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Post by Rich Curilla on Apr 12, 2012 17:32:12 GMT -5
The Great Locomotive Chase (immortalized in two motion pictures) happened 150 years ago today on the Western & Atlantic R.R. between Atlanta and Chattanooga. The locomotive "General" was stolen by Union spies under James J. Andrews in full view of Confederate Camp McDonald across the tracks from the Lacy Hotel in Big Shanty, GA, (now Kennesaw). The spies raced it north tearing up rails and cutting telegraph lines, but, due to the intrepidness of train conductor William A. Fuller, who pursued on foot, on a hand-car, in an old yard engine and on two different locomotives, the spies were detrained and scattered 88 miles north (1.3 miles above Ringgold, GA) at slightly before 12:30 P.M. -- after a six hour chase.
A wonderful commemoration for this day 150 years later is to watch Disney's The Great Locomotive Chase followed by Buster Keaton's wonderful 1927 film, The General.
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Post by Rich Curilla on Apr 12, 2012 17:33:22 GMT -5
Notice that I say watch the 1957 film before the 1927 film. That is because (unlike Disney's Davy) it is quite accurate to the history and timeline of the chase. Then watch Buster Keaton blow history out of the theater as he plays with several still-working locomotives in his version of the chase -- and the chase back. Wonderful stuff!
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Post by Allen Wiener on Apr 12, 2012 19:48:13 GMT -5
Good idea, Rich, especially as all day Saturday will be consumed with Titanic stuff. I have the DVD of the wonderful Disney film and will get it out. I wish they had done a better job of cleaning it up and remastering it, but what the heck.
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Post by Rich Curilla on Apr 12, 2012 20:50:29 GMT -5
At least they did present it in correct format: 2.35:1. Mine does anyway. Mark Lemon joined my niece Connie and me at the Southern Heritage Museum in Kennesaw in 2009 to visit the locomotive General, and gave me a well done Osprey book on the event. With that and another great book that includes the movies, I feel up to date on the history vs. Hollywood thing.
One cool detail I just became aware of is how the General was nearly lost in 1864. I knew it had been badly damaged in an ammunition train explosion, but I didn't know that it was the same explosion depicted in Gone With The Wind during the burning of Atlanta. Even more interesting is that David O. Selznick tried to rent the actual General to use in that scene. Fortunately, it was on exhibit for the year at the New York Worlds Fair.
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Post by Kevin Young on Apr 13, 2012 11:27:21 GMT -5
Got to ride on The General in 1964 when it toured the country. Stopped in Rossville and my brother, Dad, and I rode it six miles to the next stop in Hoopeston. Great Civil War Centennial memory.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Apr 13, 2012 11:41:12 GMT -5
Kevin - saw your picutre on Facebook; very cool!
Rich - there was a Disney promo/documentary on "Disneyland" about the making of the film, whih aired around the time the film came out. They re-ran it on the Disney Channel some years ago and I have it recorded somewhere.
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Post by Chuck T on Apr 13, 2012 13:01:49 GMT -5
I think it would be well to note that the first Medals of Honor were awarded for this affair. Have not seen the Disney film in a number of years to great to count but I think they mentioned these awards at the very end.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Apr 13, 2012 14:26:23 GMT -5
Chuck - that's correct. The final scene shows Stanton presenting the Medals to the surviving raiders.
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Post by Rich Curilla on Apr 12, 2013 19:20:02 GMT -5
Happy 151st. Great Locomotive Chase Day! A great double-feature for tonight would be to watch Walt Disney's 1956 movie THE GREAT LOCOMOTIVE CHASE (quite historically accurate depiction of the Civil War encounter) and then Buster Keaton's 1927 action-comedy THE GENERAL about the chase -- both ways. Keaton's film is a wonderful example of "boys with toys" -- real ones! He had three or more period 4-4-0 steam locomotives and pulled out all the action stops, as usual with his comedies. These films represent two very different ways to tell the same story.  |
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Post by Rich Curilla on Apr 12, 2013 19:21:47 GMT -5
......and Kevin will be with us if we watch them.  |
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Post by Allen Wiener on Apr 12, 2013 20:06:57 GMT -5
Rich - every time you mention that, I grab the DVD and watch it again. Next to "Davy Crockett," I think it was Fess Parker's best film (and Jeff York's too). Good cast all around. I've probably mentioned this before, but this is one of two real life characters named Fuller that were played on screen by Jeff Hunter; the other was the guy who died on Omaha Beach in "The Longest Day."
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Post by loucapitano on Apr 15, 2013 19:00:45 GMT -5
Allen, what a wonderful catch of Jeff Hunter playing a Fuller twice. Nver noticed it after seeing both pictures dozens of times. "From now on you're Lieutenant Fuller," says Robert Mitchum of the 29th Div.
There have been several fine histories of the "Andrews Raid" (AKA Great Loco Chase) The saddest discovery was the undignified execution of Andrews for his action. I guess that's the price for sabotage and spying, but the way they hung him was cruel.
Quite frankly, I've enjoyed every picture Fess parker was in.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Apr 16, 2013 9:53:34 GMT -5
Me too; some better than others, but Fess always "clicked" for me on the screen. I think I noticed the two Fuller characters because I watched both of those films so many times and my mind has often acted as an automatic storage facility for generally worthless information. I got a ton of it. I found this description of Andrews' execution: www.andrewsraid.com/a_exeand.htmlA Wikipedia entry, taken from the book Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor, by Russell S. Bonds[/b], gives this grizzly description of his hanging: "Andrews was ineptly hanged at about 5:00 that afternoon (the scaffold was so low that his feet touched the ground and he most likely died of strangulation as opposed to a broken neck). . . ." |
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