Murder in the Private Car
6.4 /10 1 Votes6.4
Story by Edward E. Rose Country United States | 6.2/10 IMDb Genre Mystery, Romance Duration Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Release date June 29, 1934 (1934-06-29) (United States) Based on The Rear Car by Edward E. Rose Writer Ralph Spence (screen play), Edgar Allan Woolf (screen play), Al Boasberg (screen play), Edward E. Rose (from the play: "The Rear Car" by), Harvey F. Thew (adaptation) Screenplay Al Boasberg, Ralph Spence, Edgar Allan Woolf, Harvey F. Thew Cast Charles Ruggles (Scott), (Georgia), (Ruth), Russell Hardie (Blake), (Murray), (Hanks)Similar movies Blackhat , Mad Max: Fury Road , Salt , John Wick , I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance is Mine , Taken 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Murder in the Private Car is a 1934 American mystery romance film starring Mary Carlisle, Charles Ruggles and Una Merkel and directed by Harry Beaumont. David Townsend was the film's art director.
Contents
The film is based on the play The Rear Car by Edward E. Rose.
Plot summary
Set in Los Angeles, this is the story of switchboard operator Ruth Raymond (Mary Carlisle). She learns from her lawyer Alden Murray (Porter Hall), that she is actually the daughter of railroad tycoon Luke Carson (Berton Churchill). 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 D. Scott (Charles Ruggles).
A message from her father is intercepted and replaced telling her to meet him in New York instead of Los Angeles. Ruth, Murray and her best friend Georgia Latham (Una Merkel) board the train bound for New York. The lights go out in Ruth’s car and an announcement is heard “eight hours to live,” after which Scott introduces himself to Ruth and her friends as a slueth who prevents crime. Scott reunites Ruth with her stowaway boyfriend John Blake (Russell Hardie). Then the train is suddenly stopped by the wreck of a circus train on the tracks.
After which, Murray is murdered and another announcement is made to the passengers of Ruth’s private car stating they only have five hours to live. Then an escaped gorilla attacks Ruth, Georgia and Scott and then jumps from the train. The next morning, the train stops in a small town where Ruth’s father had been tipped off to meet her. Luke Carson joins Ruth’s party in the private car. Then one by one all the windows are blackened and another announcement is made for the passengers to “say their prayers.”
Carson recognizes his brother, Elwood’s voice and identifies him. Elwood explains his reasoning for terrorizing his brother and says he has planted explosives on the private car and released it from the train so that it is now rolling downhill towards another train. Scott finds and kills Elwood and after a harrowing journey, the private car passengers are saved and transferred to another train.
Cast
Production
The entire film was shot along the Southern Pacific's Donner Pass.
References
Murder in the Private Car WikipediaMurder in the Private Car IMDb Murder in the Private Car themoviedb.org