Union Station (1950) User Reviews

Finally, Another Classic Noir Unearthed.

[jpdoherty · 7/10 · 24 August 2010]

Paramount's UNION STATION (1950) is another memorable noir from Hollywood's golden past making its belated DVD debut. A gritty and compelling thriller it was adapted for the screen from the violent novel "Nightmare In Manhattan" by Thomas Walsh. Daniel L. Fapp's stark Black & White cinematography brought a great style to it with its shifting use of light and shadow and the genuine locations, especially in the bustling Union Station itself in Los Angeles, added a realistic look and feel to the whole thing.

A girl (the resistible Nancy Olson) sees a man (Lyle Bettger) on a train wearing a gun under his jacket and immediately suspects him of being up to no good (how it never occurs to her that he could perhaps be a cop is conveniently glossed over). She however reports the matter to the conductor who in turn alerts railway cop William Calhoun (William Holden). It soon comes to light that the man with the gun and another have kidnapped a blind girl and are holding her hostage for a ransom of $100,000 from her well to do businessman father (Herbert Heyes). Things really hot up when Calhoun, with help from the city police headed by Inspector Donnelly (Barry Fitzgerald), stakeout Union Station - the nominated drop zone for the ransom. The picture ends with a climactic chase sequence as Holden pursues Bettger through a maze of dark tunnels underneath the station for the inevitable and exciting shootout.

Performances are generally fine throughout. Holden is terrific in it but it is unusual to see him as a cop. He plays the part well but watching him you can't help thinking he is an actor of a much higher calibre than is called for here and deserving of classier and more artistically challenging parts such as his Acadamy Award winning role as Sefton in "Stalag 17" (1953) or his perfect Joe Gillis in "Sunset Boulevard" which he and his co-star here Olson would embark on right after UNION STATION. Also kicking around his thick Irish brogue again Barry Fitzgerald repeats his role, almost verbatim, from "The Naked City" (1948) the only difference being his name here is Donnelly instead of Muldoon. But there's little doubt the movie belongs to Lyle Bettger as the heartless and sadistic kidnapper. Beside Jack Elam has there ever been a meaner or nastier baddie in movies? Born in 1915 Bettger made a full career out of playing menacing characters. He had a sinister smirk and a scary glare that was positively unnerving. His first film was Barbara Stanwyck's "No Man Of Here Own" just before UNION STATION and with the exception of only one time playing the hero in "Carnival Story" (1954) he continued throughout a busy career to be every moviegoer's favourite baddie "you loved to hate". Lyle Bettger retired in 1979 and died in 2003 at the age of 88.

Unusually there is no one composer credited with scoring the picture. But there are minor contributions from Heinz Reomheld and stock music from Victor Young and Hugo Friedhofor. There is a spirited main title over the credits which sounds very much to me like something the great Victor Young could have written. The score was compiled and supervised by Irvin Talbot.

The DVD release is an impeccable transfer with sharp as a button images and smooth sound. Clearly they had access to a new print of the movie and it shows. But there are no extras - not even a trailer. But now for a word of caution! Watch out for the most ridiculous and irritating logo you are ever likely to see which comes at the start of the DVD from a crowd called Olive Films. This has to be some kind of gag! But after all is said and done you can be confident, this silly intro. does nothing to diminish the excellence of the movie which remains a timeless classic.

A Very Good, Unknown Film Noir

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 8 September 2006]

This was a bit of a sleeper, better than I thought and not a well-known film to begin with, since it never came out on VHS. William Holden and Nancy Olson both worked on Sunset Boulevard this same year this was released and here are together again. Actually, I like the two a lot better in this film than the much better- known 'Boulevard.'

Yes, some of the scenes are a bit dumb but the story moves well and keeps your interest which is what a good crime story-drama should do. For some reason, I really enjoyed the train station, too. It looked awesome.

Hopefully, some day this movie will be part of a film-noir package on DVD.

Good film

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 9 January 2008]

"Union Station" is a realistic 1950 film starring William Holden, Nancy Olson, Jan Sterling and Barry Fitzgerald. It was released after "Sunset Boulevard" so by the time it came out, Holden had actually moved up another level of stardom. Rudolph Mate directed the film in a quasi-documentary way, showing all levels of an attempt to rescue a kidnapped blind girl (Allene Roberts), the daughter of Olson's wealthy boss. Holden plays the detective in charge of Union Station, and he doesn't like the idea of anybody messing with his turf.

