Spirit of America Bookstore

Railroad  Film  Festival

location filming at the Sierra Railroad in California          books on railroad movies

railroad movies A-Z
A thru I
J thru S
T thru Z

Spirit of America Bookstores American Railroads Pages

on page one:
MuseumsClass I RailroadsShortline RailroadsRailroads in FictionLinks

on page two:
Railroad HistoryNarrow GaugeHistoric Rail LinesBooks
Model RailroadsLive SteamLionel


Books  on  Railroad  Movies

Parallel Tracks / Silent Cinema   "Parallel Tracks: The Railroad & Silent Cinema" [1997]
by Lynne Kirby

Duke Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [6/97] for $23.95
Duke Univ Press 9½x6½ hardcover [12/97] for $84.95

"Railways In The Cinema" [1969] by John Huntley
Littlehampton Book Services, U.K. hardcover [9/69] out of print/used



Railroad  Movies

browse DVDs about trains at Amazon.com

Extreme Steam Trains 6-DVD box set   "Extreme Steam: America's Greatest Steam Trains"  6 DVD Box Set [2005]
Questar color/b&w DVD set [11/2005] 6 disks for $23.99
locomotives featured include Canadian Pacific 2816 & 3716; Cotton Belt 819; Frisco 1522; Mil- waukee Road 261; Mt. Rainer Scenic #7 & #17 & Heisler #2; Nickel Plate 587; Norfolk & Western 1218; Northern Pacific 328; Ohio Central 1293 & 6325; Santa Fe 3751; Soo Line 1003 & 2719; Southern Pacific Daylight 4449; Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700; and Union Pacific 3985 & 8444
Classic Railroad Movies DVD box set  "Classic Railroad Movies"  DVD Box Set [2007]
Reel Enterprises b&w DVD set [12.2007] for $24.99
contains 4 b&w feature films: "Broadway Limited" [1941]; "Buckskin Frontier" [1943] starring Richard Dix, Lee J. Cobb & Jane Wyatt; "The Hurricane Express" edited serial [1932] starring John Wayne; and "Terror By Night" [1946] starring Basil Rathbone {as Sherlock Holmes} & Nigel Bruce {as Watson}
Ultimate Railroads Collection DVD box set  "The Ultimate Railroads Collection: LIfeline of A Nation"  6 DVD Gift Set
St. Clair Vision color DVD set [6/2008] 6 disks for $22.49
includes 29 'features' covering the history of railroads in America, as well as film from the Steam Era, movies of trains in Europe & Canada, and behind the scenes film of how the railroads are operated
History of American Railroads DVD set  "The History of American Railroads"  2 DVD Set [2008]
Columbia River Ent. color/b&w DVD [6/2008] 2 disks for $11.49
Volume 1: "The Years of Steam" [2007]
Columbia River Ent. color/b&w DVD [6/2007] for $8.98
Four hours of film, from the Twenties to the Twilight of Steam, with journeys on & along rails of: the Baltimore & Ohio; Canadian Pacific; Central Railroad of New Jersey; Delaware & Hudson; New York Central; Ontario & Western; Pennsylvania Railroad; Reading Railroad – and many other lines
Volume 2: "The Era of Diesel {Passenger Trains}" [2007]
Columbia River Ent. color/b&w DVD [6/2007] for $8.98
Four & a half hours of film, show-casing passenger trains of the past, with journeys on & along rails of: the Atlantic Coast Line; Baltimore & Ohio; Denver & Rio Grande Western; Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis; New York Central; Penn Central; Pennsylvania Railroad; Santa Fe; Union Pacific – and more

"Bad  Day  At  Black  Rock"
[M.G.M. Jan 1955]
Bad Day At Black Rock   After World War II, a one-armed man arrives at a whistle-stop town; he is shunned and his life is endangered as the townspeople protect their dark secrets. Directed by John Sturges; starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine & Lee Marvin; Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Script, Best Actor (Tracy)
Warner widescreen color DVD [5/2005] for $14.99
Turner Home Video color VHS [8/96] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb

