The Phantom Express is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

crime-drama directed by

Emory Johnson Alfred Emory Johnson (March 16, 1894 – April 18, 1960) was an American actor, director, producer, and writer. As a teenager, he started acting in silent films. Early in his career, Carl Laemmle chose Emory to become a Universal studio leading ...

and based on the

story. The film stars William Collier, Jr. as Bruce Harrington,

Sally Blane Sally Blane (born Elizabeth Jane Young; July 11, 1910 – August 27, 1997) was an American actress who appeared in over 100 movies. Early life Blane was born in Salida, Colorado. She was the sister of actresses Polly Ann Young and Loretta Young ...

as Carolyn Nolan and

Hobart Bosworth Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth (August 11, 1867 – December 30, 1943) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer. Early life Bosworth was born on August 11, 1867, in Marietta, Ohio. His father was a sea captain in the Civil W ...

as Mr. Harrington. It was commercially released on August 15, 1932, by

Majestic Pictures Majestic Pictures was an American film production and distribution company active during the 1930s. Under the control of Larry Darmour the company specialized in low-budget production, and was one of the more stable Poverty Row outfits during the ...

. __TOC__

Plot

This story starts with engineer D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan, played by

J. Farrell MacDonald John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a four-decade career from 1911 to 1951, and directed fort ...

speeding down the tracks at full throttle when he spies an oncoming train directly in his path. He quickly applies the emergency brakes, the train starts screeching to a halt but then derails. Several passengers are killed. An investigation cannot find any trace of the oncoming train that caused the derailment. Smoky is fired for negligence. We come to find out Smoky has a beautiful daughter, Carolyn Nolan, played by

. We also learn the CEO of the Southwest Pacific Railroad, Mr. Harrington played by

, has a playboy son - Bruce Harrington played by William Collier, Jr. Because of the derailment and other ill fortunes, Mr. Harrington has decided to sell the railroad for a fraction of its worth. He will sign the papers at midnight. In the meantime, Bruce meets Carolyn and finds out she is the daughter of the fired engineer. They instantly bond, then decide to set out together and solve the mystery of the phantom express. During their investigation, they uncover a diabolical scheme concocted by a network of bad guys. They find out the President of a rival railroad company played by

Huntley Gordon Huntley Ashworth Gordon (October 8, 1879 – December 7, 1956) was a Canadian actor who began his career in the Silent Film era. Profile Gordon was born in Montreal, Quebec, educated in both Canada and England. He had various jobs including w ...

has intentionally caused all of the accidents on the Southwest Pacific Railroad to drive the stock price down. After the stock plummets, the rival president figures he can buy all of the railroad's rolling stock at a reduced price. Bruce discovers the plot just hours before his father, Mr. Harrington, will sign the railroad over to the bad guys. He tried to telegraph his father, but a storm has caused the telegraph to fail. In fact, the storm has knocked out all forms of communication. In a twist of fate, the only way Bruce can advise his father not to sign the papers is to fire-up have train number 101, bring Smoky Nolan and his fireman out of retirement, and somehow try to highball back to the central office to prevent his father from signing. The train travels through the storm-savaged countryside encountering floods, landslides, and other hazards. Bruce arrives just in the nick of time, advising his father to nix the deal. He exposes the plot by the rival railroad, including how the bad guys constructed a piece of equipment and disguised it like an engine with headlights. They placed it on a nearby track causing Smoky to think he was heading towards a collision with an oncoming train. Hence, the name - the phantom express. During their investigation, Bruce and Carolyn fell in love. They decide to get married. After they tie-the-knot, they honeymoon on the train.

Cast

Production

The main theme of the plot bears a close similarity to '' The Ghost Train (play)'', a movie version of which was produced in England the previous year, viz. '' The Ghost Train'', but that source is not acknowledged in the credits. There was a prior silent American film also entitled '' The Phantom Express'' (1925), which may also have been influenced although uncredited by the original play. The film is sometimes confused with the earlier film with the same name. The earlier version, released in November 1925 starred

Ethel Shannon Ethel Shannon (May 22, 1898 – July 10, 1951) was an American actress. She appeared in over 30 silent movies in the early 20th century. Early life and career Ethel Shannon was born in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of James and Agnes (Kn ...

and George Periolat. The film is a

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

and was the last Hollywood film to be directed by

Preservation status

''The Phantom Express'' was the first film in Emory Johnson's contract with

. The film is also Emory Johnson's second

. The film's original length is listed at 6 reels.

directed 13 films, of which 11 were silent, and 2 were talkies. This movie can be viewed o
YouTube

Gallery

Principal Players

Audrey Ferris and William Collier Jr. in Beware of Bachelors (1928).jpg, William Collier, Jr.
Bruce Harrington Sally Blane - Motion Picture, May 1932.jpg,

Carolyn Nolan HobartBosworth.jpg,

Mr. Harrington Basquette De Mirjian.jpg,

Lina Basquette Lina Basquette (born Lena Copeland Baskette; April 19, 1907 – September 30, 1994) was an American actress. She is noted for her 75-year career in entertainment, which began during the silent film era. Talented as a dancer, she was paid as a gi ...

Betty Pardon My Glove (1922) still 170849 cropped.jpg, Tom O'Brien
Red Connelly Telegraph Operator Robert Ellis - Dec 1921 Photoplay.jpg, Robert Ellis
Reynolds Allan Forrest c1917.jpg, Allan Forrest
a henchman Huntley Gordon 1918.jpg,

President of a rival railroad company

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phantom Express 1930s action films 1932 adventure films 1930s crime thriller films 1930s mystery thriller films 1930s romance films 1932 films 1932 drama films American action adventure films American adventure films American black-and-white films American crime thriller films Remakes of American films American mystery thriller films American romance films American romantic drama films American silent feature films Film Booking Offices of America films Films set in San Francisco Majestic Pictures films Melodrama films Sound film remakes of silent films Films directed by Emory Johnson 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Silent romantic drama films Silent adventure films Silent mystery films Silent thriller films Silent American drama films