There are some very exciting scenes, particularly the one on the train, which as someone mentioned, very likely inspired "The French Connection." Holden gives a strong, macho performance, which makes the scene where he visits Olson in her home extra delightful, as he becomes embarrassed when her mother fusses over him. It's amazing that after Golden Boy, he toiled in so many films beneath his ability. Jan Sterling is the gangster's girlfriend with a heart - it's a small but showy and sympathetic role. Lyle Bettger is the villain, and he's slime all the way through. The only problem with the film is the kidnap victim herself, Lorna, who screams non-stop. I'm surprised her father wanted her back, but you know how it is with parents.

Really holds your interest. What a hunk Holden is. Highly recommended.

Taut thriller maintains high degree of suspense...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 6 January 2008]

UNION STATION is a briskly paced thriller laced with enough suspense to keep the viewer intrigued until the final shootout in a tunnel below the station where badman (LYLE BETTGER) must be tracked down by hard-boiled detective (WILLIAM HOLDEN) so that a blind girl (ALLENE ROBERTS) can be returned safely to her father. Bettger has arranged a ransom for the girl to the tune of $100,000 and is determined to keep a grip on the suitcase containing the ransom money.

NANCY OLSON is the woman on the train who first notices that one of the men has come aboard with a gun and she immediately becomes suspicious enough to report this to the authorities. Lead detective Holden takes charge and he and Olson gradually develop a relationship of trust that leads to the finale where she's tending to his wounded shoulder, while LAPD man (BARRY FITZGERALD) looks on approvingly, sensing love in bloom.

It's directed in almost documentary style with a "Naked City" sort of realism. Holden and the police handle their suspects with realistically rough tactics which further heightens the tense realism of the story. JAN STERLING has a small role as a gun moll (what else?), who lets the police know that Bettger intends to kill the girl once he gets the ransom.

LYLE BETTGER is superb as the snarling villain, easily stealing many of the scenes with his brutally menacing tough guy role. No wonder he played this sort of man in so many films afterwards.

Well worth watching, nice work by Holden and Olson, with faint criticism for Barry Fitzgerald for mumbling much of his heavily accented dialog with that Irish brogue. The only other criticism is that the director allows ALLENE ROBERTS to scream too much, which becomes tiresome and makes Bettger come up with the crack, after slapping her: "For this, he's willing to put up $100,000."

A terrific formula film. It doesn't rise above, but it takes off beautifully.

[secondtake · 7/10 · 5 January 2011]

Union Station (1950)

I saw "Sunset Blvd" right after seeing this one, and it really is pretty cool that the two leads here were in such different films. And with such ease. William Holden is the key actor in both cases--in the sense of screen time, of course, but also screen presence. But Nancy Olson as a kind of sweet stereotype is right on. Good stuff to build a movie around.

Or the other way around. Certainly in both cases there is a core concept that the actors fit into. "Union Station" has, by way of its title right off the bat, a clean focus. Holden plays William Calhoun, head of security for a fairly large train station in an unnamed town. The crime almost doesn't matter--it's a kidnapping with ransom--because we never quite feel for the victims (hostage and hostage's family) so much as feel the investigation happen. And key there is an odd and believable clash (romantic clash) between Calhoun, who has to do his job, and Olson's character, who is a typical person who wants to do good but doesn't understand the cool machinations of police work.

The first half of the movie is more interesting for its turns of plot. It leads us through the various stages of the discovering the crime and the nature of its extent without pushing. It's quite a nice insider look at the logic of it. Then the second half turns to more action--chasing and drama pure and simple, with some of the best low light shooting you can ask for.

This is the era when studios are moving away from shooting on lots to finding locations to work in, and some of the scenes are fabulous. The stock yard chase toward the beginning is fabulous, and all the ventilation tunnel scenes at the end equally so. The station itself, which takes up the bulk of the movie, is interesting and nicely contained. This is a movie you can simply "watch" for its visual flow, and the sites. In fact, I did this twice, almost by accident, because I was tired in the first round and wanted to see what I missed. In terms of plot, nothing much shows up the second time around, but the editing and photography are really so fine you can watch it all twice no problem.

