Runaway Railway

1965 British film by Jan Darnley-Smith

For the Disney theme park attraction, see Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.

Runaway Railway

Directed by| Jan Darnley-Smith
Screenplay by| Michael Barnes
Produced by| George H. Brown
Starring| John Moulder-Brown
Kevin Bennett
Leonard Brockwell
Cinematography| John Coquillon
Edited by| John Bloom
Music by| Burnell Whibley

Production
company

Pinewood Studios

Release date

* 1965 (1965)

Running time

| 55 minutes
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English

Runaway Railway is a 1965 British family adventure film directed by Jan Darnley-Smith and starring John Moulder-Brown, Kevin Bennett, Ronnie Barker and Graham Stark.[1][2] The screenplay was by Michael Barnes from an original story by Henry Geddes.

## Plot

[edit]

A group of children manage to foil an attempted mail train robbery, with similarities to the Great Train Robbery of 1963.

## Cast

[edit]

* John Moulder-Brown as Charlie
* Kevin Bennett as Arthur
* Leonard Brockwell as John
* Roberta Tovey as Carole
* Sydney Tafler as Mr. Jones
* Ronnie Barker as Mr. Galore
* Graham Stark as Grampole
* Jon Pertwee as stationmaster
* Hugh Lloyd as disposals man
* Roger Avon as Waterhouse
* Bruce Wightman as Llewellyn

## Production

[edit]

It was filmed at Longmoor Military Railway, Paddington Station and Pinewood Studios.[3]

## Reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The opportunities afforded by railway trains for high speed and plenty of action are splendidly exploited. In its combination of farcical comedy and railway adventure, this is second only to Oh Mr. Porter!, and cannot fail to delight children. The one criticism that can be levelled against it (surprisingly, in view of the fact that a child audience is well known to be critical, and likely to be well-informed about railways) is that insufficient care was taken with regard to the railway detail. The robbery, for instance, takes place in full view of a nearby signal box, and, incidentally, a signal governing the adjacent track permanently signifies a clear track for a train that never comes. The models that the crooks buy to demonstrate to the children include outmoded raised-base track which, as many juveniles will know, has been off the market for some considerable time. The model Royal Mail van is correct, but the full-sized version in the robbery is an ordinary four-wheel closed van. Rolling stock and tender sides are lettered "L.M.R." (the Longmoor Military Railway was used for the film) but any pretence that this is a mythical "London Midland Railway" is shattered by a British Railways cap. One would have thought it possible to mask the offending lettering for the occasion, and it is easy to imagine indignant correspondence from young critics over these and other discrepancies. In all other respects however, this film is one out of the C.F.F.'s top drawer."[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Runaway Railway". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
2. ^ BFI.org
3. ^ "Runaway Railway". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
4. ^ "Runaway Railway". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 32 (372): 112. 1 January 1965. ProQuest 1305825279.

## External links

[edit]

* Runaway Railway at IMDb

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