"The  Bridge  On  The  River  Kwai"
[Columbia Dec 1957]
Bridge on the River Kwai movie poster  British soldiers imprisoned by the Japanese are ordered to work on construction of the Burma-Siam railway. Directed by David Lean; based on the novel by Pierre Boulle; starring William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness & Sessue Hayakawa; won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Script Adaptation, Best Actor (AG), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing & Best Music Score, won DGA & 4 BAFTA Awards
Sony widescreen color DVD [11/2000] for $14.49
Sony widescreen color Limited Edition DVD [11/2000] 2 disks for $34.99
Sony widescreen color VHS [4/97] out of prodn/used
Sony color VHS [7/94] out of prodn/many used
Sony soundtrack CD [3/95] out of [prodn/used
full credits from IMDb
11"x17" red poster from Amazon for $9.99
11"x17" yellow poster from Amazon for $9.99
11"x17" white poster from Amazon for $9.99
Bridge Over The River Kwai novel  
"The Bridge Over The River Kwai" [1952]
by Pierre Boulle [1912-94]

Presidio Press 8½x5½ pb [8/2007] for $10.17
Bantam mass pb [9/84] out of print/used
Amereon 8¾x5¾ hardcover [7/88] for $21.51

"Brief  Encounter"  [1945]
full credits at IMDb

"Broadway  Limited"  [Hal Roach / United Artists June 1941]
Produced by Hal Roach; directed by Gordon Douglas; starring Victor McLaglen, Marjorie Woodworth,
Dennis O'Keefe, Patsy Kelly & Zasu Pitts; full credits at IMDb

"Buckskin  Frontier"  [United Artists May 1943]
Starring Richard Dix, Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt, Albert Dekker, Victor Jory & George Reeves; full credits at IMDb

"Closely  Watched  Trains"
aka "Ostre Sledované Vlaky" [CZ Nov 1966, USA Oct 1967]
Closely Watched Trains movie poster  A bumbling youth employed at a village railway station in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia fantasizes sexual conquests and brave exploits of war resistance, which eventually collide with real life. Co-written & directed by Jirí Menzel; co-written by Bohumil Hrabal from his novel; starring Vaclav Neckar, Josef Somr, Jitka Zelenohorska, Vlastimil Brodsky & Jitka Bendová; won Oscar for Best Foreign Language Picture; listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (10/2005)
Criterion subtitled b&w DVD [9/2001] for $26.99
Homevision b&w VHS [7/2000] out of prodn/used
Fox Lorber b&w VHS [11/97] out of prodn/used
11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99
full credits from IMDb

"Denver  and  Rio  Grande"
[Paramount May 1952]
Directed by Byron Haskin; starring Edmond O'Brien, Sterling Hayden, Dean Jagger, Kasey Rogers,
Lyle Bettger, J. Carrol Naish, Zasu Pitts & Paul Fix; full credits at IMDb

"The  General"  [B.K.P./United Artists 1927]
The General etc   "one of the best five silent films ever made" per A.F.I.; listed on National Film Registry 1989
Co-written & co-directed by & starring Buster Keaton [1895-1966]
Kino Video b&w VHS [11/2001] for $19.95
Image Ent. b&w DVD [10/99] for $26.99
video & DVD above also contain "The Playhouse" & "Cops" shorts
Jef Films b&w VHS [5/98] for $19.99
full credits from IMDb

"The  Great  K & A  Train  Robbery"
[Fox silent Oct 1926]
Great K & A Train Robbery movie poster  A railroad owner hires a cowboy to work undercover to unmask the gang robbing the trains.
Produced & directed by Lewis Seiler; based on Paul Leicester Ford's 1897 novel; starring Tom Mix, Dorothy Dwan, Will Walling, Harry Gripp, Carl Miller, Edward Peil Sr., Curtis 'Snowball' McHenry & Tony the Horse
video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb

