Railroadin'

"Railroadin'", the second "Our Gang" talkie, was believed to exist only in silent form prior to the late 1970s. In 1929, sound on disc, rather than sound on film, was the more widely accepted method of making talking pictures. As a result, many early talkies suffer from the hiss and scratches and pops associated with sound discs. Also, over time, these sound discs could be broken or lost, resulting in the talkie becoming a silent film forever. For almost fifty years, the sound discs to "Railroadin'" were believed to have met this fate.

Happily, this was not to be the case with "Railroadin'." Blackhawk had prepared a silent version with titles for home movie use, but in the late 1970s, a "Railroadin'" sound disc was discovered and synched with the film by Blackhawk, and later released on video.

"Railroadin's" sound disc does show the wear and tear of time, and some of the dialogue is difficult to discern. That does not deter from the enjoyment of the film, however. "Railroadin'" is thoroughly enjoyable and its fun to watch the kids cavort in a railroad roundhouse.

What is amazing about "Railroadin'" is that in some scenes, the train seems to actually run over Farina! In distance shots a dummy was used, but in the close ups it's really Farina. These scenes were probably filmed with the train moving over him very slowly, and Farina was probably in a small pit. The scenes, though, are very realistic.

"Railroadin'" is as good as the 1929-30 talkie "Our Gang" films get. Solid and clean entertainment for the whole family. 8 out of 10.