A Journey by Train (lost Arthur Lubin educational film; 1935)
Journey by Train was a 45 minute long[1] American film from 1935 directed by Arthur Lubin, best known for directing the 1943 film Phantom of the Opera and several Abbot and Costello films, as well as the television series Mister Ed. The film is educational in nature, and is described by the Los Angeles Times as 'an interesting experimental film'. The film is produced by Text Film Corp., who copyrighted it as "Journey (A) on the train" on April 15th, 1935,[2] and distributed by Bell & Howell.
Premise
The actual film depicts two young children taking a conventional railway journey with their parents. A specific scene cited by the Educational Screen is a baggage-man dealing with pets that cannot be taken into the passenger cars.[3] The May 28th, 1935 edition of the Los Angeles Times mentioned the movie while discussing Arthur Lubin's contract under Republic Pictures and described it as 'experimental'.[4] There also exists a repackaging of the film as a photographic album, called A Journey by Train: Subject 101.[5]
The film was "Composed of eight units: Preparation for journey; Railway station activity; Engine; Pullman car; Baggage car and U.S. mail car; Dining car and kitchen; Pullman berths and dressing room; Observation Car." It was designed so that an educator could show only the relevant sequence if they should so desire.[6]
Availability
The only known available visuals from the film are seven promotional photographs taken during production in the National Museum of African American History & Culture,[7] and a single frame used in the Educational Screen magazine. The aforementioned photographic album also contained 60 professional photographs from the film, though it was sold for 625 dollars and is not known to be publicly available.
Gallery
A Journey By Train: Subject 101
References
- ↑ Listing on Educational Film Catalog 1937. Retrieved 19 Sep '20
- ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [C] Group 3. Dramatic Composition and Motion Pictures. New Series, Volume 8 for the year 1935. Retrieved 27 Feb '20
- ↑ Educational Screen page on the "baggage-man" scene. Retrieved 27 Feb '20
- ↑ The LA Times discussing the film. Retrieved 26 Jan '20
- ↑ Swann Auction Galleries sale 2506, lot 284 - A Journey by Train: Subject 101. Retrieved 27 Feb '20
- ↑ Listing on Educational Film Catalog 1937. Retrieved 19 Sep '20
- ↑ National Museum of African American History & Culture collection page which includes A Journey by Train. Retrieved 27 Feb '20