Back to "Sunset Blvd." then--there is on some level no comparison between the two, as movies, even if there are lots of overlaps in time and cast. It's not just that Billy Wilder is a far more inventive and interesting director than Rudolph Mate, but the intentions were far bigger. "Union Station" is a formula picture. It's not even a film noir, but an action drama with low key light and vigorous photography. It's worth noticing that Mate is a photographer, and was director of photography for some seriously wonderful movies. And he has a handful of great films to his resume, too. So he attacked what must have been an obvious boilerplate movie and made it really really good. Check it out.

Railroad lovers' treat

[gstevens-2 · 6 April 2001]

I remember this film shown once on TV. Yes, the story plotline is good and the characters are entertaining, but the REAL star of the movie is the incredible historical Union Station itself. The movie moves throughout portions of the building never before seen by the general public and reveals the enormous scope of Union Station. As a little girl I and family traveled often by train. I remember the beauty of the place, the hustle and bustle of a station which was the base for the only comfortable way to travel by land at that time.Union Station itself compares in size and beauty to any other in the country.This movie was shot during the last hey-days of the railroad passenger trains and I earnestly wish it could be brought back to video.

The Psycho/Phantom of Union Station

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 8 July 2007]

Union Station is the locale of a kidnapping and in its labyrinth of tunnels that bare no accidental resemblance to the catacombs of Rome, the victim, Allene Roberts, is snatched and held captive by Lyle Bettger.

Allene is the blind daughter of wealthy industrialist Herbert Hayes and since the crime happened on railroad property William Holden as the chief railroad detective has the case. Of course the LAPD is brought in in the person of Barry Fitzgerald.

Holden is alerted to the kidnap by Nancy Olson who is traveling with Roberts. She's Hayes's secretary, but Bettger eludes them. It's a race against time to apprehend him before a payoff is made.

This was Lyle Bettger's third film and the one where he first got notice. During his career, Mr. Bettger played some of the loveliest psychotics ever put on film. This one is one of his best and in his little hideaway where he keeps the terrified Ms. Roberts, Bettger bares no small resemblance to the Phantom of the Opera. Bettger really steals the film from the good guy stars.

Union Station is one tightly constructed film with not a second of wasted footage in it. I wish it were out on VHS or DVD. Don't miss it if TCM ever broadcasts it.

Stop with the Shrieking already!

[Jed from Toronto · 7/10 · 6 January 2008]

This film is really very good and full of suspense. A woman on a train notices strange behaviour from two men who have just boarded her train and the fact that one has a gun under his coat makes her decide to report to the train conductor. There follows a cliff-hanger of a movie involving a young, blind girl who has been kidnapped and will surely be killed by the psychotic kidnapper (Lyle Bettger) if she is not gotten to on time. There is only one jarring note - I don't think I am alone in wanting to strangle the blind girl every time she appears in the film. The director decided that she should shriek, scream and do a nails-scrapping-down-the-blackboard routine at every possible moment. This film merits more than the 7 I gave it for those who can overlook this irritating performance. Worth watching - you may want to keep the remote handy so that you can easily access the mute button.

UNION STATION (Rudolph Mate', 1950) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 11 October 2007]

Obviously modeled on Jules Dassin's superior THE NAKED CITY (1948) – co-starring Barry Fitzgerald, meticulous police procedural, filmed on actual locations – this film can certainly stand on its own two feet, being a tight and neatly-handled little thriller with plenty of action and suspense. Especially effective is a game of cat-and-mouse on a train between criminal and cop, which must have influenced THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)!

While it doesn't quite have the scope of the earlier classic, the film nonetheless makes the most of its situations (revolving around a race-against-the-clock to save a kidnapped blind girl) and settings (the majority of the action taking place, naturally, inside the titular location – with the tunnels underneath the station itself providing the backdrop for the climax, and which may well have been inspired by ending of THE THIRD MAN [1949]).

Fitzgerald is once again excellent though, here, he rather plays second-fiddle to the nominal stars – this being a Paramount film, it couldn't but be contract players (William Holden and Nancy Olson in the second of their four teamings). Lyle Bettger is appropriately menacing as the sly chief kidnapper, while Jan Sterling appears as his soft-hearted girlfriend (who suffers the consequences for demonstrating compassion towards her charge).

A lost classic which should be rediscovered and hailed as the masterpiece that it is.