"The  Great  Locomotive  Chase"
[Disney 1952]: full credits at IMDb

"The  Great  Train  Robbery"
[Edison Mfg. Dec 1903]
Great Train Robbery   The first movie with a plotted storyline was a Western!
Co-written & directed by Edwin S. Porter; starring Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson; made in 1903, listed in National Film Registry 1990
V.C.I. 100th Anniversary b&w DVD [12/2003] for $17.99
includes "Tumbleweeds" [1925 silent] with Wm. S. Hart; "The Battle of Elderbush Gulch" [1913 silent] by D.W. Griffith [1875-1948]; "The Heart of Texas Ryan" [1917 silent] with Tom Mix, plus extras
"Great Train Robbery" credits from IMDb

"The  Great  Train  Robbery"
[U.K. 1979]: full credits at IMDb

"The  Grey  Fox"  [1982]: full credits at IMDb

"The Hurricane Express" 12-chapter sound serial
[Mascot Pictures/A.F.C. Aug 1932]
The Hurricane Express 12-chapter sound serial starring John Wayne   "A Thriller of The Roaring Rails" - Someone is trying to wreck the L&R Railroad, and when the chief engineer is killed, his airline pilot son takes over the job. Chapter Titles: 1. The Wrecker; 2. Flying Pirates; 3. The Masked Menace; 4. Buried Alive; 5. Danger Lights; 6. The Airport Mystery; 7. Sealed Lips; 8. Outside The Law; 9. The Invincible Army; 10. The Wrecker's Secret; 11. Wings of Death; and 12. Unmasked; the 81-minute feature version was edited down from seven chapters Directed by J.P. McGowan & Armand Schaefer; starring John Wayne, Shirley Grey, J. Farrell MacDonald, Tully Marshall, Conway Tearle, Lloyd Whitlock, Edmund Breese, Matthew Betz & Alan Bridge
A.F.A./Passion b&w DVD [7/2003] for $6.89
Alpha Home Ent. b&w DVD [10/2006] for $7.98
Reel Enterprises b&w 77-minute feature version DVD [5/2007] for $9.95
full credits at IMDb
included on "The John Wayne Cliffhanger Collection" 3-serial box set [2006]
Passport b&w digitally-remastered DVD set [7/2006] 5 disks for $17.99

"The  Iron  Horse"  [Fox Aug 1924 silent]
John Ford silent Iron Horse   When President Lincoln signs authorization to build a transcontinantal railroad, the chief contractor of one section and his daughter are helped by a childhood friend now riding for the Pony Express. Directed by John Ford [1894-1973]; starring George O'Brien, Madge Bellamy, Charles Edward Bull {as Abe Lincoln}, Cyril Chadwick, Will Walling, George Waggner, Gladys Hulette & Fred Kohler
Fox b&w silent DVD [12/2007] 2 disks for $17.99
full credits from IMDb

"Le  Train"  [1973]: full credits at IMDb

"Murder  On  The  Orient  Express"
[E.M.I./Paramount Nov 1974]
Murder On The Orient Express movie poster   11"x17" movie poster available at AllPosters.com
The Orient Express is blocked by a snow storm, and detective Hercule Poirot is asked to solve the murder of a passenger. Directed by Sidney Lumet; based on the Agatha Christie novel; starring Albert Finney {as Poirot}, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Roberts, Richard Widmark & Michael York; won Best Supporting Actress Oscar [IB], nominated for Best Script Adaptation, Best Actor [AF], Best Cinerma- tography, Best Music, Best Costumes; won BAFTAs for Best Supporting Actor & Actress [JG & IB], nominated for 7 others including Best Film; won W.G.G.B. Award for Best Script
Paramount widescreen color DVD [7/2004] for $9.98
Paramount color VHS [2/98] 2 tapes / out of prodn/used
D.R.G. soundtrack CD [1/2003] for $9.98
full credits at IMDb
Murder On The Orient Express novel  
based on the 1934 novel by Agatha Christie [1890-1976]
Berkley mass pb [8/2004] for $6.99
Black Dog & Leventhal 8½x5¾ hardcover [9/2006] for $9.60

