The film features a rich soundtrack of american folk tunes of the time, including songs by woody guthrie, elizabeth cotten, doc watson, and jimmie rodgers. The documentary includes scenes from william wellmans wild boys of the open road, a 1933 feature that is being shown with riding the rails in new york citys cinema village. The clock fades from your mind as the country spreads out before you. A film by lexy lovell and michael uys the good soldier follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of american wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier. Seamlessly interweaving archival footage, personal photographs, and interviews, riding the rails recounts the hoboes trade secrets for survival and accounts of dank miseries, loneliness, imprisonment, death, and dispossession. Riding the rails has always been illegal, but hobos complain that enforcement is tougher, especially in the south where the railway police or bulls are feared for their aggression. The movie riding the rails is a good example of times during this depression. To that end, texas has been chosen as a case study.
Hopping freights became so common that in 1933 warner brothers studio at the time run by nebraska darryl f. Teenagers on the move during the great depression kindle edition by uys, errol lincoln. A fourty nine minute video traveling the csx rail from saint paul to speers ferry virginia. Forced to travel more by economic necessity than the spirit of adventure, the film s subjects dispel romantic myths of a hobo existence and its corresponding veneer of freedom. Producer paul nelson will be in attendance to answer questions about his work and the south shore line. Riding the rails lets survivors tell their stories of thrills, humiliation, and boredom from a distance of 60 years. The date was july 4, 1828, a mere halfcentury since the founding of. May 29, 2018 laurie, it gives me the shivers to think of people riding those rails, they were a tough lot, those hobos. And the sound of the whistle, the mournful sound of the train, it really pulls you.
The movie presents a story of ten men and women in their youth, who gave their accounts about leaving their homes in search of a better life. Nov 14, 2015 provided to youtube by cdbaby riding on the rails mike graham find you a highway. Riding the rails recounts the hoboes trade secrets for survival and accounts of. Riding the rails presents the poignant and littleknown story of teen hobos during the 1930s, a time of desperation and bitter. Part 1 of riding the rails ended with a discussion of nineteenth century representation techniques specific to a shrinking world, so it seems appropriate to begin part 2 with a discussion of twentieth century techniques and a personal foray into twentyfirst century techniques. I suggested to my son, michael, a film maker, that the subject would make a powerful documentary. Sixty years later, the filmmakers transport their subjects back to the tracks, where the surging impact of sound and. Riding the rails teenagers on the move during the great. This was a difficult read, there are many long words that i did not understand. Choose from 184 different sets of riding the rails flashcards on quizlet.
Riding the rails vividly combines the cleareyed memories of witnesses with archival footage of teens riding atop speeding trains and newsreel interviews with leanbodied kids full of bravado. Aug 11, 20 stories of extraordinary humanity from people coping with one of the worst economic crises to hit the western world. Winner of 18 major awards including the dga best documentary award, the peabody award and. Showing off some beautiful scenery, a few low bridges 0. A sampling of stories from the film based on interviews with 500 men and women who hopped freights in the great depression we got off the train and on the outskirts of town the first building was a diner. In the film, a boy falls on the track and loses his leg to an oncoming train. Archival footage and newsreel interviews with kids full of bravado tells the unforgettable story of 250,000 teenagers who left their homes and hopped freight trains during the great depression. The writing style of the author, errol lincoln uys was hard to comprehend. Like countless cities in the american west, reno was founded because of the establishment of. This poignant and carefullyresearched documentary takes a stark look at the harsh realities behind the oftromanticized view of. Every house we lived in offered endless opportunities for hiding places, caves, forts and castles abound under the dining room table with the use of a blanket or two. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free. In summary, if you dont mind the cleanedup version of betty here and cant get enough of her dog, i highly recommend riding the rails.
Coming attractions for you 2020s most anticipated movies. Female hoboes in american cinema by mary mallory hoboes were americas first freelance workers, rambling across the country in search of employment. Feature documentary about teenaged hobos during the great depression. As a platform for speculation, riding the rails can inform the future of highspeed rail in america. Riding the rails film screening time traveler series. Jan 24, 2018 songs from my basement volume 2 buy stuff here. Winner of 11 major awards, this rare film will inform, dazzle and profoundly move you. Oct 01, 2014 provided to youtube by the orchard enterprises riding the rails bob childers ribbon of highway. My favorite hiding places were in trees, people seldom look up. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost.
Riding the rails dga award winner trailer on vimeo. Riding the rails isnt quite the romantic journey it once was. This movie debunks that myth and shows that most of the rail riders were teenage runaways. Information and translations of riding the rails in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web.
Riding the rails documentary wgbh train video depot. The hobo is familiar as a character from kitsch art and silent film and feels like a. Minehan disguised himself as a hobo and interviewed teenaged freight travellers during the great depression. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Industrialization in the northern united states after the civil war developed the need for seasonal and temporary workers, creating a shadow economy of casual or itinerant labor. Forget catching up on your readingyou have scenery to inspire you and time for an innocent flirtation or two. After seeing the documentary riding the rails as an episode of the american experience series on pbs, i read this companion book authored by the father. Youll be amazed at the strength and determination of these folks to survive the difficult times, and find their reminiscences beautiful, sometimes angry, sometimes poetic. Zanuck produced a film called wild boys of the road to try to scare young people away from riding the rails. Teenagers on the move during the great depression by errol lincoln uys the reader can all but hear the cadence of the trains on the tracks and the lonesome wail at every stop. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Itll sure get in your blood because you dont have no worries about how youre going to get around. Riding the rails the movie panoramanow entertainment news. Riding the rails of history documentary teaser on vimeo.