[barnabyrudge · 10/10 · 10 August 2005]

I suppose that every movie lover and every film critic has one film that they love which makes everyone else shrug in bewilderment. I remember Barry Norman once publishing a book about his 100 favourite movies, and no-one could fathom why a well-made but totally disposable entry like "Gregory's Girl" was on his list. Similarly, many years ago BBC2 ran a short film series in which famous actors and directors revealed and spoke about their favourite film. Everyone was taken aback when Martin Scorcese came up with "Duel In The Sun" as his choice! Well, for me, the oddity among my list of all-time favourites would have to be Union Station. Since the first time I caught this fantastic crime thriller on Channel 4 one rainy afternoon, I've considered it one of the finest films of its type that I've ever come across. Not only did the story engross me, but the film inspired me to become a lifelong fan of William Holden, and also made me develop a serious crush on the lovely Nancy Olson.

Railway police man William Calhoun (William Holden) is having a fairly routine day at work when he is approached by an apprehensive passenger named Joyce Willecombe (Nancy Olson), who believes that two travellers aboard her train may have been up to no good. It transpires that Joyce is the secretary to a rich man called Henry Murchison (Herbert Hayes), whose blind daughter, Lorna, has been kidnapped and held for ransom. The railway station where Calhoun works has been chosen as the location for the pay-off of the ransom. Calhoun and fellow cop Inspector Donnelly (the atypically-cast Barry Fitzgerald) race against time to find the kidnappers and bring them to heel.

Pacy, exciting, surprisingly violent and very well-acted, Union Station is 80 minutes of terrific entertainment. Sydney Boehm's script is filled with incident, and Rudolph Mate directs the proceedings with a sense of urgency and a real talent for building the suspense. Holden - fresh from his masterpiece Sunset Boulevard - is in fine form and Olson (also from Sunset Boulevard) is an ideal leading lady, who not only gets the hero involved in the action but also pressurises him into not just nailing the bad guys but rescuing the abducted blind girl too. Impressive performances are also to be found from Barry Fitzgerald as Holden's colleague, and (especially) Lyle Bettger as the kidnap mastermind, a snarling and exceptionally nasty villain for a film of this era. The climax, involving a frenzied shootout and a chase through underground tunnels, is truly heart-stopping. Union Station is a first-rate thriller.... if ever a film needed rediscovering, then this surely is it!

A very good film and YES the kidnap victim really is quite annoying!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 19 February 2012]

I noticed that one of the other reviewers mentioned how he hated the kidnap victim, as she was very annoying. Yes, the kidnapped girl is annoying...very annoying. She screams and screams so much, I was hoping eventually that the bad guys shot her to shut her up!! Despite this, it's still a pretty good crime film.

The film begins with a lady on a train (Nancy Olson) noticing a couple guys acting strangely. She alerts the conductor--who seems to think she's crazy. But she insists he contact the police who investigate. Eventually, they discover the lady is right--something IS amiss. It seems they are part of a gang that have kidnapped a rich man's blind daughter. And, it turns out their boss is very blood-thirsty and has no intention of letting the girl go free once he obtains the ransom. Can the good cop (William Holden) catch these big jerks before it's too late? The toughness of the plot and the villain make this a film worth seeing. I noticed another review that complained about the casting of Barry Fitzgerald as the cop heading the investigation. I thought her was fine and played a nearly identical role in "The Naked City"--so similar a person might mistakenly think "Union Station" is a sequel. It's not, but both are very good, taut crime dramas that are worth your time.

Really First Rate Film Noir - And Bettger Almost Walks Off With It!

[theowinthrop · 10/10 · 6 January 2008]

Looking at the casting and production of this film, and even the title, an informed viewer must wonder about who was the guiding genius behind it. The romantic leads, William Holden and Nancy Olsen, just played the similar leads in a tragically doomed love affair in Billy Wilder's SUNSET BOULEVARD. The director, Rudolph Mate, was better known for his cinematography up to a few years earlier. But by 1950 he had THE DARK PAST (also with Holden and Lee J. Cobb) and D.O.A. (with Edmond O'Brien) under his belt...and there were more to come. The villain (in only his third film) was the terrific bad guy Lyle Bettger - about to fully blossom in what was the best role in this film (but bad guys usually got the best roles in "film noir"). Barry Fitzgerald is here playing a version of his Police Detective from THE NAKED CITY. In supporting parts are Jan Sterling, Allene Roberts, Herbert Heyes, Parley Baer, Ralph Sanford, and even Byron Foulger. This film has everything going for it - even the location is suggestive of potential tragedy.