"The  Narrow  Margin"
Narrow Margin 1952 poster   R.K.O. b&w feature film [May 1952]
{French title "L’énigme du Chicago Express"}

A cynical cop escorts the tough-as-nails wife of a mobster from Chicago to Los Angeles by train for her testimony before a grand jury. Directed by Richard Fleischer; script by Martin M. Goldsmith, Earl Felton & Jack Leonard; starring Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Gordon Gebert, Jacqueline White, Queenie Leonard, David Clarke, Peter Virgo, Don Beddoe, Paul Maxey & Harry Harvey; Oscar nomination for Best Script
Turner b&w DVD [7/2005] for $17.99
Turner b&w VHS [4/91] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb

Narrow Margin 1990 remake   Carolco color remake of Sept 1990
A witness to a killing by a top Mafia boss goes into hiding; first the authorities find her, then the mob tries to rub her out. A deputy district attorney escorts her by train across Canada, with the bad guys hot on their heels. Adapted & directed by Peter Hyams; starring Gene Hackman, Anne Archer, James B. Sikking, J.T. Walsh, M. Emmet Walsh, Susan Hogan, Nigel Bennett, J.A. Preston & Harris Yulin
Lions Gate widescreen color DVD [11/98] for $12.99
Live/Artisan color VHS [12/93] out of prodn/many used
full credits from IMDb

"Nevada City" [1941]
Starring Roy Rogers & George 'Gabby' Hayes; full credits at IMDb

"The  Polar  Express" animated feature
[Castle Rock/Warner Nov 2004]
Polar Express movie  

Polar Express book  

A boy travels to the North Pole on the Polar Express and is chosen to receive the first gift of Christmas. He asks for a silver bell from Santa's reindeer, but on the way home the bell is lost through a hole in the pocket of his robe... Filmed in Imax 3-D; co-written & directed by Robert Zemeckis; based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg; several voices by Tom Hanks; nominated for 3 minor Oscars
Warner Home Video color widescreen on Blu-ray [10/2007] for $17.99
Warner widescreen color DVD [11/2005] 2 disks - out of prodn/used
Warner widescreen color DVD [11/2005] for $17.99
Warner Home Video color DVD [11/2005] for $13.99
Warner color VHS [11/2005] out of prodn/used
WEA/Reprise soundtrack CD [11/2004] for $13.98
full credits from IMDbofficial movie site
"Polar Express" posters at AllPosters.com
see also the Railroad Film Festival Page at Spirit of America

"The Polar Express" book [1985] by Chris Van Allsburg
Houghton Mifflin gift set: book + CD + tape [9/2004] for $16.50
Houghton Mifflin 9½x11½ YA hardcover [10/85] for $12.89

"The  Railroad  Man"
aka "Il Ferroviere" [Italy Aug 1956; USA Oct 1965]
Railroad Man [Italy]   After an accident on the railroad, the engineer [engine driver]'s family life falls apart, and his friends reject him when he becomes a scab during a railroad strike. Produced by Carlo Ponti; co-written & directed by and starring Pietro Germi; co-starring Luisa Della Noce, Sylva Koscina, Saro Urzì, Carlo Giuffrè, Renato Speziali & Edoardo Nevola
NoShame Films subtitled b&w DVD [6/2005] 2 disks for $26.99
full credits at IMDb

"The  Railroad  Raiders"
silent serial [Signal/Mutual 1917]
Railroad Raiders poster   Directed by J.P. McGowan; starring Helen Holmes, Thomas G. Lingham, Leo D. Maloney, Paul Hurst & William Brunton

video/DVD not available; full credits at IMDb
11"x17" poster available at AllPosters.com

