The Great Train Robbery
Cast & Crew
Joseph Kane
Bob Steele
Claire Carleton
Milburn Stone
Helen Mackellar
Si Jenks
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
On the night that railroad detective Tom Logan is to guard a million-dollar shipment of gold aboard the Comanche Limited , he is late for work and arouses the suspicions of head detective Pierce. After questioning the Super and Tom's mother, Pierce learns that Tom's father was a train robber, and that his brother Duke is the shady owner of a roadhouse. Just as the Comanche is about to leave, a bloodied Tom arrives and jumps aboard. He is followed by Kay Stevens, an entertainer at Duke's roadhouse. Determined to have Kay removed from the train, the Super alerts the next station, Broken Bow, but the Comanche speeds past the stop signals. The Super then learns that the passengers were robbed and forced to walk back to Broken Bow. While the Super is talking to "Dad" Halliday, the stationmaster at Coyote Wells, the next stop, Dad hears the Comanche whistle as it passes. The Super, Pierce and Dad take a special engine along the line from Coyote Wells to the last stop, but they cannot find the train, even though there is only a single track between the last two stations. The men are joined by Barnsdale, the president of the line, and as they ponder the mystery and Tom's possible complicity, a flashback to before the train's disappearance reveals that Tom spent the evening with his mother celebrating her birthday at Duke's roadhouse. Duke is dismayed to learn that Tom will be guarding the gold, as he is the leader of the gang, and so he has his men waylay Tom after he leaves. Despite being driven off the road, Tom makes it to the Comanche on time. Kay, with whom both Tom and Duke are in love, has become suspicious of Duke's behavior and follows Tom. The gang takes over the train just past Broken Bow, and Tom is knocked out when he hesitates to shoot Duke. After the passengers disembark, the gang takes the train along an abandoned spur to the old San Cristobal mining tunnel, and while they start a landslide to cover the entrance to the tunnel, two of Duke's henchmen play a recording of the Comanche outside of Coyote Wells so that Dad will think it passed by on time. Tom, who manages to escape from the train, finds the tunnel with the aid of an old prospector named "Whiskers." Tom finds Kay, and after fighting with Duke, Tom and Kay crash the engine through the landslide out onto the track. Just then, the Super and the others pass by and head their engine over to the tunnel. Duke and his men attempt to escape with the gold but are stopped by Tom and the others. Pierce shoots Duke as he attempts to flee, and as Duke dies, he tells Pierce that Tom is not connected to the gang. His name cleared and the gold recovered, Tom plans to marry Kay.
Director
Joseph Kane
Cast
Bob Steele
Claire Carleton
Milburn Stone
Helen Mackellar
Si Jenks
Monte Blue
Hal Taliaferro
Jay Novello
Dick Wessel
Lew Kelly
Guy Usher
Yakima Canutt
Crew
Olive Cooper
Cy Feuer
Joseph Kane
Reggie Lanning
John Victor Mackay
William O'connor
Lester Orlebeck
Adele Palmer
Murray Seldeen
Robert T. Shannon
Mel Tucker
Garnett Weston
Al Wilson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although Hollywood Reporter news items stated that Horace Murphy and Virginia Sale were to be in this film, their appearance in the completed picture has not been confirmed. As reviews for the film noted, it was not related to the 1903 Edison picture, The Great Train Robbery. According to Hollywood Reporter news items, the box-office success of this picture inspired Republic to plan a series of "melodramas in the old-time style." The studio intended to release a version of Ten Nights in a Bar Room, which was not produced, and Rags to Riches, which was released in 1941 (see below).
