''Murder in the Private Car'' is a 1934 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

starring

Mary Carlisle Mary Carlisle (born Gwendolyn Witter; February 3, 1914 – August 1, 2018) was an American actress, singer, and dancer, best known for her roles as a wholesome ingénue in numerous 1930s musical-comedy films. She starred in more than 60 Holly ...

Charles Ruggles Charles Sherman Ruggles (February 8, 1886 – December 23, 1970) was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the e ...

and

Una Merkel Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress. Merkel was born in Kentucky and acted on stage in New York in the 1920s. She went to Hollywood in 1930 and became a popular film ...

. Directed by

Harry Beaumont Harry Beaumont (10 February 1888 – 22 December 1966) was an American film director, actor, and screenwriter. He worked for a variety of production companies including 20th Century Fox, Fox, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, Goldwyn, Metro Picture ...

, the production is based on the play ''The Rear Car'' by Edward E. Rose. David Townsend was the film's art director.

Plot

This is the story of Los Angeles switchboard operator Ruth Raymond (

). She learns from lawyer Alden Murray (

Porter Hall Clifford Porter Hall (September 19, 1888 – October 6, 1953) was an American character actor known for appearing in a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s. Hall typically played villains or comedic incompetent characters. Early years Hall wa ...

) that she is actually the daughter of railroad tycoon Luke Carson (

Berton Churchill Berton Churchill (December 9, 1876 – October 10, 1940) was a Canadian stage and film actor. Early years Churchill was born in Toronto, Ontario. After his family moved to New York City, he graduated from high school there, studied law a ...

). She had been kidnapped as a baby by Luke's brother and partner Elwood, and placed with strangers. Once it is found out that she is an heiress, there is an attempt on her life by her bodyguard and chauffeur, which is foiled by Godfrey Scott (

). A telegram from her father is intercepted and replaced, telling her to meet him in New York instead of Los Angeles, and that a private train car has been arranged. Ruth, Murray, and her best friend Georgia Latham (

) board the train bound for New York. In the private car, the lights go out and an announcement is heard, "Eight hours to live", after which Scott introduces himself to Ruth and her friends as a sleuth who prevents crime. Scott reunites Ruth with her boyfriend John Blake (

Russell Hardie William Russell Hardie (May 20, 1904 – July 21, 1973) was an American film actor. He appeared in ''The Costello Case'', '' Broadway to Hollywood'', '' Stage Mother'', ''Christopher Bean'', '' As the Earth Turns'', '' Men in White'', ''Opera ...

), who has stowed away. Then the train is suddenly stopped until the wreck of a circus train on the tracks is cleared. Murray is murdered and "Five hours to live" is announced. Then an escaped circus gorilla attacks Ruth, Georgia, and Scott before jumping from the train to its death. The next morning, the train stops in the same small town where Luke Carson's train has also stopped. He has been tipped off by a radio message to meet her. Now with no reason to go to Los Angeles, her father joins Ruth's party in the private car. Then one by one all the windows are blackened and the lights put out, and a voice informs the passengers that the private car is about to be uncoupled from the train and will roll backwards downhill towards another train, the Limited; and a secret panel is opened, showing concealed explosives that will make sure no one survives the crash. Luke Carson recognizes the sinister voice as that of his brother Elwood, who is in fact the conductor in charge of the private car. Elwood confirms his identity and says Luke once cheated him. Scott finds and kills Elwood, then finds a radio transmitter on the car and uses it to broadcast a warning of the imminent collision and explosion. The Limited's engineers hear the broadcast and reverse their train, but this also risks a collision since a freight train is following it. Fortunately there is a conveniently located railway yard where quick-thinking railwaymen can throw switches to send the Limited, the freight, and the runaway private car onto three separate tracks. Then they dispatch a locomotive to catch up with the runaway car, warning its engineer about the explosives. Rather than coupling to the car, the engineer pulls close to it so that everyone on board can jump onto the front platform of the steam locomotive. Then he stops the locomotive, just before the runaway car derails on a curve and explodes. When everyone gets off to look, Scott and Georgia embrace.

Cast

as Godfrey D. Scott *

as Georgia Latham *

as Ruth Raymond (aka Ruth Carson) *

as John Blake *

as Alden Murray *

Willard Robertson Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1924 and 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas, and died in Hollywood, California. Biography Robertson first ...

as Hanks - Car Conductor *

as Luke Carson * Cliff Thompson as Mr. Allen *

Snowflake A snowflake is a single ice crystal that has achieved a sufficient size, and may have amalgamated with others, which falls through the Earth's atmosphere as snow.Knight, C.; Knight, N. (1973). Snow crystals. Scientific American, vol. 228, no. ...

as Titus - Car Porter *

Harry Semels Harry Semels (November 20, 1887 – March 2, 1946) was an American film actor. He appeared in over 315 film between 1917 and 1946. Career Semels appeared in his first film in 1917. He began to achieve fame after arriving at Columbia Pictu ...

as Evil Eye (scenes deleted) ;Uncredited cast * Ernie Adams as Taxi Driver *

Hooper Atchley Lemuel Hooper Atchley (April 30, 1887 – November 17, 1943) was an American film actor. Atchley was the son of Mr. and Mrs. P. S. Atchley. He was a 1908 graduate of the Knoxville, Tennessee, school system. Atchley's first professional ac ...

as Conductor on Eastbound Train *

Jack Baxley Andrew Jackson Baxley (July 4, 1884 – December 10, 1950) was an American character actor of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in over 100 films over his career, many in unnamed, un-credited roles. Occasionally he would receive small, named roles ...

as Conductor in Holton *

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...

as Switchman * Raymond Brown as Bertillion Man * James P. Burtis as Switchman *

Jack Cheatham John Preston Cheatham (December 28, 1894 – March 30, 1971) was an American character actor of the 1930s and 1940s. During his career he appeared in almost 200 films, with 100 of them being features. Life and career Born John Preston Cheat ...

as Foreman *

Ray Corrigan Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

as Naba the Gorilla *

Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 4, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American actor and voice actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in '' Dumbo'', A ...

as Office Boy *

Olaf Hytten Olaf Hytten (3 March 1888 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1921 and 1955. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, while sitting in his car ...

as Man Asking About Radio *

Wilfred Lucas Wilfred Van Norman Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Lucas was born in Norfolk County, Ontario on January 30, 1871,US ...

as Train Conductor Thrown from Train *

Matt McHugh Matthew O. McHugh (January 22, 1894 – February 22, 1971) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 200 films between 1931 and 1955, primarily in small cameo parts. Career McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a s ...

as Policeman Stopping John * G. Raymond Nye as Detective *

Lee Phelps Lee Phelps (born Napoleon Bonaparte Kukuck; May 15, 1893 – March 19, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 600 films between 1917 and 1953, mainly in uncredited roles. He also appeared in three films that won the Acade ...

as Policeman Carrying Ruth

Production

The entire film was shot along the Southern Pacific's Donner Pass.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murder in the Private Car 1934 films 1930s mystery films 1930s romance films American black-and-white films American films based on plays American mystery films American romance films Comedy mystery films Films directed by Harry Beaumont Films set in Los Angeles Films set on trains Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films with screenplays by Edgar Allan Woolf 1930s English-language films 1930s American films