The Silver Streak

"The Silver Streak" is a film from RKO that celebrates two American engineering marvels of the time...the Burlington Zephyr and Boulder Dam. The Zephyr, also named 'The Silver Streak', was the fastest train of the day and was on display at the Century of Progress Fair in Chicago and it was one of the highlights of this World's Fair.

The story begins in Chicago, at the fair and the train is a sensation, as it's reported to be able to travel 120 mph...the fastest speed of any train at the time. Well, this speed will be needed when there's an outbreak of 'Infantile Paralysis' (Polio)...and the lifesaving iron lung machines need to be transported to the cite where the outbreak has occurred...at the construction site of Boulder Dam. But to get there, they have to run the train as fast as humanly possible...and it might not get there in time.

This film is not only a nice history lesson, it's also exciting and the footage of the speeding train are awfully exciting. Well made and enjoyable...I'm actually surprised this movie isn't more famous.

In this RKO pictures, the crew of the Pioneer Zephyr diesel train has 19 hours to deliver an iron lung to a town in NV who needs urgent medical attention. Who can arrange for such an extravaganza display of power and action, yes, it has to be a rich father paying everything he has for saving his son. This is a most courageous plot fabrication belonged to the Silver Streak (1934). Based on Roger Whatley's story, and scripted by him and Jack O'Donnell demonstrates a breakneck 2000 mile train trip which must be made in 19 hours (with available technology in 1934 to build that train). This is the only solution to the curing an epidemic of infantile paralysis. Sally Blane, Charles Starrett, Hardie Albright and William Farnum topped director Thomas Atkins cast which also included Irving Pichel, Arthur Lake and others. The Burlington Zephyr Also received prominent credit for portraying the Silver Streak. There is enough of high speed excitement, drama and the love story to make audience overlook the story's rampant implausibility. It earned $107,000 in profits, a substantial sum for 1934 value of money. The 20th century Fox film released its 1976 version starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor bore no relation to this movie except for the express train. The latter was also a huge box office hit and a fun movie to watch.

This movie really echoes the spirit of it's time. Everything then was progress & technology. The plot is the worst part of the film. It is terribly predictable & hackneyed. The film is also way short; 72 minutes for the version I have (barely 5 reels). The scenes at Hoover Dam could easily have been expanded to develop atmosphere & the brother/friend's character. The dam scenes are very interesting & show a human side to the massive project. Rail fans such as myself seek out this film (getting it is not easy) for the footage of the famous Pioneer Zephyr. This train is the forerunner of the French GTV & the Japanese Super Trains among many others. It was a technological marvel of it's time. The train has survived & is on display (magnificently restored) at The Chicago Museum of Science & Industry in a specially built vault below street level. There is an excellent use of montage early in the film as the father sees the history of railroading in his mind's eye. It is very well integrated into the story & not as 'In Your Face' as most montages are. The acting style has that curiously stiff feel of many of the early sound films. I think it has more to do with the director's uncertainty in the new technology than with the cast's talent. None of the cast were ever big time but they are attractive & reasonably well suited for their parts. I was pleasantly surprised to find it watchable. I had thought I would have to fast forward to the train footage that I bought the film to get.

While this movie is no less corny than others of it's time, the fact that most of the story takes place on a new streamlined high speed train is of interest to us train buffs. Most of the action is obviously speeded up in the camera just like the westerns of the time, it is still 70 min. of innocent fun. I recommend it.

It's a variation on the "Get The Serum To Nome" drama, only this time it has to get . . . well, not to Nome. Good shots of the "Zephyr", now on display in Chicago and the high-speed, high-tech wonder of its day. To get the high-speed effect on film the simply halved the speed of the camera. This results in a fast train but ridiculously fast action on the part of railway workers. The acting and the script aren't bad for a thirties serial.