In 1933 the FBI suffered the worst loss of personal in it's early history when four of it's agents, while escorting some prisoners, were ambushed in a botched attempt to spring the prisoners. The four men were machine-gunned to death as were the two prisoners (I said it was botched). As a result J.Edgar Hoover got Congress to pass legislation allowing F.B.I. men to carry arms into the field (something the states had rejected at first). The killings were later ascribed (probably truthfully) to "Pretty Boy" Floyd's gang, but nobody was ever punished for the killings. The incident happened in the parking area of UNION STATION in Kansas City. In fact, it is historically called "The Union Station Massacre".

Oddly enough no regular film was ever done of the true story - although a fictionalized television film was made in the 1970s. But this is such a good thriller it will do for it's acting (especially Bettger) and production values.

Olson is a secretary to Heyes, a very wealthy man who has a single child - Roberts. Originally Roberts had all her senses, but she has become blind. When she vanishes, Olson becomes suspicious of two men on a commuter train (Bettger and an associate) who she follows to Union Station. She approaches Holden and he uses his staff of railway police to follow them and see where they put away a piece of luggage. After they leave Holden prepares to open the locker to verify that Olson thinks they have a gun in there. But he insists on doing everything by the book - much to Olsen's disgust. He does not want law suits against himself, his men, the staff of the station or the station itself. He insists on her name and address, and Olsen - very angrily - gives it to him. Then the locker is checked, and Olsen's information verified.

This is how the film progresses, and adds to the tensions of the story. Bettger is a border-line psychotic (he enjoys some taunting of his victims, but he keeps his eyes on the goal of the kidnap ransom). He has spent five years in prison for a hold-up (he angrily dismisses the event, calling the filling-station robbery a "coffee and cake" affair). While there he thought out this meticulous crime - all centered on the station. As he is willing to use and kill people to get his results he constantly keeps one step ahead of his pursuers.

But Holden and his regular police force Detective Fitgerald have to move more slowly. They have to play by limitations and rules they are assigned to uphold (though at one point they give one of Bettger's associates a "third degree" good cop - bad cop grilling that gets results with near violence). They also are hamstrung because of Heyes, who is frightened at the threat to his helpless daughter and agrees to anything Bettger demands.

So Bettger, despite the losses of two associates, is always in the lead - and calling the shots to the conclusion of the film. His key to success is his hold on Roberts, a helpless victim who cannot fight on equal terms. If the forces of law and order want to find her alive (a point that Bettger really could not care about) they have to follow his tune.

The actors are all good, with Holden and Olsen gradually finding reasons to appreciate each other more and more. Fitzgerald has no moment (as in THE NAKED CITY) outlining his model for solving crimes. But he and Holden do discuss (after the death of a policeman) the limits of following the book and rules in moments of danger. Holden feels that such behavior only ends with the party on a slab in a morgue, but Fitzgerald says that kind of bravery wins battles. It's a lesson Holden takes to heart.

The supporting actors too are good - in particular Jan Sterling as Bettger's lover and most sympathetic gang member.

On the whole UNION STATION is a wonderful film noir, and a must see film.

A little disappointing the second time around

[Handlinghandel · 6/10 · 15 January 2008]

I saw this movie on local TV maybe 25 years ago and thought it superb. But Paramount movies, with a few exceptions, aren't shown much anymore. So I was excited to find it resurfacing.

Watching it was a little less exciting. It's not really a film noir. It's a thriller. William Holden is good, very good, but the supporting cast leaves something to be desired.

I've seen Nancy Olson only in this and, also with Holden, in "Sunset Boulevard." She has a quality that can bring June Cleaver into the darkest, most cynical movies.

The actress playing the kidnapped blind girl overdoes it. That may well not have been her fault. It may have been the script and the direction of the usually superb Rudoph Mate'. However, she is played as foolish as well as blind. I wish to state with authority that the two do not go hand-in-hand -- though maybe they were perceived more as doing so in 1950.

