When his father is killed in a train wreck, Larry Baker vows to unmask a mysterious criminal called "The Wrecker," who has targeted the L&M Railroad for deadly" accidents."When his father is killed in a train wreck, Larry Baker vows to unmask a mysterious criminal called "The Wrecker," who has targeted the L&M Railroad for deadly" accidents."When his father is killed in a train wreck, Larry Baker vows to unmask a mysterious criminal called "The Wrecker," who has targeted the L&M Railroad for deadly" accidents."
Shirley Grey
- Gloria Martin
- (as Shirley Gray)
- …
Matthew Betz
- Tom Jordan
- (as Mathew Betz)
Joseph W. Girard
- Detective Matthews
- (as Joseph Girard)
James P. Burtis
- Detective Hemmingway
- (as James Burtis)
Ernie Adams
- Barney
- (as Ernie S. Adams)
Victor Adamson
- Baggage Master
- (uncredited)
- …
Yakima Canutt
- Henchman
- (uncredited)
Henry Hall
- Doctor
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe feature version,running approximately 81 minutes, was edited from Chapters #1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11 and 12.
- GoofsIn Chapter 9, John Wayne is riding a motorcycle going after a runaway boxcar. Sometimes it shows the boxcar on Wayne's left and sometimes on his right. It never shows the motorcycle crossing over the train tracks.
- Quotes
Larry Baker: [speaking of the fatal crash] Who's ever back of it means my father was murdered, and I'll bring that man to justice if it takes the rest of my life.
- Alternate versionsLike many other serials, this was later 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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Action Heroes of Movies & T.V. (1989)
Featured review
Aside from having a young John Wayne in the lead, it's not particularly outstanding.
"The Hurricane Express" is a very low budget movie serial from tiny Mascot Studios. And, because of this, there isn't a whole lot to distinguish it other than one big thing--it stars a very young John Wayne. If it weren't for this, I doubt if many people would ever want to see the film. It just isn't very good.
The film begins by introducing Larry (John Wayne) and his father. Larry is a pilot and his dad has been an engineer for the railroad for many years. However, soon the father is killed--the result of someone sabotaging the rails. Who would do this and why would they do it? Larry was determined to figure this out for himself--and thus goes the rest of this 12-part serial. At the end of each part, there is, of course, some cliffhanger that makes it APPEAR that he is killed--but naturally, Larry has found some ridiculous way to somehow survive. It turns out that the sabotage is NOT the work of some nut, but a guy called 'The Wrecker'--but who the wrecker is you need to wait until part 12 to learn. In the meantime, he and his gang try again and again to sabotage the rails.
When you watch the film you'll probably notice a few things. First, the film is very quiet. The usual incidental music is gone--partly because early sound films sometimes missed this and partly because the production was so cheap that they couldn't afford it. Also, the condition of the print is not particularly great--but much of this is because of the degradation of the film and has nothing to do with the original quality of the serial. As for the writing, it's pretty poor--with lots of action but not a whole lot in depth or believability. It's quite a step below the quality of a serial from a decade later. Not terrible...just not all that good.
The film begins by introducing Larry (John Wayne) and his father. Larry is a pilot and his dad has been an engineer for the railroad for many years. However, soon the father is killed--the result of someone sabotaging the rails. Who would do this and why would they do it? Larry was determined to figure this out for himself--and thus goes the rest of this 12-part serial. At the end of each part, there is, of course, some cliffhanger that makes it APPEAR that he is killed--but naturally, Larry has found some ridiculous way to somehow survive. It turns out that the sabotage is NOT the work of some nut, but a guy called 'The Wrecker'--but who the wrecker is you need to wait until part 12 to learn. In the meantime, he and his gang try again and again to sabotage the rails.
When you watch the film you'll probably notice a few things. First, the film is very quiet. The usual incidental music is gone--partly because early sound films sometimes missed this and partly because the production was so cheap that they couldn't afford it. Also, the condition of the print is not particularly great--but much of this is because of the degradation of the film and has nothing to do with the original quality of the serial. As for the writing, it's pretty poor--with lots of action but not a whole lot in depth or believability. It's quite a step below the quality of a serial from a decade later. Not terrible...just not all that good.
helpful•63
- planktonrules
- Nov 30, 2012
- How long is The Hurricane Express?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- El expreso de la muerte
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime3 hours 47 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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