All of the discussion of NYC sleepers sold to the IC made remember the NYC sleeper Imperial State, later the IC's Homewood. Did this car survive? The reason I remember it, was that it was used in "North by Northwest" when Cary Grant and Eve Marie Saint are detraining from the 20th Century Limited in Chicago, they walk right by the car.

david.wilkins@inisightbb.com

> All of the discussion of NYC sleepers sold
> to the IC made remember the NYC sleeper
> Imperial State, later the IC's Homewood. Did
> this car survive? The reason I remember it,
> was that it was used in "North by
> Northwest" when Cary Grant and Eve
> Marie Saint are detraining from the 20th
> Century Limited in Chicago, they walk right
> by the car.

David:

Wonderful observation! Hope she does still exist somewhere.

Les


midlandblb@cs.com

Are you sure that car in the movie wasn't a UP car or mock-up just painted up near a Hollywood filming location to look like NYC "Imperial State"?

> All of the discussion of NYC sleepers sold
> to the IC made remember the NYC sleeper
> Imperial State, later the IC's Homewood. Did
> this car survive? The reason I remember it,
> was that it was used in "North by
> Northwest" when Cary Grant and Eve
> Marie Saint are detraining from the 20th
> Century Limited in Chicago, they walk right
> by the car.

Nope, I have seen photos of the car and train parked outside of LaSalle Street Station in Chicago. They shot on the platform. North by Northwest was a bit different for Hitchcock because he liked to film in the studio where he could control everything. However, the scenes required for the film necessitated location filming. While the inside of the train is a soundstage, the outside is the read 20th Century Limited!

david.wilkins@inisightbb.com

> Are you sure that car in the movie wasn't a
> UP car or mock-up just painted up near a
> Hollywood filming location to look like NYC
> "Imperial State"?

Well, if anyone would know the answer to this mystery, it would be Mr. Kaplan, yes?

> Well, if anyone would know the answer to
> this mystery, it would be Mr. Kaplan, yes?

" I think this problem could be easily solved from a great height above water."

Heh Heh.

TJG


Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

> Well, if anyone would know the answer to
> this mystery, it would be Mr. Kaplan, yes?

Kaplan: "Apparently the only role you will appreciate is when I play dead."

Van Dahm: "Your very next role. You will be very convincing, I assure you."

In the "Grand Central" shots, the "Imperial State" would appear to be an SP Blunt-End 10-6. It drove me crazy for years, as I knew the Imperial series were 4-4-2's. Look closely in the one shot, and you can see the wrap-around end, and the two-tone gray paint going around the end of the car. I think these scenes must have been filmed on the M-G-M backlot.

The scenes in Chicago were definitely filmed at La Salle Street. The chief recap at C.U.S. in the 1970s was one of the ones that they spin around in the concourse shot.

I think the one of the cars used was borrowed from the rip track. If you look closely, when the police catch up to the redcap who sold his clothes to Cary Grant, and appears in his shorts, the vestibule and crash post have some chipped and peeling paint. Not allowed on the Century even then.

"You fellows from the CIA should take less training from the government, and more cues from the Actors' Studio..."


sbs5cats@kc.rr.com

> Are you sure that car in the movie wasn't a
> UP car or mock-up just painted up near a
> Hollywood filming location to look like NYC
> "Imperial State"?

Do I remember correctly that in the final shot, the "train goes into the tunnel" shot ( nudge, nudge, wink, wink), that the equipment was SP?


wrj494@aol.com

Yes, it is an SP train, but probably stock footage. They filmed part of the movie on the platform at Chicago, where they go past the Imperial State. Look on the Internet, you will find photos of them filming this.

At Chicago
david.wilkins@inisightbb.com

> Yes, it is an SP train, but probably stock
> footage. They filmed part of the movie on
> the platform at Chicago, where they go past
> the Imperial State. Look on the Internet,
> you will find photos of them filming this.

I trust that you will overlook the fact that this is not strictly rail related. David Wilkin's link gives the classic photo of Cary Grant sprinting to avoid the crop duster. The duster's left wing is perilously close to the ground and perilously close to Mr. Grant. I'm no flyer so I don't know what level of risk to the pilot or actor this represents. Is this an example of BTTW movie making which could never be replicated today or was it doctored up?


wrj494@aol.com