The film is suspenseful. Sort of. But I have to say I anticipated its every step -- and not because I'd seen it decades ago: All I remembered before today was that a young blind woman is kidnapped and that it takes place in a train station. There, I was correct.

Oh! And that strange Murchison name appears again. I'd thought this was an MGM in-joke, but here we find it at Paramount too.

Prolonged, textbook kidnap-plot with interesting milieu...

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 12 March 2008]

Director Rudolph Maté's "Union Station", from Thomas Walsh's novel, again pairs William Holden with Nancy Olson following their triumph with "Sunset Blvd." While both stars are solid here, the step-down to genre shtick (particularly for Holden) is disheartening. After seeing what Holden was truly capable of, he's reduced here to the old cops-and-kidnappers formula, with barely a personality beneath his badge. Olson plays a worrisome secretary who spots some desperate-looking men on her train; after reporting them to the authorities, it's discovered--in an outrageous coincidence--the men have just kidnapped the blind daughter of Olson's wealthy employer. Aside from some uncommon brutalities, and a sadistically funny game of good cop-bad cop between detective Holden, chief inspector Barry Fitzgerald and one of the crooks, this paste-up case is pretty cut and dry. The train station surroundings are fun, but the victim (a real screamer) is a sad sack, as are the dopey villains. Olson has little to do but wring her hands, but she certainly comes out better than Jan Sterling, playing sweetheart to the bad guys. Sterling, after being forced to roll about in the gutter, later gets one of those Hollywood hospital scenes which doesn't even show her off to any great advantage. The picture is smoothly steady, but rather a no-brainer. ** from ****

Depots are for More Than Trains Only

[dougdoepke · 18 March 2008]

Back when America took the train for out-of-town travel, depots were full of hustling, bustling travelers, rather like today's airports. Judging from the opening scenes, you might think half the folks in those stations were petty criminals and the other half were there to catch them. Actually, the movie's a pretty good thriller. The railroad cops are led by Holden who's after a kidnapping gang who've grabbed a blind girl (Allene Roberts), while Barry Fitzgerald heads the local cop contingent.

There are some good imaginative touches, such as the stockyard scene, and the final chase through an underground tunnel. These, along with some good location photography and a documentary style approach, help build a general air of suspense. However, the documentary style is also interrupted by rather obvious studio sets, a none-too-convincing romance between Olson and Holden, and the un-cop like musings of Fitzgerald as comedy relief. Thus we're also reminded at critical points that this is, after all, only a movie.

The film has gone down in history books for one particularly memorable scene. In the train station, the cops have caught a gang confederate and need to make him tell the where-abouts of the kidnapped girl. At first, the suspect feigns innocence. Now, in standard films of the day, sentencing pressure would have been brought to bear-- how the guy risks execution should harm befall the girl, along with maybe some mild pushing around.

Not here. Instead, the guy is hauled into a back room and rather brutally beaten-- already a big departure from the norm. When he still refuses to talk, he's dragged out onto the tracks, where Holden and company dangle him before an on-rushing locomotive. Wild now with fright, the suspect spills his guts. To my knowledge, this is either one of the only films of the time, if not the only one, to show cops not only beating a suspect, but torturing him as well. It comes as a startling departure from what audiences had come to expect from the forces of law and order. How it got past the censors is beyond me.

Of course, we already know the guy is a gang member, so we may want to excuse the extreme police methods. But keep in mind that movies are inherently a medium of manipulation. A good film-maker can make an audience root for almost anything or anybody if he loads the deck correctly. Suppose in this case the movie hadn't tipped us off early about the guy's guilt, and suppose the guy turned out to be innocent instead. Would we feel the same way about the police methods. I doubt it, but however you respond, this remains an entertaining 90 minutes with a particularly fine performance from Roberts as the trapped blind girl.

Train Spotting

[Bucs1960 · 7/10 · 11 May 2008]

I liked this film for a lot of reasons. The first and foremost is Lyle Bettger's interpretation of a true psycho. Bettger was in a class to himself when it came to playing crazed killers and generally evil guys. He doesn't disappoint here.

The plot, although not necessarily unique, is taut and moves along at a fairly rapid pace. The blind daughter of a wealthy family is kidnapped and held for ransom. Enter railroad detective William Holden and the LAPD in the person of Barry Fitzgerald and the chase is on. Nancy Olson is along for the ride and the film is peppered with some of the great character actors of the day.

