Media Alert

On Turner Classic Movies tonight (Thursday), they're premiering on their channel an old movie from the Disney Vault.  It's The Great Locomotive Chase, made in 1956, and starring Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter.  The story concerns the attempt by a Union spy (played by Parker) to steal a Confederate train during the Civil War and disrupt their railway system (not unlike Buster Keaton's classic, The General, and for all I know it might be based on the same event).  The theatrical film was made at the height of Fess Parker's huge TV popularity as Davy Crockett.

I remember seeing the movie on television very long ago when a kid, probably shown on The Wonderful World of Disney, and loving it.  Several years back, I got hold of a copy and was curious how much of it held up after all these years -- and it pretty much did.  It was quite fun and very adventurous.

The movie is being shown as 9:15 PM Los Angeles time, and 12:15 AM (Friday) in the East.

This is actually a Disney Vault premiere day for TCM.  Earlier today on the channel, they're showing the fun Revolutionary War film, Johnny Tremaine, and also one of the classic Disney True-Life Adventure documentaries, this one the first, in fact, The Living Desert.  Check your local schedules...