The Railway Children - shouldn' the Dad have sent a telegram rather than just turning up after being freed

[chomalungma]

The ending is lovely. Always makes me cry.
But what was the Dad's plan?
Did he let his wife know? It was in the papers - but did he just plan to turn up at the house, knock on the door and say surprise!!

We took dsd to see the theatre show of Railway Children in Waterloo station when she was about 8 - we warned her the end was sad and she might need a tissue. When it came to the end, dh and I were weeping silently and she was looking at us in horror.

You don’t see the mum and dad’s reunion in the film, so it’s possible that she did know but just wanted it to be a surprise for the children, or as others have said she knew he would turn up and some point but didn’t know when!

If you go by the book, he'd written but the letter hadn't arrived - those were the days when in theory you could post a letter in the morning and it would be delivered by the evening's post, so it was reasonable of him to expect the letter would have arrived before he did.

Freda - wasn’t it a fantastic production. We got to go on a tour (including the train) as part of Kidsweek.

I remember being "traumatised" by the scene where Perks is appalled by his birthday gifts. I just didn't understand at all how anyone could be so ungrateful, even after the adults tried to explain it to me.

The actress who played Phyllis was indeed 20 years old, and was contractually forbidden to reveal her age, or to be seen smoking or driving her sports cars, according to IMDB.

Oh, yes - I still cringe at the bit where Perks is angry about the presents.

In the film version, it wasn't until I saw it as an adult that I twigged what Mrs Perks meant at bedtime when she said 'Oh, go on then - as it's your birthday'

I prefer Swallows and Amazons personally but it is a good film

Well, that's a whole thread there about parenting styles, isn't it

I love Swallows and Amazons too. DS won't watch it. I have sailed to Peel Island just to reenact the film

Of course not it would have destroyed the ending!

Someone thinking way too deep. Love the book.

He wrote but they didn’t get the letter in time:
“Then didn’t Mother get my letter?” Father asked.
“There weren’t any letters this morning.”

I thought that Mother did get the letter, but just didn’t tell the children.

Also welling up thinking of the ending!

We visited the station that was used as Oakworth when I was about 14. My dad was down the other end of the platform taking photographs of the steam engine as it left the station, and he was all surrounded by steam. He stood up, caught my eye, and just went "No. No. Don't even think about it!" as I went charging down the platform yelling "Daddy, my daddy!" and threw myself at him. We got a little cheer and everything

My sister still says it was the most embarrassing moment of her life

@CaptainCallisto That's so adorable.

@CloudyGladys

*He wrote but they didn’t get the letter in time: “Then didn’t Mother get my letter?” Father asked. “There weren’t any letters this morning.”*

I thought that Mother did get the letter, but just didn’t tell the children.

I actually don’t think Mother did get it, or even know about Father’s release. I’ve skim-read the last chapter, and there’s no hint that she did, even though all the village and people on the train seem to know about Father’s release in the paper. I suppose she hasn’t seen the paper. Father says: “Tell Mother quite quietly that it’s all right. They’ve caught the man who did it. Everybody knows now that it wasn’t your Daddy.” Bobbie has to tell Mother, because Mother doesn’t know.

@cariadlet

Slightly off topic, but does anyone else really love Bernard Cribbins? I always thought that he would be such a brilliant dad/uncle/grandad.

I used to feel the same about Brian Cant.

You are clearly me! I feel exactly the same about them both.

I reckon the mother thought when she opened the letter 'more of his fucking bollocks. I'll believe it when he turns up and I'm not getting the children's hopes up for him to fuck it all up again'.

@CaptainCallisto that's so sweet!