The Hurricane Express (1932)

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary
The Wrecker wrecks trains on the L & R Railroad.
One of his victims is Larry Baker's father.
Baker wants to find the evildoer, among a host of suspects,
but it will be difficult since the Wrecker can disguise himself to look like almost anyone.
Summary written by Ed Stephan

Full Cast
Tully Marshall .... Howard L. Edwards, Railroad manager
Conway Tearle .... Stevens, Railroad attorney
John Wayne .... Larry Baker
Shirley Grey .... Gloria Stratton, aka Gloria Martin
Edmund Breese .... Frank Stratton, Gloria's father
Lloyd Whitlock .... Walter Gray, Airline manager
Al Bridge .... Carlson, Plainville station agent (as Alan Bridge)
Matthew Betz .... Tom Jordan, Railroad engineer (as Mathew Betz)
Joseph W. Girard .... Det. Matthews (as Joseph Girard)
James P. Burtis .... Det. Hemingway, Matthews, assistant (as James Burtis)
Ernie Adams .... Henchman Barney, Machine gunner (as Ernie S. Adams)
Charles King .... Henchman Mike
J. Farrell MacDonald .... Jim Baker, Railroad engineer [Chs. 1, 5]
Al Ferguson .... Henchman Sandy, The "Wrecker's" pilot
Glenn Strange .... Henchman Jim
Victor Adamson .... Train passenger (uncredited)
Yakima Canutt .... Henchman (uncredited)
Eddie Parker .... Co-pilot [Chs. 1, 6] (uncredited)
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones .... Sam, the Train porter [Chs. 2-3] (uncredited)

Writing Credits
Colbert Clark story and screenplay
Wyndham Gittens story and screenplay
J.P. McGowan screenplay
George Morgan screenplay
Barney A. Sarecky story and screenplay (as Barney Sarecky)
Harold Tarshis screenplay (uncredited)

Original Music
Lee Zahler (uncredited)

Cinematography
Ernest Miller
Carl Wester

Stunts
Yakima Canutt .... stunts (uncredited)
Bert Goodrich .... stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Parker .... stunts (uncredited)

Trivia
Chapter Titles: -
1. The Wrecker -
2. Flying Pirates -
3. The Masked Menace -
4. Buried Alive -
5. Danger Lights -
6. The Airport Mystery -
7. Sealed Lips -
8. Outside the Law -
9. The Invincible Army -
10. The Wrecker's Secret -
11. Wings of Death -
12. Unmasked

The feature version,running approximately 81 minutes,
was edited from Chapters #1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Filming Locations
Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA
Newhall, California, USA
Saugus, California, USA

Now available to watch:-

The Hurricane Express (1932) - 12 Chapters
Chapter 01 - The Wrecker
Chapter 02 - Flying Pirates
Chapter 03 - The Masked Menace
Chapter 04 - Buried Alive
Chapter 05 - Danger Lights
Chapter 06 - The Airport Mystery
Chapter 07 - Sealed Lips
Chapter 08 - Outside the Law
Chapter 09 - The Invisible Enemy
Chapter 10 - The Wrecker's Secret
Chapter 11 - Wings of Death
Chapter 12 - Unmasked

The Hurricane Express (1932) is a 12-chapter Mascot Pictures film serial
starring John Wayne as airplane pilot Larry Baker,
who goes after a mystery villain named "The Wrecker,"
the man responsible for a train crash that killed his father.

This was the 2nd. serial, for Nat Levine, at Mascot Pictures
This is a railroad drama, combined with airplane, and automobile stunts.

Once again, Duke is a pilot, supported by Tully Marshall and J. Farrell Mac Donald.
Duke's voice, was still on the squeaky side, especially when he finds his Dad,
but he was plying his trade, and his skills were improving.

Yakima Canutt, performed most of the stunts, doubling for almost everyone.
Whilst, filming, Duke spotted a hobo, having breakfast, and
he was soon breakfasting with him.

Duke retorted that

Quote

it wasn't a bad stew.

.

User Review

Quote

I've Been Wrecking on the Railroad
9 May 2007 | by bkoganbing (Buffalo, New York)
One caveat I have to give this particular review. I saw an abbreviated 80 minute version of this serial which was almost unintelligible to follow. Not that I think the full length version would have put The Hurricane Express right up in cinematic history with Gone With the Wind.

John Wayne did three serials for Mascot and this particular one must have been edited down for a feature length movie to take advantage of his growing popularity in the Forties. The plot such as it is involves John Wayne as the son of engineer J. Farrell MacDonald who is killed in a planned train wreck.

The mysterious guy doing all these wrecks is someone appropriately called The Wrecker. He's got one interesting gimmick, he wears incredibly life like masks of all the other folks that are suspected of being the Wrecker. Fools everybody of course until the Duke catches on.

If this version of The Hurricane Express came out in the late Forties, what must John Wayne have thought when such things as Red River, Fort Apache, etc. were being released? The Duke must have shuddered.

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Now available to watch:-

The Hurricane Express (1932) - 12 Chapters
Chapter 01 - The Wrecker
Chapter 02 - Flying Pirates
Chapter 03 - The Masked Menace
Chapter 04 - Buried Alive
Chapter 05 - Danger Lights
Chapter 06 - The Airport Mystery
Chapter 07 - Sealed Lips
Chapter 08 - Outside the Law
Chapter 09 - The Invisible Enemy
Chapter 10 - The Wrecker's Secret
Chapter 11 - Wings of Death
Chapter 12 - Unmasked