John Henry
John Henry, a former slave, joins a railroad crew and it isn't long before his great physical strength makes him a legend as a "steeldriver." The crew has been promised land in exchange for helping push the railroads westward, but then the company buys a steam-powered hammer to do the work instead. To save his job and the jobs of the other men, John Henry challenges the owner to a contest: Henry will race the steam-powered hammer.
Featuring the voices of:
Alfre Woodard | ... Polly / Narrator |
Geoffrey Jones | ... John Henry |
Tim Hodge | ... MacTavish |
Dave Murray | ... Thomas |
Carrie Harrington | ... Polly (singing voice) |
Directed by: Mark Henn
Produced by: Steven Keller
Musical Score by: Stephen James Taylor
John Henry was released in the "American Legends" collection alongside three other short films:
- Johnny Appleseed (1948 - see Melody Time)
- The Brave Engineer (1950)
- Paul Bunyan (1958)
profile by: athena