CivilWarTalk Throwback Thursday, 11-8-18

James N.

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Although the item above is fairly recent (after all, it is the cover for a current commercially-available DVD), the film itself dates to 1956, so I thought it was a suitable subject for this week's Throwback Thursday. Readers might've noticed a lapse two weeks ago - that's because at the time I was touring northern Georgia enroute to the latest CWT Gathering at Ringgold/Chickamauga detailed here in many recent threads, my latest of which concerns the very event dramatized in the movie:

https://www.civilwartalk.com/thread...at-locomotive-chase-2018.151480/#post-1924008

Upon returning home I got out my copy to re-watch, and was reminded what a faithful telling of the story it really is! Considering the facts that it's a Walt Disney Production, made at the height of the often corny and unbelievable TV Western genre, starring two of Disney's stable of wooden actors, Fess Parker (better known as Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier and Daniel Boone) and Jeff York (better known as Lil' Abner and Mike Fink, King of the River) there were plenty of possibilities for failure. But it's saved by a reasonable (if sometimes hokey and sentimentalist) script that stays faithful to events as they occurred; a good supporting cast including Jeffery Hunter (of later solid performances in The Longest Day as a U.S. army engineer sergeant "John Doe" and King of Kings as the title character, Jesus), John Lupton, and Slim Pickens; and best of all actual period locomotives (courtesy the B&O Railroad Museum) operating on an abandoned North Georgia spur whose terrain is a good match for the original.

Anyone else having old Civil War-related photos, mementoes, or memorabilia is welcome and encouraged to post them in this thread as well!
 
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After this there was no reason to ever doing it again

It was & is perfect

Acc to Buster
it saved his live, he was in Germany & wanted to kill himself
he stumbled into a theater, saw Germans enjoying his old "the General"
steppede out wanting to live again
 
After this there was no reason to ever doing it again

It was & is perfect

Acc to Bster it saved his live, he was in Germany & wanted to kill himself
he stumbled into a theater, saw Germans enjoying his old "the General"
steppede out wanting to live again
I own a copy of that too, but although I like its inherent silliness, I prefer the Disney version because for once they essentially get it right, unlike a lot of their "historical" movies.
 
I remember that movie about the Andrews Raiders that starred Fess Parker. In his best known acting roles, he wore a coonskin cap. The locomotive featured in the movie, the General, is currently housed in a museum near Atlanta, GA.
 
One of my favorite movies. But I always liked Fess Parker.

Love locomotive stories also.

Thanks for post.

I have often wondered if there should be a remake of this movie. The one with Fess Parker would be hard to improve on, but the story doesn't seem to be as well-known today as it should (except in Georgia). A well made remake with known actors (todays) might generate some more interest in the war - as did "Gettysburg" when it came out.
It's a great story, with action and tension, and heroics. I would just hope the remake would be accurate and not try to delve much into "politics" if you get my drift. So - who plays Andrews?
Who plays Fuller?
 
After this there was no reason to ever doing it again

It was & is perfect

Acc to Buster
it saved his live, he was in Germany & wanted to kill himself
he stumbled into a theater, saw Germans enjoying his old "the General"
steppede out wanting to live again

Although maybe you have a point about doing it again. But I still think a well-made remake might be worthwhile.
 
Those are some nice pictures that you posted. Hope that you enjoyed the museum on your trip.
Thanks; this was my third visit, though the museum has quadrupled in size since the first time, back in 1989. Originally, General was in a single exhibition hall surrounded by exhibits and artifacts related to the Chase. Now the first building has been surrounded by a larger structure devoted not only to that, but to early railroads and their part in the war. Marietta had at one time been an important railroading center in the postwar years, and so two large galleries tell the story and display lots of interesting artifacts (like BIG machinery) from one of its principal shops. The only downside was a thirty minute film that was in poor condition from age; it had been cleverly re-cut using action footage from the Disney film intermixed with more recent shots of actors resembling Parker and Hunter speaking new dialogue to narrate the story. The main problem with this was deterioration of the picture's color and especially the sound.
 
Thanks; this was my third visit, though the museum has quadrupled in size since the first time, back in 1989. Originally, General was in a single exhibition hall surrounded by exhibits and artifacts related to the Chase. Now the first building has been surrounded by a larger structure devoted not only to that, but to early railroads and their part in the war. Marietta had at one time been an important railroading center in the postwar years, and so two large galleries tell the story and display lots of interesting artifacts (like BIG machinery) from one of its principal shops. The only downside was a thirty minute film that was in poor condition from age; it had been cleverly re-cut using action footage from the Disney film intermixed with more recent shots of actors resembling Parker and Hunter speaking new dialogue to narrate the story. The main problem with this was deterioration of the picture's color and especially the sound.

I was able to visit the museum several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
 
Who actually runs this museum and what kind of admission do they charge?
I was able to visit the museum several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
As I recall from talking with the personnel there it's owned and operated by either the city of Kennesaw or the county; admission was $8-10. I neglected to mention, it's also the home of Georgia's "Merci" rail car, donated by the French government to each of the then-48 states plus Washington, D.C. I've seen maybe two or three others, usually in other rail museums, but this one is in excellent condition and looks NEW. For those unfamiliar with the story, at the end of WWI these European boxcars were filled with all sorts of things "French" as a token of goodwill and thanks for our help. According to what we were told, several of them have failed to survive. I think this one is on permanent loan by the state.
 
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