The Phantom Express (1932)

Really Surprised!

Excellent, a Must See

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

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.

The Phantom Express (1932)** (out of 4)A train is heading down the tracks at night when the driver notices another train coming straight towards them. He derails the train to avoid the crash but during an investigation it's discovered that there wasn't another train. Soon we learn that several trains have been forced off the track due to a "ghost train" so the playboy son of the train owner decides to investigate.THE PHANTOM EXPRESS starts off rather good as we're given the initial crash and then a small court room setting where we hear about the accident and the aftermath investigation. The idea of a ghost train is pretty interesting for a story but sadly the film pretty much falls apart from there and turns into a rather cheap "B" movie that doesn't know what to do with its subject.For the most part the film remains slightly entertaining because of those opening scenes but one really wishes that the screenwriter had done more with it. To be fair, I'm sure the writer would have wanted to do more but obviously they were working on a small budget and I'm sure very little time. The performances in the film are about average. The film does contain some nice cinematography and the train wreck scenes aren't nearly as bad as you might expect.

"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.