Arnold Ridley's "Ghost Train"

straycat · Arnold Ridley's "Ghost Train"

Last night one of the American satellite channels showed the 1941 GHOST TRAIN movie starring Arthur Askey. I watched it wondering all the while -- How faithful is this film to what Arnold originally wrote? Anybody know?

Swallow Bank

Not sure how faithful the film is to the original script, but the play is available from Amazon here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Tra...oks&qid=1209676164&sr=8-6

Fundy

I haven't as yet seen that film. Is it similar to Will Hays Oh Mr Porter?

Fundy

straycat

Afraid I can't answer that, as I've never seen Oh Mr. Porter. Evidently, I should if I ever get the chance -- judging from the description I just read of it on IMDb.

If it helps you for comparison purposes, here's the IMDb entry for Ghost Train:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033660/

including a review that I tend to agree with -- Arthur Askey got on my nerves as much as he did those of his fellow passengers.

oldrocker

Hello again Stray Cat !

We were together in 'another place' !

You absolutely have to watch Oh Mr Porter.

Supreme comedy. Then try 'Where's that fire?' also starring Will Hay. The scene with the flagpole is wonderful!

straycat

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for them both. We have several satellite channels that specialize in old, old movies -- including quite a few from Britain. They'll probably show up on there sooner or later. That's where I found the 1941 Ghost Train last week.

Fundy

Oh Mr Porter sounds similar, but not quite the same.

I love Will Hay movies, but it has to be said that Where's That Fire is impossible to get hold of. Due to 'rights of' problems it has never been released on video or DVD, so you have to wait for it to pop up on TV. And as far as I can recall it's only been shown a couple of times many many years ago! All the other Will Hay films you can get on video and or DVD.

1 - Oh Mr Porter. The best Will Hay film. Great story and great acting.
2 - Ask A Policeman. Similar in style to Oh Mr Porter. Hay, Marriott and Moffatt do an excellent job at keeping eveyone laughing from start to finish.
3 - Where's That Fire. The trio's last effort together (Hay thought that the other two were getting too popular!!!)
4 - Old Bones Of The River. Probably a bit racist now, but still has many laughs in it.
5 - Convict 99 - Another great Hay film.
6 - Windbag the Sailor - The first film with Hay and his two stooges. (They did 6 altogether)
7 - My Learned Friend - Great film with Hulbert making a wonderful sidekick.
8 - Radio Parade of 1935 - This really is an interesting film, as it shows many of the stage acts of the time having snippets in the film. Some true greats in this film!

The rest of the films I don't watch much at all. But all 8 above are great, if you can find them!!!

Fundy

oldrocker

Just by way of consolation ! . . . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tow3G6RWQ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5rYAvSU7eU

First one first by the way.

Enjoy !

Laughing

straycat

Thanks, Fundy, for the list of what to watch for in the TV listings.

And thanks, oldrocker, for the clips. MUCH funnier than Arthur Askey's antics in Ghost Train were.

While watching those, I noticed several Oh, Mr. Porter! clips under Related Videos. So for anybody else who, like me, has never seen Oh, Mr. Porter! here are the links to those clips. (I doubt whether they're all in the right order; I could only guess at it.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1XxG33PE3k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cGOFZj2YAU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBMHU1BJXCw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1lxDjd_fi8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZfQNvbSPF0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD0ZnNQ6GSo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RELnmRJIe4Y

straycat

Fundy, having looked further for Will Hay on Youtube, I also found clips from a few more on your list - including Ask a Policeman (the scene where they bust the chief constable and then wreck his car) and Windbag the Sailor, which looks VERY funny.

Besides that, I found a "Ghost of St. Michael's" clip that includes none other than our own John Laurie, and what's he doing? Why, telling one of those very Frazer-like spooky tales, of course. For anyone interested, here's that link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rC9lqITmzo

oldrocker

This seems a bargain?

http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-WILL-HAY-...mdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em122

straycat

Yeah, not bad for 9 DVDs. Couldn't find it anywhere on ebay in Region 1 format, though, and I can't play anything in the PAL format. But for those of you who can -- While searching, I stumbled across another listing for it with an even lower price:

http://tinyurl.com/599fvb

Sounds like that one's being sold used but "in great condition," according to a seller with a 99.9% positive feedback rating....

Dave Homewood

To answer the orignial question, the 1941 version of the Ghost Train keeps reasonably close to the story and characterisations of the original play, but the Arthur Askey part is a lot more comedic and hammed up than the original lead. The Ghost Train when performed in the traditional fashion is much more a suspenseful and dramatic story than the one Askey did.

I have Askey's version on video, and I also have a radio version that stars Arnold Ridley as Saul which sticks closer to Arnold's script. Both are great. Askey's also changes the script by updating the baddies to Nazi's.

As for Oh Mr Porter, a great film but not really like The Ghost Train in my opinion. OMP is more a slapstick comedy.

A Will Hay film I enjoy is The Ghost of St Michael's, with John laurie doing an 'early Frazer' performance.

straycat

Thanks for the information, Dave. I thought the Nazi sympathizers as the bad guys just HAD to be a WWII-era update to Arnold's original script. Also, before we were 15 minutes in, I was starting to wonder if the Tommy Gander role hadn't been made over to showcase Arthur Askey's brand of comedy.

So who were the bad guys as Arnold originally wrote the play?

And, yes, that Ghost of St.Michael's clip I watched on youtube was VERY like Frazer. For that matter, John Laurie didn't even look all that different, and the date on that film was 1941!!

Dave Homewood

Now you've forced me to dig out the copy of the radio version. I'm currently having a listen. From memory the baddies were just general gun runners, but I'll let you know when I have finished listening.

In this version which was recorded in 1951, the character of Teddy Deakin was the the one who stopped the train by pulling the communication cord when he lost his new hat. In this he was played by the well known actor Claude Hulbert. In the film it was Richard Murdoch.

Askey's character seems to have been a whole new addition to the play, with a few traits taken from the original Teddy Deakin.

Arnold Ridley sounds funny with his Cornish accent.

This version was released by Decca Records as Decca LK4040

Dave Homewood

I've finished listening now. Yes indeed the baddies were just plain old gunrunners, with no affiliation to any particular cause in this 1951 version. I have been told this recording stuck very close to the 1923 original and I guess with Arnold in the cast it's probably right.

straycat

Sorry I forced you to dig out the radio version but hope you enjoyed another listen to it.

Thanks for the additional info -- and things make more sense knowing this. Somehow I just couldn't quite picture Tommy Gander (at least as portrayed by Arthur Askey) as a creation of Arnold Ridley's mind. Seems he wasn't.