"The  Railrodder" aka 'The Railroader'
[25-minute National Film Board of Canada short 1965]
The Railrodder   Starring Buster Keaton [1895-1966]
full credits from IMDb
plus 'Buster Keaton Rides Again' [docu 1965]
(55-minute NFBC documentary on the making of 'The Railrodder')
full credits from IMDb
(both) Image Ent DVD [2/2001] for $22.49
(both) Kino Video VHS [11/96] for $29.95

"Rails & Ties"  [Malpaso/Warner Bros. Sept 2007]
Directed by Alison Eastwood; written by Micky Levy; starring Kevin Bacon,
Marcia Gay Harden & Miles Heizer; official moviesite; full credits at IMDb

"The  Railway  Children"
The father of a family in Victorian London is taken away by two strangers; the wife & three children
fall on hard times and move to a country cottage beside a railway. The kids' faith and vigilance and
courage prevent an accident on the railway, leading to solution of the mystery of their missing father.
Railway Children video   M.G.M.-E.M.I. feature film [U.K. Dec 1970; USA Oct 1971]
Adapted & directed by Lionel Jeffries, from the E. Nesbit novel; starring Jenny Agutter, Dinah Sheridan, Bernard Cribbins, William Mervyn, Iain Cuthbertson, Sally Thomsett, Beatrix Mackey & Gary F. Warren
Anchor Bay widescreen color DVD [5/2003] for $17.99
full credits at IMDb

Masterpiece Theater Railway Children  Masterpiece Theater tv movie
[Carlton TV/P.B.S.; U.K. April 2000, USA Nov 2000]

Directed by Catherine Morshead; starring Jenny Agutter, Jack Blumenau, Clare Thomas, Jemima Rooper, Michael Kitchen, Georgie Glen, Clive Russell & Richard Attenborough
P.B.S./WGBH letterbox color DVD [10/2002] for $17.99
P.B.S./WGBH color VHS [3/2001] for $18.95
full credits at IMDb
Railway Children novel   magazine serial 1905; novel 1906 by Edith Nesbit [1858-1924]
Puffin 7¾x5 pb [11/94] for $3.99
Dover 8¼x5¼ pb [5/2000] for $4.49
Pearson 8x4¾ pb [2/2000] for $8.67
SeaStar 9¼x6½ hardcover [7/2005] for $9.72
Everyman's Library 8¼x6½ hardcover [5/93] for $10.46
Edith Nesbit entry at Wikipedia; Edith Nesbit credits list at IMDb
official booksite

"The  Taking  of  Pelham  One Two Three"
[United Artists Oct 1974]
Directed by Joseph Sargent; script by Peter Stone, based on the novel by John Godey; starring Walter Matthau,
Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo & Earl Hindman; full credits at IMDb

"The  Taking  of  Pelham  1 2 3" remake  
[M.G.M./Columbia June 2009]
Directed by Tony Scott; script by Brian Helgeland; starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta,
Luis Guzmán, Victor Gojcaj & Gbenga Akinnagbe; official movie site; full credits at IMDb

"Terror By Night" [Universal Feb 1946]
Terror By Night movie poster   The owner of a fabulous diamond hires Sherlock Holmes to protect the gem during transport by train from London to Edinburgh, Scotland. Co-produced & directed by Roy William Neill; starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Dennis Hoey, Renee Godfrey, Frederick Worlock, Mary Forbes, Skelton Knaggs, Billy Bevan & Geoffrey Steele
Focus Films b&w DVD [2/2001] for $14.95
M.P.I. Home Video b&w DVD [1/2004] for $17.99
Hollywood Movie Classics b&w VHS [1/85] out of prodn/many used
full credits from IMDb
11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99
27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99

"Terror Train" [1980]
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode; starring Jamie Lee Curtis & Ben Johnson; full credits at IMDb

