Silver Streak (1976)

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

Colin Higgins (writer)

Release Date:

3 December 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

It's the Most Hilarious Suspense Ride of Your Life!

Plot:

On a long-distance train trip, a man finds romance but also finds himself in danger of being killed, or at least pushed off the train.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Chicago | Police | Book | Murder

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Gene Wilder	...	George Caldwell
Jill Clayburgh	...	Hilly Burns
Richard Pryor	...	Grover Muldoon
Patrick McGoohan	...	Roger Devereau
Ned Beatty	...	Bob Sweet
Clifton James	...	Sheriff Oliver Chauncey
Ray Walston	...	Mr. Edgar Whiney
Stefan Gierasch	...	Prof. Schreiner / Johnson
Len Birman	...	Chief Donaldson
Valerie Curtin	...	Plain Jane
Lucille Benson	...	Rita Babtree
Scatman Crothers	...	Ralston
Richard Kiel	...	Reace
Fred Willard	...	Jerry Jarvis
Delos V. Smith Jr.	...	Burt (as Delos V. Smith)
Mathilda Calnan	...	Blue-Haired Lady (as Matilda Calnan)
Nick Stewart	...	Shoe Shiner
Margarita García	...	Mexican Mama-San
Jack Mather	...	Conductor
Henry Beckman	...	Conventioneer
Steve Weston	...	Conventioneer
Harvey Atkin	...	Conventioneer
Lloyd White	...	Porter
Ed McNamara	...	Benny
Raymond Guth	...	Night Watchman
John Daheim	...	Engineer #2 (as John Day)
Jack O'Leary	...	Fat Man #1
Lee McLaughlin	...	Fat Man #2
Bill Henderson	...	Red Cap
Tom Erhart	...	Cab Driver
Gordon Hurst	...	Moose
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Danny Gain	...	Police Detective (uncredited)
J.A. Preston	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Cal Wilson	...	Silver Streak Steward (uncredited)

Directed by
Arthur Hiller

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Colin Higgins		writer

Produced by
Edward K. Milkis	....	producer
Thomas L. Miller	....	producer
Martin Ransohoff	....	executive producer
Frank Yablans	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini

Cinematography by
David M. Walsh

Film Editing by
David Bretherton

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by
Alfred Sweeney

Set Decoration by
Marvin March

Makeup Department
Joan Phillips	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jack B. Bernstein	....	production manager
Peter V. Herald	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Max Kleven	....	second unit director
Jack Roe	....	assistant director
L. Andrew Stone	....	second assistant director (as Lively Andrew Stone)

Art Department
Sidney H. Greenwood	....	property master (as Syd Greenwood)

Sound Department
Harold M. Etherington	....	sound mixer (as Hal Etherington)
William Hartman	....	sound editor
Donald O. Mitchell	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Don Mitchell)
Edward Rossi	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Fred Cramer	....	special effects
Jay King	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Bill Hansard	....	process consultant

Stunts
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunt coordinator
Janet Brady	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nick Dimitri	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jeannie Epper	....	stunt double: Jill Clayburgh (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunt double: Gene Wilder (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Lee McLaughlin	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Lowell Crisp	....	electrician
Curtis Foster	....	lamp operator
Norman Harris	....	gaffer
Richard Moran	....	key grip
Ralph Woolsey	....	director of photography: second unit

Casting Department
Karen Hazzard	....	casting: Canada

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Phyllis Garr	....	wardrobe
Michael J. Harte	....	wardrobe (as Michael Harte)

Editorial Department
Hugh K. Cummings	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Kenneth Hall	....	music editor (as Kenneth J. Hall)
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	scoring mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver
Jim Martell	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Mattie Caruthers	....	script supervisor: additional photography and second unit
Marie Kenney	....	script supervisor
Phill Norman	....	title designer
Paul Schultz	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Frank Yablans Presentations
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Intrada  score album released by (limited edition)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | West Germany:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Iceland:12 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Brea, California, USA

Company:

Frank Yablans Presentations

Trivia:

The locomotive used as "AM ROAD"'s 4070, was actually CP Rail's (formerly Canadian Pacific) 4070. For the filming, the AM ROAD decal was placed over the CP markings and "Multimark" pac-man logo. At the end on the shoot, the decals actually damaged the engines real paint job. The production company had to pay for the repainting of the engine, which took place in the CP Rail Transcona shops in Winnipeg Manitoba. The locomotive is a FP7A built by GMD in 1952. In 1982, CP sold it to STCUM, where it was re-numbered to 1300 in 1983. As of 2002, she is now sitting in "non-operational" storage in Montreal.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Grover first says goodbye to George in the Police station, the buttons at the top of his shirt open and close between shots.

Quotes:

George Caldwell: You're very beautiful, Hilly.
Hilly Burns: I like you too, George.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "The Fall Guy" (1981)

Funny film with references to some classics

Gene Wilder is the ordinary man caught up in murder on mayhem on the train "Silver Streak" in this 1976 comedy starring Richard Pryor, Jill Clayburgh, Ned Beatty, Ray Walston, and Patrick McGoohan. In a quasi-homage to Hitchcock, Wilder plays George Caldwell, who falls for the lovely Hilly (Jill Clayburgh) and finds himself mixed up in art fraud, missing letters of Rembrandt, and murder. Not only that, he keeps getting thrown out of the train. One of those times, he meets up with a criminal, Grover Muldoon (Pryor) who happens to be in the police car he steals. In the funniest scene in the film, Grover has George buy the cap, shoe polish, sunglasses and radio from a shoe polisher at the train station and makes George a black jiver so he can get by the feds.

There are lots of funny scenes in this film, but the best part of it is the chemistry between Wilder and Pryor, who became a successful screen team. This, however, is their best teaming. The bad guys are great. McGoohan and Walston act as if they're in a heavy duty suspense film, which makes them real and threatening. It works perfectly against the comic aspects of the film.

Hitchcock fans will see this as a mild takeoff on "North by Northwest." It is, but it stands on its own as well.