The Great Train Robbery

Top 10 Fun Facts

1. Director Michael Crichton wrote the screenplay based on his own novel, which itself was loosely based on the exploits of 19th century safe cracker William Pierce - not to be confused with White Sox pitching great Billy Pierce, who was one hell of a southpaw but not much of a train robber.
2. Now this is what you call commitment to the project: while directing a scene aboard a steam locomotive, Crichton's hair caught fire as the engine spewed embers into the air.
3. For his troubles, Crichton earned the 1980 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. Looks great on the mantle, but may or may not be worth that burnt hair smell.
4. While excellent at scorching human hair, the steam engine used during filming wasn't powerful enough to pull the rest of the train. The crew had to disguise a diesel locomotive as a goods van for a secret power boost.
5. Star Sean Connery had to run across the top of a moving train for several days' worth of filming, and complained that it was moving much too fast. Turns out the driver of the train was booking along at 55mph instead of the agreed-upon 35mph. Mr. Bond, must you always be right?
6. Frustrated with the crew's lack of respect for such a young director, Crichton reportedly showed them his latest film, Coma. The crew must have decided their whippersnapper of a director knew what he was doing, because they shaped up immediately after the screening.
7. The final scenes of the film were shot in Parliament Square of Trinity College in Dublin and the Kent Railway Station in Cork. So the next time you're in Ireland, try to pull yourself away from the pub for a minute to walk through some movie history.
8. A brief scene of Sean Connery rushing out of a bedroom with former Miss Ireland Nuala Holloway was cut from the film, to tone down the characters' promiscuity. Come on, it's not like they were rushing into a bedroom...
9. Ivory ticklers: the music Elizabeth and Emily Trent play together while Pierce and Agar sneak into their townhouse is from the third movement of Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448 Molto Allegro. If you know what that means, then you probably already knew that.
10. If the seedier side of the 19th century floats your boat, you might want to check out Kellow Chesney's book The Victorian Underworld - one of the inspirations for Crichton's novel and screenplay.

Cast

Crew