The Wrong Track | 1920 | Animation, Comedy

Title: The Wrong Track | 1920 | Animation, Comedy Studio: Bray Productions Based on: Jerry on the Job by Walter Hoban Release Date: February 27, 1920 Runtime: 3 Format: Silent, black-and-white Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Animation, Comedy --- Summary: At a rural rail depot, pint-sized railway worker Jerry takes the throttle of a steam locomotive after being warned not to harm any animals on the line. When a stubborn cow plants itself across the tracks, Jerry tries increasingly desperate methods to clear the obstruction, leading to a brisk series of sight gags and a darkly comic payoff typical of early 1920s animated humor. The Wrong Track reflects the fast-paced slapstick of the Jerry on the Job screen series: simple designs, energetic motion, and gags built around railroad work at the New Monia station, where Jerry’s well-meaning efforts collide with rural realities. --- Background: This short is part of Bray Productions’ Jerry on the Job cartoons, adapted from Walter Hoban’s popular newspaper strip and released in a sustained run from 1919–1922. The series often featured animation by a young Walter Lantz, who later created Woody Woodpecker; Lantz recalled turning out a ~250‑foot Jerry short every two weeks. The Wrong Track is documented in the Bray Animation Project filmography with a February 27, 1920 release. --- Trivia: The Wrong Track appears in the Bray Animation Project chronology between A Warm Reception and The Tale of a Wag , situating it early in the 1920 release slate. Surviving material of the film circulates today; a digital copy is available via the Internet Archive. Contemporary sources differ on directorial credit: some databases attribute direction to Walt Hoban , while others credit Walter Lantz—an inconsistency common to secondary records of Bray-era shorts. The series’ railroad milieu and the recurring boss Mr. Givney come directly from Hoban’s strip, where Jerry’s job at the New Monia station framed much of the comedy. As a 1920 U.S. publication, the film is in the public domain in the United States. --- Hashtags: TheWrongTrack JerryOnTheJob BrayProductions SilentFilm PublicDomain Animation 1920sCinema WalterLantz WalterHoban