The Ghost Train (1941)

★★★★★ · I just tea urned the gas on! · webboffin · 2011-07-21

Great comedic film noir style movie. Arthur Askey as Tommy Gander that annoying jesting little twerp who keeps getting under the skin of Peter Murray-Hill who plays Richard Winthrop a serious demeanored strongly built gentleman. Tommy Gander pulls the emergency cord on the travelling steam train so bringing it to a halt and he runs outside to collect his hat that fell off from a window. Causing the train to be late on the arrival at Fal Vale station they miss their connection and no more trains are running that night so are stranded at the rustic and rather bleak train station just as bad…

★★★★★ · Great little wartime horror/comedy · JonathanDP · 2010-04-02

This is a charming film and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It takes a bit to get going, but the light tone and fun characters make it never slow. I enjoyed Arthur Askey's performance, but I must say it should be spectacularly annoying to be in the same room as his character. It's fun to watch the old-time rapid-fire comedy of vaudeville. The plot is typical classic era of film silly but it makes for a nice watching experience.

★★★★★ · Good Fun! · CullyB · 2024-09-04

i expected to find a ghostly horror movie but this is more a WW II mystery comedy thriller. Well done and i laughed out loud several parts. i always enjoy the funny old special effects but the script was far better than i expected!

★★★★★ · A Great piece of cinema. · SonOfChaos · 2009-07-19

If I was to describe this film in one word I'd say 'Scooby-Doo'. Undoubtedly this film when qualify as one of the best episodes of the series, and I would not be surprised in the least. This is one of those rare films that truly is solid on multiple levels. The characters are believable, the production is excellent, acting of high quality and very well written. I suspect that some modern viewers today my find the comedian in the film a bit over the top, perhaps he could be best described as a prototype of Jim Carey's comedic style, but otherwise a great piece full of ghost stories.

★★★★★ · Background on The Ghost Train · norfolkman · 2010-03-31

For our American friends, here is a little background that you may not be aware of. The Ghost Train was originally written as a play by Arnold Ridley (Later best known as Private Godrey in Dad's Army). Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch who both star in this film were a comedy partnership who, at the time the film was made were probably the most poplular comedy duo on British radio. Both started in British Music Hall as did the majority of comedians before the war. The 'over the top' antics of Arthur Askey stem from the Music Hall tradition where an artiste performed to the back of the house. I…

★★★★★ · A great period piece · Carolyn Blake · 2010-03-30

This is a little gem. From my American view, it is a charming look into the cinema culture of WWII era England. We get to spend a dark and stormy night with a collection of quirky characters trapped together in a train station, waiting for the dreaded ghost train. The character played by Richard Askey was a bit over the top, and though I had never seen him before, I had the sense he was well loved at that time. I did a bit of research on him and indeed he was a large figure in English comedy from that era. It's a nicely done mystery too with some genuinely tense moments, beautiful production…