| The Hurricane Express | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Armand Schaeffer J.P. McGowan |
| Written by | Colbert Clark Barney Sarecky Wyndham Gittens George Morgan J.P. McGowan |
| Produced by | Nat Levine |
| Starring | John Wayne Shirley Grey Conway Tearle Tully Marshall J. Farrell MacDonald Matthew Betz Edmund Breese James Burtis Joseph Girard Lloyd Whitlock |
| Distributed by | Mascot Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 12 chapters (227 min) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Hurricane Express is a 1932 AmericanPre-Code 12-chapterMascot Picturesfilm serial.[1] Written byColbert Clark,Barney Sarecky,Wyndham Gittens,George Morgan, andJ.P. McGowan, the serial was directed byArmand Schaeffer andJ.P. McGowan and produced byNat Levine.The Hurricane Express starsJohn Wayne as aircraft pilot Larry Baker. Wayne goes after amystery villain named "The Wrecker", who was responsible for a train crash that killed Baker's father.[2]
The L & R Railroad is in competition with an airline for lucrative transport contracts. When the "Hurricane Express" is sabotaged and involved in a train wreck, one of his victims is Larry Baker's father, Jim. A mysterious figure known as "the Wrecker" is responsible for the train crashes. Air Transport Company pilot Baker wants to find the Wrecker, but with a host of suspects, it will be difficult, since the murderer can disguise himself to look like almost anyone.[3]
One of the main suspects in the train crashes is Walter Gray, the airline manager and Larry's boss, who stands to gain if the L & R Railroad loose contracts. Suspicion is also cast on Tom Jordan, a recently discharged and disgruntled railroad engineer. Another suspect is Frank Stratton, an escaped convict who had wrongfully been convicted. Complicating matters is that Gloria Stratton is Frank Stratton's daughter, and Larry is in love with her.
Gloria tries to help Larry find the villains behind the train crashes, and when the "Hurricane Express" is again ready to go back into service, the pair are in air, flying as an escort to the speeding train. With a full load of gold, the train is a tempting target for the Wrecker.
The continuing attacks on the L & R Railroad put Gloria and Larry in danger, but they are determined to bring the Wrecker and his gang to justice. Finally, the young pilot is able to capture the murderers and can to look forward to a happy future with Gloria.
Source:[4]
During the 1930s, after starring inThe Big Trail (1930), its subsequent commercial failure meant that Wayne was relegated to minor roles in A-pictures, or starring, with his name over the title, in many low-budgetPoverty Row Westerns, mostly atMonogram Pictures and serials forMascot Pictures Corporation, such asThe Hurricane Express.[5][N 1]
The Hurricane Express was cheaply staged and relied heavily on studio sets for interior sequences. Two elements, however, were critical, the use of a train and an aircraft. Airline pilot Larry Baker flies as the co-pilot on aTrans World AirlinesFord Trimotor (c/n NC8411).[7] The aircraft flew from theGrand Central Airport inGlendale, California, a favourite locale forHollywood films featuring aviation.[8]
While the Ford Trimotor appears in the first two chapters, theCurtiss "Jenny" is used in an aircraft-to-train transfer (a favourite stunt in the 1920s was a transfer from aircraft to aircraft, or other moving vehicles). AFokker Trimotor also appears.[9]
Although concentrating on the aviation aspects of the production, aviation film historian James M. Farmer inCelluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation (1984), characterizedThe Hurricane Express as a lightweight formula melodrama.[9]
Like many other serials, after the conclusion of the serial,The Hurricane Express was re-edited into a feature film version which eliminated approximately two-thirds of the original serial footage. Almost no footage from the middle chapters of the serial were used. Although one of the "poverty row" studios, Mascot was important to Wayne's career and he went on to make two more serials for the studio. InThe Hurricane Express, Wayne does most of his own stunt work, which solidified him as a bona fide action star.[10]
| Preceded by The Last of the Mohicans (1932) | MascotSerial The Hurricane Express(1932) | Succeeded by The Devil Horse (1932) |