User Reviews

As I have mentioned previously there are a limited number of commercial films about the American Civil War. Most people will instantly say GONE WITH THE WIND, but much of that film deals with the ante - bellum South before war begins, and an hour and a half deals with Georgia under Reconstruction into the late 1870s. There is the twin films GODS AND GENERALS about the rise and fall of the magnificent military partnership of Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, and GETTYSBURG. There is also THE HORSE SOLDIER about Grierson's Raid into Mississippi during the Vicksburg Campaign. There was the "Shiloh" segment of the HOW THE WEST WAS WON about the battle there. There was THE RAID about the attack of the Confederate Raiders from Canada on St. Albans, Vermont in the summer of 1864. Quantrell and his raiders appear in several films, most notably DARK COMMAND. There is also the prototype for GONE WITH THE WIND about the collapse of southern society called SO RED THE ROSE.

It is notable that the emphasis is on raiders from the southern states or with southern sympathies (William Quantrell or Cantrell, or the St. Alban Raiders). But there are two films on one incident where the raiders were Northern raiders - the raid led by John J. Andrews in his celebrated February 1862 snatch of the locomotive "The General" in an attempt to damage southern railroad tracks and bridges in Georgia and Tennessee. The incident has ended up being the most discussed military operation of the land forces of the Civil War in film. First it was immortalized in what may have been the funniest war comedy ever made, Buster Keaton's THE GENERAL (1927). But Keaton, using the Andrews raid as a start, changed the story by having the Union raiders succeed for awhile in bringing the Confederate locomotive to Union lines and has his southern hero "Johnny Gray" steal it back. Unfortunately, Andrews and his raiders never had such luck. Indeed their fates were quite savage in reality.

This 1956 film by Walt Disney is not as well known as Keaton's classic, but it come closer to being factually correct. It shows the planning of the scheme by Northern spy Andrews and his picked crew, how they stole the "General" in a surprise act when the train was getting refilled, and how they ran it for a twenty mile chase until the train reached the end of it's coal supply. Here the reality of the story gets more savage. Andrews and his men fled into the forests of Tennessee, and were tracked down by Southern troops who recaptured most of them. Andrews and several others were hung. The other captured raiders were sent to prison camps.

For people who only think of Fess Parker as Walt Disney's "Davy Crockett" may be fascinated to see he played another role for that producer - and did a good job at it. And like the last episode of the series about the "King of the Wild Frontier", Parker's character died heroically, but violently again.

This is really not a review as such, even though I really enjoyed this film when I saw it as a kid and am glad it is now available on DVD.I do hope they have included the "making of" that aired on Disneyland when the film was first released. My main comment is about the obscure connection of The Great Locomotive Chase,the actual event and Gone With the Wind. The conductor who chased Andrews, Capt William A.Fuller lived in Atlanta after the war and he had a daughter named Annie Laurie Fuller. Annie married Atlanta architect, artist and historian Wilbur G.Kurtz. Wilbur and Annie were friends of Margaret Mitchell. When GWTW was being filmed, Mitchell suggested Kurtz be the technical adviser on the film. The Kurtzs spent a great deal of time in Hollywood. Kurtz kept a diary of his work on the film that was published in the The Atlanta Historical Journal in the Summer 1978 issue, Vol XXII Number 2. Annie Laurie took some of the pictures that accompany the article. I found this connection to be interesting and if anyone out there is a GWTW junkie like myself, try to get a copy of the above mentioned journal. There is a wealth of information on the making of GWTW.

In the wake of his burst of popularity after becoming that iconic figure for Fifties kids Davy Crockett, Fess Parker starred in The Great Locomotive Chase. The film is based on a true incident from the Civil War involving an espionage mission where several Union soldiers are sent under the leadership of a civilian who knows the territory. The idea is to seize a train and destroy as much railroad equipment and track between Marietta, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The fact that Fess Parker as John J. Andrews is a civilian is cause for much dissension in the ranks of these soldiers who are not used to operating with stealth tactics. One of them, Jeff York, is obstreperous to the point of mutiny.

