
of course, given the lengthy history of the play on which this film was based, it is hard to imagine that audiences of 1941 were very surprised by this revelation – or even (as modern audiences may perhaps be) by the flurry of unmaskings that concludes the action, with a great many of the characters turning out to be somebody quite different from who they appeared to be. (though alas, tommy gander keeps right on being tommy gander, and not is not revealed to be an unethical experiment in psychological warfare. )
anne of green gables (1985) a canadian mini - series drama film produced and directed by kevin sullivan, starring megan follows. used the train station at westfield heritage village, ont. (jerseyville th & b), and also at the halton county radial railway museum, ont. (rockwood cnr ex gtr) .
after taking the ferry from england to northern ireland, porter is aghast when he discovers how isolated the station is. it is situated out in the countryside, two miles cross - country from the nearest bus stop. to make matters worse, local legend has it that the ghost of one - eyed joe the miller haunts the line and, as a result, no - one will go near the station after dark .
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 .
the british film institute included the film in its 360 classic feature films list; [ 8 ] variety magazine described the movie as
amusing, if over - long
, noting that there was
[ n ] o love interest to mar the comedy
; [ 9 ] and the cult website tv cream listed it at number 41 in its list of cinema' s top 100 films. [ 10 ]
fascinating choice jerry - i' ve only seen the 1941 version as well as listened to the most recent bbc radio version of the play. however, a couple of small nitpicky points - the 1931 jack hulbert movie is definitely sound and not silent - is it possible you' re thinking of the 1927 german adaptation, der geisterzug, perhaps, which may be the one that infringed on the copyright? also, the british writer' s surname was spelled halliwell. thanks for all the great info. sergio
hope you like the material, seemed such a shame that very little is on the internet concerning the film and it played such a large role in my growing up (not that i have quite managed yet). comments, thoughts etc. to the usual address at the top of the page .
this, then, is the story that film director fyodor bondarchuk has set out to tell, focusing upon the fictionalised experience of a few men ordered to hold a vital position between hitler’s army and the vital volga crossing .
not a word is said in the film about the stalin regime’s savagery, as terrible as that of the nazis. unit commissars imposed iron discipline: during the battle 13, 500 russian soldiers were shot by their own side for alleged cowardice or desertion .
the southern railway of northern ireland that porter works for is fictitious. in reality, from the route chosen on the map, the line would have belonged to the great northern railway (ireland), with buggleskelly being close to the real town of lisnaskea. in addition, the irish border on the map portrayed in the film is inaccurate, placing the border too far east, and roughly along the eastern coast of lough erne rather than the border of county fermanagh .
night passage (1957) james stewart, audie murphy, dan duryea; train robber saga, filmed on the rio grande silverton branch; some excellent scenes. technicolor .
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. written by neil bridger
a group of mismatched travellers are subsequently stranded overnight at a lonely rural railway station. they soon learn of a local superstition about a phantom train which is said to travel the line at night, carrying ghosts from a long - ago train wreck. in between the admittedly fairly scary bits, arthur utilises his vaudeville style humour, to the constant irritation of his fellow passengers and anyone watching the movie .
in the film, the russian commander reprimands a sniper for killing a german who was fetching water. yet, in 1942, men killed each other ruthlessly as they ate, slept, washed, prayed .
in the course of the film we see these people angry, irritable, argumentative, frightened, panicky... yet when the circumstances call for it, they are able to pull themselves together and, despite the danger, fight back against the enemies confronting them – even tommy gander .
633 squadron (1963). a very popular war film which frankly seems melodramatic and quite corny today with the love story subplot particularly dire and most of the actors performing sub - par. the winners are the flyers and the photography and ron goodwin' s famous theme (with its 6 - 3 - 3 rhythm; goodwin once remarked he was glad the squadron hadn' t been numbered something like 978). the theme however is flown out very frequently at full throttle and the rest of the score is over - the - top. sadly, i don' t think the film has worn well .
having already completed 90% of the filming, the only challenges we can forsee are during the editing process. we have already had numerous professional quotes for completing the ghost train and have been told exactly what it will take to finish, so the chances of anything' too major' arising are extremely slim. the' people' and the' process' are already set, we simply need the funding to carry it out. if, by any chance, we do get held up, significantly, we will be keeping all our backers fully updated with our progress through constant email / twitter communication until the problems are resolved .
twentieth century (1934) john barrymore, carole lombard. scenes aboard famed train, and a few authentic exterior views, pulled by nyc hudson locomotive
tough guys (1986) burt lancaster, kirk douglas, broderick crawford. scenes near end of sp 4449 4 - 8 - 4 and train .
associated british film distributors (a. b. f. d .) (1947) (united kingdom) (theatrical) (re - release )
the question of whether or not one likes this film version of
the ghost train
invariably depends on one thing and one thing alone: your reaction to the performance of arthur askey. he tends to steal almost every scene he' s in, and not always in a good way. sometimes you wish he' d settle down or back off just a little, to allow the plot' s many characters to feature and develop (which they do to some extent). but somehow everything keeps pointing back to askey' s tommy gander character. personally i like the film, and even like askey to an extent. i always seem to plonk it into the vcr at those odd hours of the early morning when i can' t sleep and really can' t find the energy to watch anything else. there is something about watching old b / w movies in the quiet dark of pre - dawn that i find appealing... .
spirit bay (1982 - 87) aired on cbc television and tvontario. the show focused on the lives of townsfolk on an ojibwe reservation town near macdiarmid, ontario. the winter episode called
time to be brave
featured the nakina train station and rail yard .