It was on an oldschool film projector that were very common at the time 16mm in public schools in southern california at least then if not still in use or replaced entirely by vcrdvd. Learn riding the rails with free interactive flashcards. Definition of ride the rails in the idioms dictionary. It has really helped my students to understand what life was truly like for teenagers during the 1930s. Some left home out of desperation and went looking for work and a better life, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles on. American experience is narrated mostly by people who spent their depression days riding the rails looking for work. Riding the rails offers a visionary perspective on the presumed romanticism of the road and cautionary legacy of the great depression. The best strategies for jumping on a train, from 1900s hobos vox. Riding the rails with americas hoboes conover, ted on. Pulling into a rail yard of a small town on an early misty morning was a long freight train. In addition to riding the rails, hobos occasionally broke into boxcars and. American experience brings to life the compelling stories from our past.
Walter ballard on riding the rails living history farm. This section explores the history of highspeed rail in texas, and considers the current development of a privately funded route from dallas to houston. Dec 01, 2011 some of the hottest writers of gay erotica spin tales of riding the rails. This section unveils how rail was a major contributor to the physical form of america at multiple scales, beginning with the scale of the station and ending with the scale of nation. Promotional spot for riding the rails of history, the documentary about the south shore rail line. I remember i saw this film when i was right about age six in elementary school. Hudson, historians christian wolmar and paul wallace gates, authors james mccommon, jacob meunier, and tom zoellner, and urban designer rob lanes work on megaregions have been of particular help. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Riding the rails riding the rails offers a visionary perspective on the presumed romanticism of the road and cautionary legacy of the great depression. Mar 08, 2009 riding the rails isnt quite the romantic journey it once was. I was rubber in his arms as he helped me down, and i collapsed in a heap on the stony, nasty ground between the rails. In order to cover all this ground in just two years, i have relied heavily on the important research of others.
Oct 29, 2012 the rainforest hermit who stepped out of the wild australian story duration. The suggestion led to the awardwinning pbs american experience film, riding the rails, made by michael and lexy lovell. Even before the train came to a complete stop, shadowy figures began jumping from boxcars to the gravel below. This is riding the rails of history documentary teaser by dogoodproductions on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. It depicts the hobo life of two teenage boys and one girl in shockingly unsentimental terms. I think riding the rails gives a very clear and accurate view of how life was for young teenagers during these historical times. And i tell you, you dont recommend that to any young kid because itll get in your blood. It provides a smoother top to seal surfaces, prevent vegetation growth, aid in drainage and resist the longterm effects of runoff and freezethaw cycles. The history of trains in america historian christian wolmar recounts a tale of the groundbreaking ceremony for the baltimore and ohio railroad in maryland. He put the whip away, then rapidly untied the ropes and freed me from the cold steel of the rail car.
More information about riding the rails, including a complete transcript, can be found. Page 1 riding the rails program transcript jim mitchell, left wisconsin home in 1933 at age 16. A copy of the pbs american experience documentary riding the rails. In most movies the hobos riding the rails are shown as grown men and as bums. Riding the rails and dodging narcos on the migrant trail book online. This is a video that i put together for my 20th century american history class. George phillips in riding the rails at the height of the great depression, 250,000 teenage hoboes were riding the rails and roaming america. Theres also a thrilling chase concerning pudgy and the train that results in one final gag in the present betty gives him. Lots of videos for kidsmarshall publishing 1,100,985 views. Riding the rails is a series of interviews, stock photographs, music, and video of teenagers who, by choice or by force, took to traveling the country via the railroad system.
The cm06 stone serves as the compacted base for the rails and adjacent access road, placed at depths of 12 to 20 inches, depending on grade. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading riding the rails. When michael uys and lexy lovell decided to make a documentary about teenagers who rode the rails during the great depression, they. There really wasnt a plot, it was more of a informational read. Trains were invented in england, but it was in early 19th century america that the railroad had space to evolve and flourish. Riding the rails brings to life a neglected saga of america in the 1930s. It was a screening to get the opinion of kids on what they thought of the film. Watch riding the rails american experience official site pbs. Of mice and men riding the rails documentary steinbeck in the.
Awardwinning documentary about 250000 teenagers who left their homes and hopped freights during the great depression. Inside the business of americas railroads details krebss rise to a position of influence in the recovery of americas railroads and offers a unique insiders view into the boardrooms where executives and businessmen reimagined transportation in the united states. Riding the rails is the story of the children the either ran away or were forced to leave home during the depression. Not five or six but sixty or more tumbled from the train with small bundles in hand. Stories of extraordinary humanity from people coping with one of the worst economic crises to hit the western world. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel.
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