Although Parker is the star, depending on your point of view the real hero is Jeffrey Hunter who is the conductor of the train Parker and his men steal. Hunter is courageous, cunning, and resourceful and every bit a match for Parker and his tricks.

From back in the day I remember that the Disney Studio was marketing toy trains based on the locomotives used in this film. No amount of begging could get my parents to part with any money for one of those. But somewhere some folks around my age have those models and I daresay they're worth a fortune.

The Great Locomotive Chase is a fine well constructed film that is as fresh today as when I saw it in theaters way back when. A must for any Civil War film festival.

The movie was compelling overall. Some parts of it made me bored enough to pause and do something else for a bit, but when I was watching I was engaged. The writing successfully builds a form of tension that doesn't beg the question of "what's gonna happen in half an hour" but rather "what happens next". Not that either system is superior, of course, but I find that action films and history documentaries (of which this film is a hybrid) generally benefit more from the latter system. That said, the movie is certainly not perfect. Fess Parker's character, James J. Andrews, is introduced early on but in such a way that I genuinely asked myself why that interaction was even presented. There was nothing interesting about it, it doesn't help to describe the world the characters are in or the characters themselves, and there was not even the slightest hint that Andrews would be the protagonist. Parker's poor acting efforts at that particular moment didn't help at all, either. Thankfully, Parker's acting vastly improves in the next few minutes of run time, though it quickly takes a nosedive into "talking plank of wood" territory towards the conclusion of the film. Especially that last scene with Andrews and William A. Fuller, the antagonist - a disappointing bore at best. Still, all things considered, this is a well-made movie that manages to keep impressively accurate to history at least as well as I know it.

Excellent film! I enjoyed every minute of this rather short, but greatly superb film on Great Locomotive Chase of 1862 near Chattanooga. The real story makes this film even more interesting, and the whole work is awesome. Excellent musical score, great scenery, decent performance of all actors, very thrilling trains, shoot-outs, North and South clashing, real drama, real feelings, very good details, very accurate depiction of moral and habits of people of those times.All of these makes this Old Style Hollywod film a very good watch. I do recommend this to all Civil War buffs!And even common film viewers will like this film and find it very brisk and very cool

Exciting Disney adventure, filmed in CinemaScope, about an actual event that happened during the Civil War. It's the story of a group of Union soldiers, led by civilian spy James J. Andrews (Fess Parker), who go behind Confederate lines and steal a locomotive in Georgia. The men attempt to take the train back to Union lines in Tennessee but find themselves doggedly pursued by the train's conductor (Jeffrey Hunter). It's the same story that inspired Buster Keaton's classic silent comedy "The General." This one's no comedy and, while the chase itself is certainly the highlight of the film, it should be noted that this isn't just an action movie, either. There's some fine dramatic work here with good characterizations and a smart script. Parker and Hunter are both fantastic in their roles. The fine supporting cast includes Jeff York, Kenneth Tobey, Don Megowan, and John Lupton. It's a beautiful-looking film with excellent use of real locations and trains. History buffs and train enthusiasts should like it a lot. A real gem that I definitely recommend you give a chance.

"The Great Locomotive Chase" is the true story of the most famous train chase in the American Civil War, headed by Andrews' Raiders. They were Union spies who sank deep into the south and stole a Confederate train, and headed north. The goal was to destroy the lines of communication for the South and their supplies. Ultimately though, the mission was a failure and the Union spies were captured.

This film is told from the perspective of the Union forces and stars Fess Parker as Andrew and Jeffrey Hunter as the southerner who fails their mission. One of the best Fess Parker films to come out of the Disney Studio in the 1950's.

The idea for the film came from Buster Keaton's silent era film, "The General (1927)," which he had starred in and directed. It is told from the perspective of the South, unlike "The Great Locomotive Chase." The best scene involves the burning of a train car and explosives to try to collapse a bridge. For a brief moment, the viewer might believe the Union spies will get away. This is a superb film, 9 of 10!!

