Railroadin'

Last updated

Railroadin'
Our Gang 1929 Railroadin.jpg
Directed by Robert F. McGowan
Written byRobert F. McGowan
H.M. Walker
Produced byRobert F. McGowan
Hal Roach
Starring Joe Cobb
Allen Hoskins
Norman Chaney
Harry Spear
Mary Ann Jackson
Bobby Hutchins
Otto Fries
CinematographyF. E. Hershey
Art Lloyd
Edited by Richard C. Currier
Music by Ray Henderson
Distributed by MGM
Release date
  • June 15, 1929 (1929-06-15)
Running time
18' 40" [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Railroadin' is an Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. [2] [3] Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 88th release in the Our Gang series, and the second to be made with sound. [4]

Contents

Plot

The gang is playing around the railroad station, and Joe and Chubby's father, an engineer, lectures against the kids playing in such a dangerous area. True to his word, after Joe and Chubby's father leaves, a crazy man named Loco Joe starts a train with most of the kids on it, save for Farina who is nearly run over several times.

Once Farina manages to climb aboard himself, the kids attempt to stop the runaway locomotive, but have no luck until the engine crashes into a grocery truck. As it turns out, however, the entire incident is revealed to be a dream Farina had as Joe and Chubby's father lectured the kids about rail-yard safety.

Production notes

Railroadin' is a partial remake of The Sun Down Limited . The film marked the first appearance of Norman Chaney as "Chubby", having won a national contest to replace Joe Cobb as the Our Gang "fat kid".

Lost soundtrack

Like many early sound films, Railroadin' was recorded using a sound-on-disc synchronization process - the soundtracks for the film were held on separate phonographic records, which would be played by a projectionist in synch with the film. The sound discs for the film went missing at MGM in the 1940s, and only the film negative survived. When MGM sold Roach the catalog of Our Gang films made at the Roach studio, it therefore acquired only the picture element of Railroadin'; as such, the short was never included in any of the Little Rascals theatrical reissue or television distribution packages.

Home movie distributor Blackhawk Films produced a silent film adaption of Railroadin' with text titles in the 1970s, leading to the film's first release in any form since its original theatrical release. In 1982, the long-lost sound discs for Railroadin' were located in an MGM vault, and the film was finally made available with sound for the first time in decades via a 1983 VHS release by Blackhawk. Railroadin' has since been released on DVD as well, but was never added into the Little Rascals television package, despite being restored to sound.

Cast

The Gang

Additional cast

Filming Locations

The train yard scenes were filmed at Redondo Junction just south of downtown Los Angeles. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Chaney</span> American child actor (1914-1936)

Norman Myers Chaney was an American child actor, notable for appearing in 19 Our Gang comedies as "Chubby" from 1929 to 1931.

The Our Gang personnel page is a listing of the significant cast and crew from the Our Gang short subjects film series, originally created and produced by Hal Roach which ran in movie theaters from 1922 to 1944.

The following is a complete list of the 220 Our Gang short films produced by Hal Roach Studios and/or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer between 1922 and 1944, numbered by order of release along with production order.

<i>Pups Is Pups</i> 1930 film by Robert F. McGowan

Pups Is Pups is a two-reel comedy short subject, part of the Our Gang series. It was produced and directed by Robert F. McGowan for Hal Roach, and originally released to theaters by MGM in 1930. It was the 100th Our Gang short to be released, and the first in the 1930–1931 season.

<i>Our Gang</i> American series of comedy short films

Our Gang is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the producer of the Laurel and Hardy films, Our Gang shorts were produced from 1922 to 1944, spanning the silent film and early sound film periods of American cinema. Our Gang is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively natural way; Roach and original director Robert F. McGowan worked to film the unaffected, raw nuances apparent in regular children, rather than have them imitate adult acting styles. The series also broke new ground by portraying white and black children interacting as equals during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation in the United States.

<i>Dogs of War!</i> (film) 1923 silent film by Robert F. McGowan

Dogs of War! is a 1923 silent short subject, the fourteenth entry in Hal Roach's Our Gang series. Directed by Robert F. McGowan, the two-reel short was released to theaters in July 1923 by Pathé Exchange. The short was filmed alongside Why Worry?, a feature comedy produced by Roach and starring Harold Lloyd, who makes a cameo appearance in Dogs of War as himself.

<i>The Champeen</i> 1923 film

The Champeen is the seventh Our Gang short subject comedy to be released. The Our Gang series was created by Hal Roach in 1922, and continued production until 1944.

<i>The Big Show</i> (1923 film) 1923 film

The Big Show is the ninth Our Gang short subject comedy to be released. The Our Gang series was created by Hal Roach in 1922, and continued production until 1944.

<i>A Pleasant Journey</i> 1923 film

A Pleasant Journey is a 1923 silent short comedy film and the tenth Our Gang short subject comedy to be released. The Our Gang series was created by Hal Roach in 1922, and continued production until 1944.

<i>The Old Wallop</i> 1927 film

The Old Wallop is a 1927 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 65th Our Gang short to be released and was considered to be a lost film. However, a near-complete foreign print was discovered in Munich, Bavaria, in the 1970s: the only known print of the United States version was destroyed in the 1965 MGM vault fire.

<i>Spook–Spoofing</i> 1928 film

Spook–Spoofing is a 1928 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 70th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>The Ol Gray Hoss</i> 1928 film

The Ol' Gray Hoss is a 1928 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Anthony Mack. It was the 78th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Election Day</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

Election Day is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Anthony Mack. It was the 81st Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Noisy Noises</i> 1929 film

Noisy Noises is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 82nd Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Cat, Dog & Co.</i> 1929 film

Cat, Dog & Co. is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Anthony Mack. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 91st entry in the series.

<i>Boxing Gloves</i> (film) 1929 film

Boxing Gloves is a 1929 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Anthony Mack. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on September 9, 1929, it was the 90th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Lazy Days</i> (film) 1929 film

Lazy Days is a 1929 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 89th Our Gang short to be released, and the third to be made with sound.

<i>Bouncing Babies</i> 1929 film

Bouncing Babies is a 1929 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 92nd Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Moan and Groan, Inc.</i> 1929 Our Gang short film

Moan and Groan, Inc. is a 1929 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 94th Our Gang short to be released.

<i>Fly My Kite</i> 1931 film

Fly My Kite is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 107th Our Gang short to be released.

References

  1. ↑ theluckycorner.com/
  2. ↑ "Silent Era: Railroadin'". silentera. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  3. ↑ Hall, Mordaunt. "New York Times: Railroadin'". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  4. ↑ Maltin, Leonard; Bann, Richard W. (1977). Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals. Crown Publishers. pp. 102–104. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  5. ↑ Now, Chris Bungo Studios Filming Locations Then and. "Chris Bungo Studios Filming Locations Then and Now". Chris Bungo Studios Filming Locations Then and Now. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.