price, dismissing his sister’s wild insistence upon the reality of the ghost train, insists upon speaking to saul hodgkin, which forces the others to confess that he is dead. when julia hears that he died on the same spot as ted holmes – and at the same time, eleven o’clock – she demands that the others describe hodgkin to her. when they do she becomes completely hysterical, and even price is disturbed - - - for they have not described hodgkin at all, but ted holmes... price insists upon examining the body, but when the others take him into the locked back room, they discover that the body of hodgkin – or holmes – has vanished .
the train (1964), directed by john frankenheimer, starring burt lancaster, paul scofield and jeanne moreau. a french resistance plot to stop looted art from being shipped to germany in the last days of wwii. arguably the most thrilling and memorable movie with a train as a central theme ever made, evoking grim memories of the evil of nazi occupation. one of the last movies of the black and white era - great photography and effects. central. * * * * *
places not our own (1986) an nfb film, directed by derek mazur, starring dianne debassige, tantoo cardinal and steve isfeld. features the napinka cpr (manitoba) railway station .
within seconds of stepping out the front door, yvon saw what rachel had seen up the hill, and what those inside could not: the train, moving so fast it would surely derail as it took a curve by the bar. he grabbed his girlfriend’s hand and ran .
night train to munich (1940). directed by carol reed. wartime thriller. margaret lockwood, rex harrison, basil radford, naunton wayne. suspense right to the end, with a spectacular escape across the swiss border. done with mock - ups and a model train, all in studio, as on - location filming was obviously not possible. tangential * * * .
wind at my back (1996 - 2001), a canadian television series created and produced by kevin sullivan. used the south simcoe railway and a mock train station in tottenham called the new bedford station. (this was relocated to the back lot in toronto for the rest of the show' s run. )
there follows a genuine moment of suspense, as the now jittery (and annoyed) group hear something coming down the platform towards them. it turns out to be the stationmaster, who promptly drops down dead of a heart attack, his body then mysteriously disappearing. another couple turn up at the station – julia, who seems rather highly strung, and her brother, who has just crashed his car nearby. julia, who claims she can see the ghost of the old stationmaster, now starts racking up the tension with considerable panache, and suddenly the lights go out, plunging everyone into shadow. the platform bell begins to ring, and there’s the sound of a train approaching, which gets louder and louder, the lights from it streaming through the windows of the waiting room. julia smashes the glass to get a look, screams and collapses .
is an effective horror film, with moments of genuine creepiness and a suspenseful premise – rare for a wartime offering, due to the supposed “moratorium” imposed on horror films which led to them being “snuck out” under the comedy / whimsy / askey banner. and of course, if it wasn’t for askey’s character’s utter selfishness, the whole film wouldn’t have happened - the unfortunate predicament of the disparate group who find themselves stranded in a supposedly haunted railway station is all down to askey’s character tommy gander pulling the communication chord after losing his “titfer” out the window (“it was
number of refugees accepted into the u. s. falls below the rest of the world combined for the first time since 1980
remember the liberties with historical truth taken by the makers of the dambusters, reach for the sky and scores of other movies .
the first great train robbery (1979, in the usa ,
the great train robbery
). directed by michael crichton, starring sean connery, donald sutherland, leslie - ann down. theft of a shipment of gold bullion to finance the crimean war. drama and adventure, great period piece. used an original locomotive dating from 1855, filmed mostly in ireland on the now - closed mullingar - athlone railway line. the station scenes were filmed at kent station, cork, ireland. central * * * * *
why shoot the teacher (1977). a canadian comedy - drama film based on a book of the same name by max braithwaite. directed by silvio narizzano, starring bud cort, samantha eggar, kenneth griffith, chris wiggins. bud cort flags a train down near hanna, alberta. two solitudes (1978), directed by lionel chetwynd; starring jean - pierre aumont, stacy keach and gloria carlin was filmed at the old ottawa station beside the chateau laurier .
i am sad to admit i can watch this marvellous comedy thriller over and over again and still enjoy the this forgotten gem arthur askey was not everyones favourite entertainer but in the ghost train he shines as tommy gander
he' s a scream
one of a group of passengers stranded at a cornish railway station in war time, the fun then begins as a group of nazi collabarators try to scare stranded passengers off to continue an illegal gun running operation i will not say to much so not to spoil the script for anyone buying the film. richard murdoch and peter murray hill give excellent performances as foils for askey' s antics. raymond huntley was a unusally for him cast as a baddie and gives for me a career best performance. well worth watching even today for the nostalgia value alone .
they have created a 3d epic set for the film stalingrad, about the most famous battle in their history, and the movie has become one of the biggest domestic box office hits of all time. now, british audiences can see for themselves this amazingly noisy, bloody, cliche - laden, rubble - making version of the war .
number of refugees accepted into the u. s. falls below the rest of the world combined for the first time ...
movies and tv shows that used canadian railway stations and / or locations, contributed by clayton self, a canadian tv and film buff, who runs the “forest rangers” fan page and loves to explore filming locations .
out of the joke book…”). he spends a good five minutes pretending to step over the invisible body of the stationmaster. he’s basically intent on winding everyone up (i lost count of the amount of fists he had brandished in his direction, and the train guard’s reaction to his high - jinks is the first and only time i’ve ever heard the word “gertcha! ” used seriously in anger).
the ghost train is a 1941 english mystery thriller film directed by walter forde based on the 1923 play of the same name written by arnold ridley . 
the ghost train is a 1941 english mystery thriller film directed by walter forde based on the 1923 play of the same name written by arnold ridley.
the ghost train is a 1941 english mystery thriller film directed by walter forde based on the 1923 play of the same name written by arnold ridley.