The Great Locomotive Chase

The Great Locomotive Chase is a 1956 adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, based on the real Great Locomotive Chase that occurred in 1862 during the American Civil War. The film stars Fess Parker as James J. Andrews, the leader of a group of Union soldiers from various Ohio regiments who volunteered to go behind Confederate lines in civilian clothes, steal a Confederate train north of Atlanta, and drive it back to Union lines in Tennessee, tearing up railroad tracks and destroying bridges and telegraph lines along the way.
Written and produced by Lawrence Edward Watkin and directed by Francis D. Lyon, the 85-minute full-color film also features Jeffrey Hunter, John Lupton, Kenneth Tobey, Don Megowan, and Slim Pickens. Paul Smith composed the score. Filmed in Georgia and North Carolina, along the now abandoned Tallulah Falls Railway, it was released in U.S. theaters by Buena Vista Distribution on June 8, 1956, and capitalized on Parker's growing fame as an actor from his portrayal of Davy Crockett. The film re teamed him with Jeff York (Mike Fink).
The steam engine upon which the film is based ("The General") is preserved at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia. Representing the locomotive in the film is American-type steam engine #25 ("William Mason"), built in 1856 and preserved in operating condition at the B&O Railroad Museum.
The final locomotive used by Conductor Fuller and the pursuers, "The Texas," has been restored and is on display at Grant Park in Atlanta, also home to the Cyclorama mural painting of the Battle of Atlanta.
==Cast==
*Fess Parker as James J. Andrews, Union spy and leader of the volunteers
*Jeffrey Hunter as William A. Fuller, conductor of the Confederate train
*Jeff York as William Campbell, Union soldier ("worth ten in a fight") {actually Campbell was a civilian volunteer}
*John Lupton as Cpl. William Pittenger, Union soldier
*Eddie Firestone as Robert Buffum, Union soldier
*Kenneth Tobey as Anthony Murphy, Confederate engineer
*Don Megowan as Marion A. Ross, Union soldier
*Claude Jarman, Jr. as Jacob Parrott, Union soldier, first Medal of Honor recipient
*Harry Carey, Jr. as William Bensinger, Union soldier
*Leonard P. Geer as James A. Wilson (as Lennie Geer), Union soldier
*George Robotham as William Knight, Union civilian train engineer/fireman
*Stan Jones as Wilson Brown, Union civilian train engineer/fireman
*Marc Hamilton as John Wollam, Union soldier
*John Wiley as John M. Scott, Union soldier
*Slim Pickens as Pete Bracken
*Morgan Woodward as Unnamed Confederate soldier on troop train
*Dale Van Sickel as Alonzo Martin (uncredited)
*Douglas Bleckley as Henry Haney, Fireman of "The Texas"
*Robert Kent as A Switchman
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
*Rudy Bowman as Townsman (uncredited)
*George Bruggeman as Soldier (uncredited)
*Richard H. Cutting as Union Gen. Mitchell (uncredited)
*John Daheim...Cox (uncredited)
*Robert Foulk as Confederate Gen. Ledbetter (uncredited)
*Roy Gordon as Secretary Stanton (uncredited)
*Herman Hack as Townsman (uncredited)
*Dick Johnstone as Townsman (uncredited)
*Jack Kenny as Townsman (uncredited)
*Mitchell Kowall as One of Andrews' Raiders (uncredited)
*Billy McCoy as Townsman (uncredited)
*Frank McGrath as Soldier (uncredited)
*Hank Patterson as Turner (uncredited)
*John Pickard as Confederate Lt. Fletcher (uncredited)
*Chuck Roberson as Confederate Prison Captain (uncredited)
*Danny Sands as Soldier (uncredited)
*Dick Sargent as Andrews Raider (uncredited)
*Dale Van Sickel as Alonzo Martin (uncredited)
==Releases==
The film was released on DVD twice, first by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2000, and by Disney in 2004, but these DVDs have been seldom advertised, as well as being rather "bare bone" releases (not having any bonus material, etc.), and have not been released outside of the United States.
==Song==
"Sons of Old Aunt Dinah" - lyrics by Lawrence Edward Watkin and music by Stan Jones
==Gallery==
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Great locomotive chase french poster.jpg|Poster from the release in France on December 19, 1956
Great locomotive chase italian poster.jpg|Poster from the release in Italy on July 15, 1958, paired with Men Against the Arctic
Great locomotive chase japanese poster.jpg|Poster from the release in Japan on May 5, 1957
Los-valientes-tambien-huyen-img-42637-1-.jpg|Lobby card from the release in Mexico (1950s)
Heroes de hierro.jpg|Poster from the release in Spain on December 24, 1957
Den stora lokomotivjakten 55 i.jpg|Poster from the release in Sweden on February 11, 1957
Uptown poster2010ww.jpg|Poster from the release in the United Kingdom on August 17, 1956
==Trivia==
*The film's copyright was renewed on January 23, 1984.Online Copyright Catalog search (form autofilled, pressing "begin search" brings up the entry)
*The engines on the trains are old 4-4-0 engines or American type steam locomotives, except Yonah as a 4-2-0. These locomotives of this wheel arrangement were used most common on American railroads during the 1800s and 1830s until 1928.
*The locomotive that played the "General" made a second appearance in Tuck Everlasting.
*The location for the Railroad was filmed on the Tallulah Falls Railway at Tallulah Falls, Ga. The movie was made 6 years before the Shortline closed, when the Shortline did close the whole railroad was essentially wiped out there's only a few Depot's left but that's pretty much it.
==References==
Category:Disney films
Category:Live-action films
Category:1956 films
Category:The Great Locomotive Chase
Category:Unrated_films
Category:Cinemascope Films