For a 1956 family film based on a true story, Walt Disney didn't pull any punches. "The Great Locomotive Chase" doesn't skirt the fact that the northern raiders were captured and the leaders executed. The film handles this carefully and without undue gore or bloodshed.

The story is based on a true event, and as other reviewers have noted, it sticks close to the actual details. The train chase is portrayed somewhat longer here than it was, but otherwise this is a decent treatment of an historical event during the American Civil War.

Fess Parker handles the role of James Andrews very well. Parker will always be known for his role as Davy Crockett in the Wald Disney TV series. But, he was a talented actor and played in a variety of films. Jeffrey Hunter is good as William Fuller, and all the roles are done very well. Hunter was an excellent actor whose career was cut short when he died of a stroke at age 42 in 1969.

Great movie! I watched the movie today! The quality is pretty good. All adventures are very interesting. I read a book, called Daring & Suffering: A History of the Andrews Railroad Raid by William Pittenger, the soldier who dressed as the southern with James J. Andrews, the Union spy who stole the locomotive "General" in the Great Locomotive Chase. He wrote the book very well, looks more interesting than any novel stories. The movies gives me lots of ideas for the American Civil War that both the north and the south brought justice. All raiders were heroes, especially William A. Fuller, the conductor who commanded the locomotive "Texas" to recapture the General with the Texas' engineer and the fireman, Peter Bracken and Henry Haney. The foreman, Anthony Murphy, was also chasing the General with Fuller. I cannot believe how dramatic this movie is! I really like how Fess Parker played as Andrews, though, he looks nothing like the original Andrews. One thing I like about the movie is that the William Mason from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad played as the General and the Inyo from the Virginia & Truckee Railroad played as the Texas and the William R. Smith. The Yonah was played by the Lafayette. This movie is very educational for all history class. I would highly recommend this to everyone! If I were a teacher, I would play this movie to the class.

Fess Parker stars as James Andrews, Yankee spy, who takes an extremely dangerous mission during the Civil War. Parker has his trademark easy-going smile on throughout the entire film, as he and a group of Union soldiers try to steal a train and destroy about a 1000 miles of train track, in an effort to cut the supply lines of the Rebel army and deal the South a fatal blow. Jeff Hunter and Kenneth Tobey are loyal Southern train officials who try to stop them by using every means under their disposal, which include running after the train for miles, using a handcart and stealing another engineer's engine. Jeff York, Dick Sergeant, Harry Carey Jr., and John Lupton, plus a lot of other character actors, round out Fess' Union forces.

This film is pretty accurate, as historical Disney movies go, and is based on a true story. Buster Keaton's silent film "The General" is also based on the same Civil War event.

Disney just released the movie on DVD, in its original widescreen format; the picture is sharp and detailed, with wonderful, bright colors and fine, clear sound. This is an excellent way to see this movie, and is well worth the money. It would be great if Disney would put out Fess' other films, the original 3 part "Davy Crockett" and the hilarious "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates" in this format, too, as well as "Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow". In fact, I'd love to see all their live action films on DVD and in their original aspect, and done as well as "The Great Locomotive Chase".

Outstanding!

I was thoroughly entertained by 'The Great Locomotive Chase' from start-to-finish, as it delivers a fantastic chase via trains during the American Civil War. Expertly edited, brilliantly acted and very nicely shot.

Fess Parker is the film's lead, as he portrays James J. Andrews. He does a terrific job in the role, perfectly showing off Andrews' character and state of mind; he is very much brains over brawn, as well as being charismatic. A load of the other cast members do fine work too, namely Jeffrey Hunter (Fuller), Jeff York (Campbell) and John Lupton (Pittenger).

I do agree that the finale does fall flatter than the build-up, which is a shame but I do respect the filmmakers for keeping to reality - a fantastical ending would've been cool, though sticking to facts is arguably important. I don't dislike the ending all that much, to be honest.

I can compare it to 2010's 'Unstoppable' which, although for different reasons, is another locomotive chase film. While this isn't as great as that, I still think this production is marvellous. Must-watch!