"Terror Train" remake [Steamroller Productions for 2009]
current status at IMDb

"Terror Train" remake [for 2010]
current status at IMDb

"This  Gun  For  Hire" [Paramount May 1942]
This Gun For Hire poster   A kindly hitman is paid off in 'hot' money, and flees on a train, where he meets the undercover girlfriend of his cop pursuer. Directed by Frank Tuttle; script by Albert Maltz & W.R. Burnett from Graham Greene's 1936 novel; starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, Tully Marshall, Roger Imhof & Frank Ferguson
Universal b&w DVD [7/2004] for $12.99
Universal b&w VHS [10/95] out of prodn/many used
credits from IMDb

blonde 11"x17" poster {above} available at AllPosters.com
red-blue 11"x17" poster available at AllPosters.com
French 11"x17" poster available at AllPosters.com

"The  Titfield  Thunderbolt"
[Ealing/Universal 1953]
Titfield Thunderbolt movie poster  When the government decides to close the local railway branch, residents rally and take over operation of the line; but the competing bus company decides to use ruthless tactics to prevent their success. Directed by Charles Crichton; starring Stanley Holloway, George Relph, Naunton Wayne, John Gregson & Hugh Griffith
DVD available only as part of The Ealing Comedy Collection
11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99
27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99
full credits from IMDbmovie entry at Wikipedia

"Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train"
aka "Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train"
[France May 1998; U.S.A. August 1999]
Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train French poster   A Paris painter asks that his remains be buried in Limoges. The body is transported by car while a group of mourners travel by train. Co-written & directed by Patrice Chéreau; starring Pascal Greggory, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Charles Berling, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Bruno Todeschini, Sylvain Jacques, Vincent Perez, Roschdy Zem, Dominique Blanc, Delphine Schiltz, Nathan Kogen, Marie Daëms, Chantal Neuwirth, Thierry de Peretti, Olivier Gourmet, Geneviève Brunet & Didier Brice; won César Awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actress (Blanc), nominated for Best Film, Best Writing, Best Actor (PG), Best Supporting Actors (VP & JLT), Best Production Design, Best Editing & Best Sound
Kino Video widescreen color DVD [4/20000] for $26.99
Kino Video letterboxed color VHS [12/2000] for $23.70
full credits from IMDb

"The  Train" [1964]: full credits at IMDb

"Train" [NuImage/LionsGate 2008]
Directed by Gideon Raff; starring Thora Birch; full credits at IMDb

"Train  Master" [indep 2008]
Train Master movie poster directed by Phil Bransom   When a railroad in the East buys up an Oregon shortline, the owner's son clashes with 'train master' Jeremiah, who is quickly fired – two years short of his retirement. The owner's visiting grandson holds Jeremiah's grandson's favorite toy dinosaur for ransom, and demands a ride on a locomotive, which turns into a runaway with five children on board.
Co-produced, co-written & directed by Phil Bransom; railroad locations in Oregon; starring Michael Biesanz, Jonathan Hall, Elijah Nelson, Daniel Nelson & Mercedes Rose
video/DVD not yet available • full credits at IMDbofficial movie site

"The  Train  Robbers"
[Batjac/Warner Bros. Feb 1973]
The Train Robbers movie poster starring John Wayne   A widow hires an old cowboy and his pals to go to Mexico and find the gold that her husband stole from the railroad, so she can return the loot for the reward and clear her family's name.
Written & directed by Burt Kennedy; music by Dominic Frontiere; staring John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor, Ben Johnson, Christopher George, Bobby Vinton, Jerry Gatlin & Ricardo Montalban
Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [5/2007] for $11.49
Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [5/2005] for $13.49
Warner Home Video color VHS [2/93] out of prodn/used
14"x11" poster from Amazon for $9.99
28"x22" poster from Amazon for $19.99
full credits from IMDb

