The Phantom Express (1932)

Producers: Irving C. Franklin, Donald M. Stoner. An Emory Johnson Production. Not copyrighted 1932 by Majestic Pictures Corp. New York opening at the Globe: 19 September 1932. U.S. release: 15 September 1932. U.K. release: 29 April 1933. 70 minutes. SYNOPSIS: A single-track line and a phantom express — recipes for disaster.VIEWER'S GUIDE: Just edging towards borderline. COMMENT: A fast-paced and intriguing mystery yarn with a spectacular railroad setting, "The Phantom Express: is guaranteed to lighten the hearts of both railway buffs and action fans alike. So many thrills in fact that the movie is more akin to a serial like Mascot's "The Hurricane Express:, released the same year. Director Johnson has handled this independent production with assurance, combining real and miniature footage effectively to deliver action all the way from start to spectacular finish. Superb film editing should also be commended. True, the picture does take a little time out for a nice romance between young hero Collier and the lovely Sally Blane. And also offers some opportunities for effective scene-stealing by Hobart Bosworth and J. Farrell MacDonald. But the gigantic steam engines here on display put even these fine old war-horses in the shade.

An engine driver thinks he sees a train coming towards him, applies the brakes too harshly and crashes the train. The ne'er-do-well son of the railway owner takes a shine to the engine driver's daughter and investigates the occurrence. A rival firm is bidding for the line and is using an aeroplane fitted with headlights and loudspeakers to fool the drivers into having accidents, thus lowering the share price. Mystery solved, boy gets girl. The railway models were of a very high order; the scenes filmed in and around real railway depots were particularly interesting. Towards the end of the film, the owner as told the bidders he will make a decision by midnight. At the other end of the line, the plot is uncovered, and the owner has to be told. However, it is a wild and stormy night and the telegraphs are down. The engine driver reckons he can get Ol' 97 (or some such number) through and heads off at high speed as most of the railway is washed away or flooded. He just gets his engine over a vital bridge before it collapses, and makes it to depot in time to stop the owner selling. The question arises as to whether it might have been better for the owner if he had not got through. Though the offer price was low, the costs of the rebuilding works after the storm would have driven the stock price even lower, such that the owner would have been unable to raise the money for the works. In other words, he would have been better off with the cash the crooks were offering. Given all the sillinesses in the film, this is just one more.

"A senior engineer is fired from his job after derailing his train, which causes many injuries and deaths. The engineer claims he derailed the train to avoid running into another train coming towards him in a tunnel, although there are no signs another train existed. The engineer's daughter and the railroad owner's son sent out to investigate the truth behind the accident and clear the engineer's name," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.This mystery doesn't know where to point its story. After beginning as the story of elderly train conductor J. Farrell MacDonald (as "Smokey" Nolan) experiencing trouble on the job, it switches to focus on playboy William Collier Jr. (as Bruce Harrington) finding true love with beautiful Sally Blane (as Carolyn Nolan). Add a confusing suggestion of some supernatural force at work (note the title). But, the cast is great. You also get to see handsome David Rollins (as Jack Nolan) and hear silent screen veterans like Claire McDowell and Hobart Bosworth.***** The Phantom Express (8/15/32) Emory Johnson ~ J. Farrell MacDonald, William Collier Jr., Sally Blane, David Rollins

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.