Railroadin'
Encyclopedia
Railroadin' 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 88th release in the Our Gang series. Though much of the short was a remake of The Sun Down Limited
, it marked the first appearance of Norman Chaney as "Chubby", having won a national contest to replace Joe Cobb
as the Our Gang "fat kid".
' 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.
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
short comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Robert F. McGowan
Robert F. McGowan
Robert Francis McGowan was an American film director and producer, best known as the senior director of the Our Gang short subjects film series from 1922 until 1933.-Career:...
. Produced by Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, it was the 88th release in the Our Gang series. Though much of the short was a remake of The Sun Down Limited
The Sun Down Limited
The Sun Down Limited is a 1924 short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 30th Our Gang short subject released.-Cast:* Joe Cobb - Joe* Jackie Condon - Jackie* Mickey Daniels - Mickey* Allen Hoskins - Farina...
, it marked the first appearance of Norman Chaney as "Chubby", having won a national contest to replace Joe Cobb
Joe Cobb
Joe Frank Cobb was a former American child actor, most notable for appearing as the original "fat boy" in the Our Gang comedies from 1922 to 1929...
as the Our Gang "fat kid".
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 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.Lost soundtrack
Like many early sound films, RailroadinSound-on-disc
The term Sound-on-disc refers to a class of sound film processes using a phonograph or other disc to record or playback sound in sync with a motion picture...
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
Home movie
Home movie
Home movie may mean:*Home movies, referring to private or amateur motion picture photographic products shot and printed in any video or film format....
distributor Blackhawk Films
Blackhawk Films
Blackhawk Films, from the 1950s through the early 1980s, marketed motion pictures on 16mm, 8mm and Super 8 film. Most were vintage one- or two-reel short subjects, usually comedies starring Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and other famous comedy series of the past....
produced a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
adaption of Railroadin
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
release by Blackhawk. Railroadin
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
as well, but was never added into the Little Rascals television package, despite being restored to sound.
Cast
- Bobby Hutchins - Wheezer
- Joe CobbJoe CobbJoe Frank Cobb was a former American child actor, most notable for appearing as the original "fat boy" in the Our Gang comedies from 1922 to 1929...
- Joe - Allen Hoskins - Farina
- Mary Ann JacksonMary Ann JacksonMary Ann Jackson was an American former child actress who appeared in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1928 to 1931. She was a native of Los Angeles, California.-Career:...
- Mary Ann - Harry SpearHarry SpearHarry Spear was a former American child actor, notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1927 to 1929...
- Harry - Norman Chaney - Chubby
- Jean DarlingJean DarlingJean Darling is a former American child actress who was a regular in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1927 to 1929. She remains the last surviving cast member from the silent era.-Career:...
- Jean - Pete the PupPete the PupPete the Pup was a Pit Bull character in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies during the 1920s and 1930s...
- Petie - Helen Jerome EddyHelen Jerome EddyHelen Jerome Eddy was a motion picture actress from New York, New York. She was noted as a character actress who played genteel heroines in films such as Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm .-Biography:...
- Ed BrandenburgEd BrandenburgEd Brandenburg , was an American actor. He appeared in 37 films between 1922 and 1938.He was born in Kentucky, USA and died in Temple City, California.-Selected filmography:* Block-Heads...
- Brakeman - Mrs. Norman T. Chaney - Passenger
- Dorothy Darling - Passenger
- Otto FriesOtto FriesOtto Fries was an American film actor. He appeared in 129 films between 1920 and 1938.-Career:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Fries became a dapper-looking supporting comic with a varied background in medicine shows and vaudeville. He easily transitioned to film in the early 1910s...
- Joe's father - Jack HillJack Hill (actor)Jack Hill was an American actor, who appeared in scores of Laurel & Hardy comedies.-Filmography:* A Quiet Street * Stage Fright * Dogs of War * Back Stage...
- Grocery truck driver - Robert F. McGowanRobert F. McGowanRobert Francis McGowan was an American film director and producer, best known as the senior director of the Our Gang short subjects film series from 1922 until 1933.-Career:...
- Hobo Joe