Throw in a bit of graphic police brutality and a great chase through the underground and you've got a neat little film. However, the screaming blind hostage never shuts up.......she screams continually until you really don't care if she ever is rescued. But of course she is, Bettger gets his come-uppance and Holden and Olson hold hands. Very tidy and enjoyable.

Odd filming location discrepancies

[Gavno · 6/10 · 20 February 2020]

Even tho most of the shooting locations are listed as in California, the film is clearly a story based in Chicago!

The Foley footage used in the train chase sequence, and the stations the conductor calls out, are part of the old Stockyards Branch of the Chicago Transit Authority system (LONG ago defunct and demolished).

According to the book by Bruce Moffat, FORTY FEET BELOW, this film is the only movie presentation of the old Chicago Tunnel and Transport Company tunnel system under Chicago... which, about a decade ago, flooded when a piling was accidentally driven thru the roof of a tunnel under the Chicago River.

The tunnel system was used to move freight and packages around The Loop, and haul away the ashes from the coal fired furnaces that heated the stores along State Street.

For railroad buffs, that unique footage shot in the tunnel system is MORE than enough incentive to see the film.

Seen on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater in 1970

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 4 April 2014]

1950's "Union Station" offers a fascinating look at LA's famed title structure in its busy heyday, built in 1939. Time and travel have moved on over the years, but here the exact locale is deliberately unspecified, rather appearing to be New York or (especially) Chicago. In the wake of their previous teaming in "Sunset Blvd." William Holden and Nancy Olson play the investigator and the secretary who puts him on the trail of vicious kidnapper Lyle Bettger, holding a helpless blind girl (Allene Roberts) in exchange for $100,000 from her wealthy father (Herbert Heyes). Best of all is lovable Barry Fitzgerald as the veteran Inspector Donnelly, teaming nicely with Holden while showing an intentional disregard for suspects refusing to confess. In only his second film, Lyle Bettger shows why he became such a popular movie villain for two decades, in a truly terrifying characterization, while longtime veteran Robert Cornthwaite makes his screen debut in the emergency room, one line of dialogue with his back to the camera (soon to star in "The Thing from Another World"). In regards to its lone appearance on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, paired with second feature "She Demons" (Jan 10 1970), that was the one season which saw adult oriented dramas and comedies as the first part of the weekly double bill, running 32 consecutive weeks before returning to the usual horror/sci fi format. It must be said that "Union Station" at least supplied its share of suspense for viewers that night, which no one can say for its notorious Richard Cunha co-feature!

Routine Thriller

[kenjha · 6/10 · 28 September 2010]

Holden and Olson went from the set of the magnificent classic "Sunset Blvd." to this routine drama about the kidnapping of a young blind woman. Although the film seems to have the elements for a tense thriller, including a chase in an underground railroad tunnel and a nice film noir look, the plot is somewhat muddled and the narrative is not well sustained. Holden and Olson are fine, working well together in the second of four films they would co-star in between 1950 and 1951, and Bettger makes a good villain. However, Fitzgerald, with his Irish brogue, is rather annoying, as is Roberts as the perpetually shrieking victim.

Station Identification

[miriamwebster · 7/10 · 28 December 2010]

Unjustly over-looked B-movie kidnap caper marred by geographical heresy. Although landmark title locale is unmistakably famous downtown Los Angeles train station of same name, other scenes supposedly occurring in same vicinity involve elevated railways and nearby stockyards with no connection to actual LA landscape. Sort of like titling a movie Empire State Building, then having sequences take place in surrounding deserts, ski resorts and palm-studded sandy beaches. Had Paramount simply called it something like Train Station Confidential, this wouldn't have been an issue.

Great location photography, though, and a terrific (if somewhat tritely used) cast including William Holden, Nancy Olsen, Barry Fitzpatrick, Lyle Bettger, Jan Sterling and solid roster of supporting players of the era. (With notable exception of justly-obscure one-note actress who portrays kidnap victim at the top of her lungs.)

Well worth a look for film noir fans, LA history buffs and architecture aficiandos.

A tough thriller

[Varlaam · 8/10 · 28 April 1999]

This film reminded me of others from the late '40's up to 1950, of "D.O.A.", in some ways, with its tense realism. The cold, merciless criminal mastermind played by Lyle Bettger was a (considerably) more balanced version of the sinister characters portrayed by James Cagney in "White Heat" or Richard Widmark in "Kiss of Death".

