I’ve seen both “Silver Streak”'s, The 1976 one with Gene Wilder and the 1934 one with Sally Blane and Charles Starrett and I have to say I prefer the 1934 one.
The 1934 movie has Arthur Lake - best known as Dagwood in the “Blondie” radio show and movie series - as a supporting actor, the assistant to the chief engineer trying to get the diesel train accepted.
Here’s a photo of CP’s Kokanee Park in revenue service with the Silver Streak applique still showing.
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=556681
Sure looks like the emblem hints at Amtrak’s “Pointless Arrow!” It was a fun movie. As I recall the engineer’s control stand alternated from right to left throughout the movie, plus dozens of other technical misgivings[;)]
Ed
All:
Who cares about Wilder, Pryor, or McGoohan, or even the bogus stage-set interiors? I was looking at Jill Clayburg.
Tom
Silver Streak is one of my all time favorites too. The above post got me thinking about who I would cast I a a remake. Here goes:
George: Jeff Daniels, he’s done both drama and comedy quite well.
Hilly: Emily Perkins
Devereau: Daniel Craig
Grover: Edie Murphy
Whiney: Matt Damon
Reece: Any suggestions?
Porter: Samuel L Jackson
Not bad. Maybe too many “big” names to be economically feasible though.
These are some I’ve been thinking within a normal movie budget:
George: Will Ferrell
Grover: Will Smith
Bob Sweet: Tom Arnold
Devereau: Pierce Brosnan (interesting we both picked Bonds)
Porter: Was thinking of changing to a female role, but can’t come up with the right actress. Maybe Wanda Sykes? Not the biggest Wanda fan though.
Hilly: Doesn’t have to be a big name. Any newcomer could fill the role.
Jerry Jarvis: Fred Willard of course. He still has the same job after all these years [:D]
Part of this was filmed by my childhood house in Calgary, by fish creek, watched them drive train forward and back it up over the same spot for several days.
I find the story of the script of the first Silver Streak interesting, something I realized after reading Pioneer’s history and seeing the film.
CBQ and UP were in an intense rivalry to get the first lightweight petroleum-power streamlined passenger train on the track. They both wanted the Winton 201a diesel, which was unreliable at first and delayed CBQ for many months; UP chose to use a distillate engine instead and beat them into service. But tho CBQ was second, they worked harder at publicity, doing stunts like the speed run from Denver to Chicago with all switches pinned and all crossings manned, and later, the Twins parallel run with many sets of twins. The film was part of that publicity.
The 9900 was only a few months old when the movie was shot. The liberties taken in the script changed the run to a roughly 2000 mile trip to save the son of the railroad’s owner, as said. The spy/killer who threatened the train by pulling breakers so he could escape arrest came from an actual incident during the speed run when a reporter leaving the cab slammed a door on a temporary cable. killing the engine. While the Zephyr was drifting downgrade, the assistant engineer tried to reconnect the severed cable, but finally picked up the ends and pushed them together, yelling to re-start, and sustaining severe burns to his hands.
The irony is that UP was first, but lost its aluminum M10000 series as scrap in WWII, while the Zephyr, built with new stainless steel welding techniques, survived for years longer.
Hal
I think the M-10000’s problem was the distillate motors, not the body. Had they used diesel engines, it might have been economical to keep them longer. As it was, it made more sense to buy passenger diesels to replace them.
There was also pressure from the government to turn in aluminum for aircraft production.
Hal