Based on one of the Civil War's most important and dramatic incidents, the 1956 Walt Disney Production of The Great Locomotive Chase tells the true stirring tale of the 1862 attempt by Union soldiers to hijack a Confederate train and return it to "safe" territory while destroying railroad tracks, bridges and telegraph lines en route. The story has become a part of Civil War legend and the film portrays it reasonably straight-forward.
Fess Parker, at the time riding high as television's Davy Crockett, stars as James J. Andrews, leader of the Union band, while Jeffrey Hunter stars as the Confederate train's conductor, William A. Fuller. The plot is nearly foiled before it even begins, thanks to civilian Union volunteer William Campbell's (Jeff York) hot-headedness and impatience.
The actual "chase" is at least half of the film, and anyone who appreciates the romance and uniqueness of railroads during the late 19th century will not be disappointed.