This is an early police procedural, with the railway cops working closely with the New York City police. According to Leslie Halliwell, "Naked City" -- which I've somehow managed never to see -- is the prototype for all the films of this type. The style eventually became overfamiliar, and very diluted, on television with shows like "Dragnet". "Naked City" cast Barry Fitzgerald unexpectedly as the lead detective, and he repeats that role here.

The two principal stars of "Union Station" are William Holden and Nancy Olson, who also co-starred in "Sunset Boulevard" this same year, 1950. Nancy plays Bill's conscience, constantly concerned that the interests of the kidnap victim don't get overlooked in the hunt for the criminals.

Holden is quite good -- he really started to come into his own at this time -- indicating more depth than was strictly required for the stalwart hero in a crime story. Bettger shows calculated menace. The two make worthy opponents.

Kidnapped

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 24 May 2008]

The great railway stations of the first half of the 20th century, were the equivalent of today's airports. Los Angeles' Union Station, was one of the best examples of how these places worked and how it was the center of people moving in the country during that period in which aviation was still in its infancy. The station is the setting for the story in which the film is based.

Directed by Rudolph Mate, who was a great cinematographer himself, we are taken to witness this interesting thriller that still holds its interest after more than a half a century since it was made. Mr. Mate confided his colleague, Daniel Fapp, to photograph the action that takes place in the tunnels, boarding and waiting areas of the station.

William Holden was at the top of the profession. He is seen as Det. William Calhoun, who is in charge of security. Nancy Olson, makes an interesting appearance opposite Mr. Holden as a young secretary who reports to the authorities what she witnessed on an inbound train. Barry Fitzgerald, who plays the police inspector in charge, contributes to the success of the film. Best of all Lyle Bettger, an actor that made his specialty out of the shady characters he was called to play. Jan Sterling has a small, but pivotal part.

"Union Station" is worth looking as it reflects that period of time in America. Ultimate the station is the real star of the film where we see it in all its splendor.

Union Station - Offers Suspense and Excitement

[krocheav · 8/10 · 3 January 2019]

For a mid range movie of 1950 this fast moving Railway Police/chase story packs a reasonable wallop. The cast is above average for what looks like a 'double feature' production and the script never wanders from its target for a moment. The police are shown realistically and situations are not compromised in their general graphic details. All characters are written and directed as you might expect them to be in a life challenging situation. Perhaps the somewhat tacked on ending could do with a little (very minor) editing to give it a harder edge but some may be happy with finishing it on a slightly lighter note.

Maybe Lyle Bettger could also have been reined in a tad with his full-on performance of the nasty kidnapper but he looks the part. Sydney Boehm's tight screenplay was based on Thomas Walsh's Edgar winning novel 'Nightmare in Manhattan' - William Holden and Nancy Olson were teamed again for Award winner, 'Sunset Boulevard' the same year and the image and sound on the DVD I viewed, was quite clean. Was good to discover another classic from the past.

nice noir thriller

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 29 November 2020]

Observant train passenger Joyce Willecombe (Nancy Olson) spots two suspicious men getting on board. She tells the ticket collector who reluctantly passes the information on to train police Lt. William Calhoun (William Holden). It turns out to be a kidnapping case with connection to Joyce.

It's noir with a fair bit of cynicism. I like the premise and the start. I don't like the way the case is connected to Joyce. I know that they want Joyce to stay in the story. Maybe she could try to follow the two men on her own and get kidnapped as well. Otherwise, it's a cool noir story. Going back and forth between the various characters do disrupt the flow and thereby reduce the tension. There is still a lot to like in this movie.

pretty amateurish low budget boilerplate

[filmalamosa · 4/10 · 15 May 2012]

Kidnap movie cops win.

I found this whole movie fairly amateurish many of the scenes fake looking e.g. the cows breaking down their gate.

The kidnap victim is a blind girl a hokey and sickeningly sweet attempt to elicit pathos that failed.

In fact her and the nosy obnoxious secretary make you cheer for the bad guys.

However the gangsters were hapless.

As another reviewer called it shtick.... low budget boiler plate.

OK give it a 4

Watch only if nothing better around.