''Carolina Cannonball'' is a

musical comedy film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

, released by

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

in 1955.

Plot

During the testing of an experimental nuclear-powered rocket by the US Government, the rocket's guidance system is hijacked by three enemy agents of an unnamed foreign power. A malfunction causes the rocket to crash in the middle of the

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

desert. Knowing its general location, the enemy agents go in search of it. They arrive at the small depot of Cosmos Junction, where a

branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industri ...

railroad with a temperamental steam-powered streetcar named the "Carolina Cannonball" is operated by Judy Canova and her grandfather. The three enemy agents ride the streetcar to the other end of the line—the gold mining

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

of Roaring Gulch—and check into the deserted hotel there, pretending to be

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

prospectors. When the enemy agents have a radioactivity-detecting device shipped to them at the junction next day, the shipment is spotted by a US Government agent, Don Mack, hot on their trail. He likewise pretends to be a uranium prospector and is taken to Roaring Gulch. Using their detector to get a rough location for the fallen rocket, the enemy agents steal away with the Carolina Cannonball, but its boiler fails, and they abandon it on the middle of the line and walk back to Roaring Gulch. In the meantime, Mack searches their hotel room, but the agents return and realize he was there. Unaware of any of the newcomers' true identities, Judy helps the enemy agents track down Mack, thinking him to be a common thief, but encourages them to reconcile. While the enemy agents are interrogating Mack, Judy notices the Carolina Cannonball is missing, and goes with her grandfather to look for it. Finding their streetcar broken down, they repair the busted boiler with the remains of the nuclear rocket, which had crashed nearby. Judy takes some of the parts of the rocket to use as jewelry, but their radiation sets off the enemy agents' detector, causing them to question Judy. Hearing her story, the enemy agents leave in search of the lost rocket; Mack is left to explain to Judy the whole situation. Grandpa departs for the junction in the Carolina Cannonball, with Judy and Mack in tow trying to get help. But the streetcar encounters the enemy agents along the track, who board and attempt to hijack the streetcar by force. A fight ensues, and the enemy agents are subdued and tied up. However, when the brakes fail, the overpowered Carolina Cannonball is unable to stop at the junction, and roars onto the railroad mainline, headed straight for

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. Aware that the atomic power supply is unstable and likely to explode catastrophically, Mack throws orders at the next station to have the vehicle taken out by the Air Force. Meanwhile, the enemy agents break loose, and order Judy, Mack, and Grandpa off the train. The three jump to safety, moments before the Carolina Cannonball is destroyed by Air Force jets. Later, Judy, Mack, and Grandpa give a demonstration to US government officials of a working model of what was the world's "first nuclear-powered streetcar".

Cast

Judy Canova Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland ...

as herself *

Andy Clyde Andrew Allan Clyde (March 25, 1892 – May 18, 1967) was a Scottish-born American film and television actor whose career spanned more than four decades. In 1921 he broke into silent films as a Mack Sennett comic, debuting in ''On a Summer ...

as Grandpa Rutherford Canova *

Ross Elliott Ross Elliott (born Elliott Blum, June 18, 1917 – August 12, 1999) was an American television and film character actor. He began his acting career in the Mercury Theatre, where he performed in ''The War of the Worlds'', Orson Welles' fam ...

as Don Mack *

Sig Ruman Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains in ...

as Stefan *

Leon Askin Leon Askin (; born Leon Aschkenasy, 18 September 1907 – 3 June 2005) was an Austrian Jewish actor best known in North America for portraying the character General Burkhalter on the TV situation comedy ''Hogan's Heroes''. Life and career A ...

as Otto *

Jack Kruschen Jacob "Jack" Kruschen (March 20, 1922 – April 2, 2002) was a Canadian character actor who worked primarily in American film, television and radio. Kruschen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. ...

as Hogar *Frank Wilcox as Professor *

Emil Sitka Emil Sitka (December 22, 1914January 16, 1998) was a veteran American actor, who appeared in hundreds of movies, short films, and television shows, and is best known for his numerous appearances with The Three Stooges. He is one of only two acto ...

as Technician

External links

* * {{Charles Lamont 1955 films 1955 musical comedy films American science fiction comedy films American musical comedy films Films directed by Charles Lamont American black-and-white films Republic Pictures films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Cast

See also

External links