Ex-gang member John Henry is a quiet man with a violent past. When two immigrant kids on the run from his former South Los Angeles gang leader stumble into his life, John is forced to reconcile with his past in order to try and give them a future.

The story of the legendary steel-driving folk hero born with a hammer in his hands, who pitted his strength against a mighty railroad-building machine.

In this Puppetoon animated short film (an Academy Award Best Short Subject, Cartoons nominee), legendary American folklore figure John Henry (voice of Rex Ingram) goes to work for the C&O Railroad, which shortly thereafter buys an automatic steel-driving engine, The Inky-Poo. John Henry matches his strength against the engine, saying that any man can beat a machine because a man has a mind. Can he prevail? In 2015 this film, deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with UCLA Film & Television Archive in 2009.

The story follow legendary railroad worker John Henry during the late 19th century.

Read by Denzel Washington

This is the tale of John Henry. The one from the railroad story. Legend goes that John Henry was a freed slave. John took his only son out looking for work. He was out to make a new life for himself. He heard somethin’ about railroad work needing to be done. So that’s where he went. But trouble was just around the bend.

This ambitious documentary by St. Louis-based filmmaker Matthew Rice analyzes how an ex-slave became one of America’s greatest tall-tale heroes: John Henry. Based on Scott Reynolds Nelson’s book “Steel Drivin’ Man,” the film provides a fresh perspective on the song and folk tale by exploring a myriad of related subjects, including the convict-lease program, an unjust legal system developed after the Civil War as a replacement for slavery.

The folk legend of John Henry, and his contest with a steam engine to cut a railroad tunnel through a mountain, is told in song by Roberta Flack.

The new "John Henry" documentary will chronicle the life and legacy of this remarkable animal, and will include interviews with fans, celebrities, dignitaries and other notables that knew him (or won big money from his successes!) as well as interviews with noted jockeys that rode him, including Chris McCarron and Laffit Pincay Jr. Still alive today at the ripe old age of 104 (in horse years!) John Henry earned over $ 6.5 million during his years as a racehorse, between 1977-1985. He was the winner of 30 stakes races, was voted "Horse of the Year" in l981 and in 1984, and was even included in People Magazine's "Most Intriguing People of 1984" roundup story.

The life of WWI U.S. Navy Pharmacist Mate and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, John Henry Balch, with a focus on his assignment to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, during the infamous Battle of Belleau Wood.

Dinner time in a remote home of a prairie family turns nightmarish when a band of blood spattered outlaws break through the front door in search of food, horses, and women. Nothing is as it seems in this constantly twisting genre bender.

Two classic court operas are brought together to tell the stories of love, be it between gods or royalty in the historic Confidencen Theatre, Sweden. Venus & Adonis, composed in 1683 by John Blow, is considered the earliest example of English opera. It tells the enchanting story of two mythical lovers and their cruel fate in scenes reaching from light-hearted comedy to heartfelt despair. Henry Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas from 1689 has become one of the most famous and beloved operas from the Baroque era, with its sumptuous music, dramatic plot and its themes of love, friendship, jealousy, and cruelty. The opera is perhaps best known for Dido’s painfully beautiful lament When I am Laid in Earth.

John Henry returns to his hometown in hopes of repairing his relationship with his estranged father, but a local gang is terrorizing the town. John Henry is the only one who can stop them, however he has abandoned both his gun and reputation as a fearless quick-draw killer.

Meet the doers and dreamers who made America great -- including John Henry, the railroad builder who proved the value of believing in oneself. Journey with giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan as he clears the land for American settlers. Follow the trail of the beloved American Icon Johnny Appleseed, who planted apple trees which blossomed along the new frontier. Then, take an unforgettable ride with Casey Jones, The Brave Engineer who never failed to deliver the mail...no matter how difficult the route!