The Mystery Train

Hedda Hopper has been speculating in the market and lost everything. Bryant Washburn says his trust for millionaire Nick Stuart is about to be dissolved. They decide a niece for Mrs. Hopper will repair the holes in each of their finances by marrying young Mr. Stuart. Fortunately(!) the train they are on has a wreck, and Marceline Day escapes custody. Mrs. Hopper immediately adopts her and the plan moves forward.

It's a good set-up, although fans of old movies will find few novelties in its execution. The senior pair are good in their acting; the youngsters a bit stiff. Although Hampton Del Ruth inserted several funny bits in the movie, like Al Cooke and Carol Tevis as quarreling newlyweds, director Phil Whitman doesn't seem to integrate them into the story. Even the title seems to have been chosen to suggest thrills that never appear; the only mystery having to do with trains here is why they keep crashing when the principal actors are on them.

'Poverty Row' doesn't always mean 'poor quality', we know that very well. It may mean modest means of production, maybe a lower quality of picture and sound and even directing - but it VERY often means an unexpectedly good cast, and a really suspenseful, unusual and original plot. And "The Mystery Train" certainly has got both: Hedda Hopper (who later became Hollywood's most famous and feared gossip columnist), young Marceline Day, who'd already been a star in silent dramas as well as comedies, and Nick Stuart, always a reliable 'handsome young man' in B movies... And as for the plot - now, a B movie with a running time of just a little over an hour seldom gets boring; but THIS one keeps you fascinated for EVERY single moment...

It's the story of how fate often puts things in the right - or the wrong - place: on a train, a middle-aged businesswoman (Hopper) has just learned that she's lost all her money on the stock market, while her lawyer tells her about one of his clients, a young man who's just inherited a large fortune; and she remarks what a shame it is that she hasn't got a daughter to marry that rich young fellow... While in the next compartment, a cop is just taking a young girl handcuffed to the jail, while she keeps swearing that she didn't commit the crime she's been convicted for - and then the train jumps off the tracks, and in the ensuing chaos, the girl manages to free herself from the handcuffs and the unconscious cop; while, when the survivors are all asked for their names, the crafty lady reacts quickly and presents the girl as her niece - pretending to be wanting to help her, but in reality hoping that SHE'll be the one the rich heir will fall for and marry, bringing an immensely valuable diamond that's part of the heritage into her possession...

This movie is so full of suspense, romance and action that it'll surely enthrall EVERY fan of classic crime and romance films - most of all because the cast, namely the two 'lovers', are so engaging and sympathetic that you simply can't HELP feeling with them, hoping and fearing for them... Something that MANY a highly praised A movie doesn't manage to achieve!

Like "Defenders of the Law", this is another interesting "B" scripted by Hampton Del Ruth (this time in collaboration with skillful director Phil Whitman). As the title implies, this one is an absolute must for railroad buffs – and unlike some other "B" movies which promise much but deliver little, this one doesn't disappoint, with some terrific train footage at both the beginning and the climax (which will have most fans on the edge of their seats). Queenly villainess Hedda Hopper is top billed over the lovely Marceline Day, Nick Stuart makes a more-than-adequate hero, Bryant Washburn of course is a collaborating heavy, while Al Cooke and the super-attractive Carol Tevis play a comic groom and bride.

Wealthy Hedda Hopper (Marian) isn't so wealthy anymore and needs money. She discusses her predicament with her lawyer friend Bryant Washburn (William) whilst on a train journey. He suggests that it is a pity she doesn't have a daughter as the current case he is working on could prove fruitful for her if she had one. There is a valuable diamond to be passed on to whoever marries bachelor Nick Stuart (Ron) and this provides the basis for the wicked scheme. What Hedda needs is to find a 'daughter' from somewhere and set up a marriage to this rich youngster in order to get the diamond into her position. Once that is completed, job done - welcome back wealthy lifestyle.

The film has interesting beginning and ending sequences that are set aboard a train, and in between we get the trickery associated with the romance. Whilst it isn't the best acted film - Marceline Day (Joan) as the 'daughter' character has some pretty dreadful intonation and line delivery - there is still an element of tension to proceedings that keeps you watching. It gets a bit confusing at the end once the jewel goes missing and then the film resolves itself rather conveniently but it retains a dramatic interest as the audience wants to know what will happen next.

This movie is apparently in Public Domain and I downloaded it from Jimbo Berkey's fantastic site. I then uploaded to the Cloud and watched in on TV with my Streaming Media device (can I say Roku?).

I love anything to do with Railroading's Steam Days, so this would at least be a time killer on a rainy day.

However, it turned out to be a pretty darn good movie, with a neat story, good acting and GREAT railroading scenes.

Hedda Hopper was a better actress than you might have thought, if you even ever heard of her. She may even be better than her Son William, TV Perry Mason's Private Dick, Paul Drake. All the other actors were fine too.

I especially liked the Newlyweds on the Train, who along with the Porter supplied the Comic Relief. That and some genuine Hair Raising Train scenes really added to the movie.

I plan on watching this movie again and I think lots of other people might want to give it a look.