"Twentieth  Century"
[Columbia Pictures May 1934]
Twentieth Century 1934 poster   The actress protege of a Broadway director decamps for Hollywood; her career soars and his fades. When he meets her on the train to the West Coast, he tries to persuade her to return to the stage. Co-produced & directed by Howard Hawks; script by Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur, based on their Broadway play; starring John Barrymore, Carole Lombard, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, Ralph Forbes, Charles Lane, Etienne Girardot & Edgar Kennedy
Sony b&w DVD [2/2005] for $12.99
Sony b&w VHS [6/98] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDbcredits on Broadway

"Tycoon"  [R.K.O. 1947]
Starring John Wayne; full credits at IMDb

"Union  Pacific" [1939]
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille; starring Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck & Robert Preston
full credits at IMDb

"Von  Ryan's  Express" [1965]: full credits at IMDb

"Western  Pacific  Agent" [1950]: full credits at IMDb

"Whispering Smith" [Paramount Dec 1948]
Whispering Smith 1948 movie poster   A railroad detective's friend is fired, and joins a gang of train robbers; Smith is assigned to bring the man to justice, and matters are complicated by a mutual attraction with the man's wife.
Directed by Leslie Fenton; based on the Spearman novel; starring Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall, Donald Crisp, William Demarest, Fay Holden, Murvyn Vye, Frank Faylen, John Eldredge, Ward Wood, J. Farrell MacDonald, Will Wright, Don Barclay, Eddy Waller, Ray Teal & Bob Kortman; WGA nomination for Best Western Script; filmed at the Sierra RR
1948 feature: Universal color DVD [6/2004] for $12.99
1948 feature: full credits at IMDb
1948 feature 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $15.81
1916 silent feature: full credits at IMDb
1926 silent feature starring H.B. Warner: full credits at IMDb
1961 TV series starring Audie Murphy: full credits at IMDb

Whispering Smith novel   "Whispering Smith" [1906 novel]
by Frank H. Spearman [1859-1937], illustrated by N.C. Wyeth

Renegade railroad employees are wrecking and robbing the trains running thru the rugged Rocky Mountains, so the railroad sends in their best detective.
Kessinger Publng pb [3/2005] for $28.08
Forge mass pb [9/99] out of print/used
Buccaneer Books 9x5¾ hardcover [6/95] out of print/used
Whispering Smith biography  "Whispering Smith: His Life & Misadventures" [2007]
by Allen P. Bristow

Western author Bristow covers the legend, the conflicting facts, and the Hollywood versions of real-life railroad detective James L. 'Whispering' Smith [18??-1914].
Sunstone Press 9x6 pb [7/2007] for $16.47
publisher book page
article at Legends of America

"Without Reservations"  [R.K.O. 1946]
The female author of a novel in a similar tone as Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" meets a tough-guy actor on a train
bound for Hollywood where her novel is to be made into a movie; she actively pursues him for the lead role,
though he's read the novel and openly mocks it as ridiculous nonsense.

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy; starring John Wayne & Claudette Colbert; full credits at IMDb


Visit Our Other Online Film Festival Pages
Afro-American Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
Atomic Film Festival Page at Spirit of America
Ayn Rand Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Beatnik Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Existentialist Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Films Noir Festival at BlackHat Mystery Bookstore
Gangster Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Human Rights Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Movie Musicals Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Oscar-Winning Western Movies Page at 'Readers of the Purple Sage'
Philosophy Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Pirate Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Political Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Railroad Film Festival {you are here}
Samurai Films at Magic Lantern
Shakespeare On Film at Magic Lantern
Sports Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
War [& Anti-War] Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
Western Movies Film Festival at 'Readers of the Purple Sage'

... and others on the Online Film Festivals Index Page

Spirit of America Bookstores American Railroads Pages

on page one:  MuseumsClass I RailroadsShortline RailroadsRailroads in FictionLinks

on page two:  Railroad HistoryNarrow GaugeHistoric Rail LinesBooks
Model RailroadsLive SteamLionel


Online sales in association with  browse DVDs about trains at Amazon  and  trains posters at AllPosters.com


   top of this page      back to Nostalgic Americana Page   

   back to Spirit of America Bookstore homepage