Westerns are generally concerned with shootouts btw desperadoes and law-abiding officers. It is no secret the westerns gave us the terms "the man in white" and the "man in black" to correspond to its basic colloquialism. But this is Disney making this movie, and so in such, we get a History lesson in the form of the Western. It's about the first men to win the congressional medal of honor. It is also about an army offensive that failed. Those Northern boys failed to get the better of the Johnny Rebs in this civil war tale. Fess Parker, he of the brimstone and iron voice, you know, that Gregory Peck way of manly speaking speaking that has totally disappeared from movies today and society in general - except maybe in the Midwest leads the Dirty dozenish crew who are to destroy the railway lines and communication system of the South so that the North can perform their beta version of D-Day. Pesky Jeffrey in a fine stone-walled performance picks up chase as they steal his train for this mission. In this movie, failure isn't really failure but success. The chase is the thing but not the thing and heroics are measured in a leader that his crew consider cowardly. Sharp writing and character is the star of this Disney opus. All in all, a fine western, a fine movie.

I had a hard time trying to find this movie to watch. I finally found a very horrible version uploaded to YouTube. This version is missing the first part and I think a few parts in the middle. It's hard to tell why this is missing from Disney+, when there are things that are far more problematic on it. I think it's because this movie has never been very popular, at least in comparison to other Disney films. I'm sure there are problematic moments, but generally the story is quite a fascinating one. It's about a group of union Soldiers who steal a train during the Civil War and use it to destroy tracts and sabotage the Confederate war effort before ultimately being captured. It's based on a true story. One thing I think a more modern version of the story should stay away from is the idea of the lost cause. The characters in the movie talk a lot about their ideals, but one thing is missing from the conversation, slavery. Which is strange because there are scenes in which slaves are actually seen. The only nod to a slight difference of opinion between the two groups, that is, the Northerners and the southerners, is one scene where a northerner steals something from a Slave and then thinks about it runs back and gives the slave some money. I won't recommend it unless you can find a better version, but I think it definitely would be a story that could be made into an exciting and interesting movie.

Finally, those of us who are railroad and civil war fans have an excellent widescreen version of this movie, with the release of The Great Locomotive Chase on DVD. While some of the details in the story line are not accurate history, Disney did a very good job. The trains even have link and pin couplers which are virtually never seen in movie accounts of the period.

After seeing Fess Parker as Davy Crockett. That got me started into history. So when this movie came out I seen it at the theater, Wow, I was blown away, I had the Marx civil war playset. I knew about this story of the train. I read everything I could fine about the train chase.

This movie is really accurate in many things it portrays. I remember Cheerios cereal had the trains on the cereal box. I made sure my mother brought all the trains on the box. I like Cheerios, so I didn't mind. I ate it all so I could put the trains together and chase each other. This movie I have in my civil war collection on DVD.

This excellent Walt Disney-driven history vehicle depicts an actual 1862 Union sabotage mission that primarily failed to carry off the goal of wrecking a vital Confederate supply rail line. The Andrews Raid (AKA "The Great Locomotive Chase") is one of those ''side-show-of-the-big-show' events that would have been essentially lost to history had it not been for this film.

We owe it to Walt Disney--personally--that this film exists. Walt Disney was very hands-on with this production, and Disney famously loved history, This film adheres more to facts than dramatic fiction.

By comparison; many point to Buster Keaton's comedy classic "The General"--which used the same event as it's focal point--as a 'superior' film, yet Keaton's film strays SO FAR into fiction that it effectively cannot even be considered as a depiction of The Andrews Raid. "The General" is a fun action COMEDY...but comedy has nothing to do with The Andrews Raid.

Disney's "The Great Locomotive Chase" delivers an even-handed and largely-factual depiction of the goals and point of view of both Union and Confederate sides....something that sadly, just does not happen anymore.

Tie that together with dynamic performances and spot-on location filming with actual period trains, and you get a rarity; a Civil War film that has no agenda other than to tell a (dare-I-say-it?) ..moving ...story of motivation, determination, and courage.