Re: New Book - "Hollywood's Railroads" ...

Russo Loco Wrote:
========================================
> ...  In addition to the numerous great photos from
> the movies and of them being made, I am finding
> the detailed stories of the production of several of
> the better-known films absolutely fascinating!  My
> copy of "Hollywood's Railroads" arrived in yesterday
> evening's mail, and kept me up well past my usual
> bedtime!   Highly Recommended!!
>
> Well Done, Larry!!!    

I'll second that motion!!   -   Willie

> * I was standing about 10 feet to John's right and
> 8 or 10 feet up on the hillside when he took the
> cover photo - at Phantom Curve on 05/25/10.  
> #489 was dolled up with a green boiler jacket,
> but not for a Hollywood movie ...    


That's one thing I REALLY don't get -

With all the colorful photos of real Movie Star Locos around, why did Larry choose THAT one for the cover?  Why not RGS #20 as Emma Sweeny (with Marilyn Monroe) or - even better - #268 in Grande Gold?? - That would have been more eye catching, especially since the original railroad WAS the Rio Grande, and #268 wasn't just a movie star - she represented Narrow Gauge Country at the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1949!   Even #483 in Tuscan, Gold and Harlot Scarlet would have been a better choice.*  She has appeared in many more movies and is a LOT prettier in make-up than #489 - especially #489 in that hideous olive drab jacket that some Wild-Eyed Foamer perpetrated on her a few years ago ...    

OTOH, once I got past the cover I found Hollywood's Railroads, Volume Three, impossible to put down.  Even after my glass of Old Peculier had run dry I continued reading right to the end - including the extensive list of films done in Narrow Gauge Country and the impressive bibliography.  It's a very, very well written book that even your non-railfan friends and spouses should enjoy - and published just in time for Christmas!!

- Sincerely, Willie (Wm. Claude Johnson-Barr III, Esq.)  
         "Not All With A Cell-Phone Can Twitter
         "Not All Those Who Ponder Can Think ... "

p.s. After reading seven pages of text and photos about Night Passage I watched it again - for only the second time - and was reminded why it had been gathering dust on the shelf for so long.  True, the railroad scenes are VERY well done, and there are many more of them in Night Passage than most of the other Hollywood films done in Narrow Gauge Country, such as Shootout - or Shoot Out - for example.  But if Shootout is considered one of Gregory Peck's worst movies then, IMHO, Night Passage is likewise one of James Stewart's worst.  The scenery - except for some of the settings faked on the sound stage - is awesome, of course, and the action is well done, but there's almost no suspense or tension in the highly predictable plot, and all of the characters - even Mr. Stewart - are thin as cardboard.  Actually, except for the ditsy lady introduced near the end of Shootout, IIRC the acting is better overall, the bad guys are more believably bad and the story at least a tiny bit more complex.   Of the few films I've seen out of the dozens mentioned in the book, so far I like Ticket to Tomahawk best - at least it doesn't pretend to be more than it is!

* For photos of #483 as she appeared when first turned over to the C&TS on September 1, 1970 - still wearing the movie make-up left over from the filming of 'The Good Guys and The Bad Guys' in 1968 - see [ngdiscussion.net].   IIRC, Ernie's "CUMBRES AND TOLTEC SCENIC RAILROAD" lettering - with logo - lasted only a couple of weeks before being painted over so a flying Rio Grande for the filming of the C&TS' first western, 'Shootout', could be re-applied.  Here's #483 at Cumbres in mid-October, 1970, still wearing her movie make-up:




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2014 12:08PM by Johnson Barr.