Once Upon a Time
"Once Upon A Time" is the second of five 1-hour specials for the show "Shining Time Station", and the first special to have George Carlin as Mr. Conductor.
Contents
The Story
It's Founder's Day on the Indian Valley Railroad. Everyone is getting ready for the annual costume contest. Mr. Conductor is using his Wishing Star to wipe a stain off of the murel. As Mr. C is doing this, Becky is talking to him about Founder's Day. She wishes that she could meet a real cowboy for long ago, for just one day. As Mr. C and Becky leave, a picture from the murel of a cowboy disappears.
Meanwhile, Ned Knicade, the cowboy from the murel, appears in a field. His horse gets spooked by a tractor and Ned falls off. He's all right, but his hand is sprained. Stacy is otu picking wildflowers and just happens to meet Ned. They return to the station and Ned is introduced to Becky, Dan, Kara, Billy, and Schemer. Schemer is jealous of Ned, who falls in love with Stacy.
Mr. Conductor arrives and tells the kids the story of how Rusty saved Stepney form the scrapyard on the Other Railway.
The kids are running a face-painting booth to raise money for a school field trip, but only one person, a blind girl named Lily, has visited them. And even then, they didn't paint Lily's face, Ned did.
Schemer's jealousy is growing, and so is Ned and Stacy's love. Schemer puts on a french accent and gives Stac some flowers taht were brand new two weeks ago. Ned throws them out the window! Schemer jumps after them and gets locked out! When he comes back, he figures that he needs a new look...and a new jukebox. The Jukebox Puppet Band, as well as Mr. J.J. Silvers, their manager, fear for their lives. later, we see him wearing snazzy clothes, looking like Michael Jackson, and with a snazzy new jukebox. Stacy is rather embarrassed by Schemer's behavior
Ned ends up winning the costume contest. Meanwhile, the kids and Schemer are feeling left out. Mr. Conductor tells the kids about when Stepney came to visit the Fat Controller's Railway.
As the annual Founder's Day Train is getting ready to leave, Mr. Conductor has a talk with Ned about how he came to be there. Ned plans to tell Stacy in a note.
Schemer, who is still jealous, starts the train, but is scared so he jumps off. When Ned finds out, he gets on a horse and chases after the train. Mr. Conductor tries to stop the train, but he's too little. Ned finally catches up and is able to stop the train just in time.
As the sun begins to set, Ned and his horse ride off in to the distance and disappear back into the murel on the station wall.
The train arrives back that night. Stacy scolds Schemer for starting the train, but then Schemer tells her that she was jealous. Stacy tells Schemer that the two of them are still friends. Billy gives Stacy the cloth she used to bandage Ned's arm, the only connection she and Ned will ever have. Mayor Flopdinger gives Schemer Ned's prize money. He tried to give it to Ned before, but Ned just told him that Schemer would know what to do with it. Schemer ends up giving the money to the kids for their trip, and then replaces his new jukebox with the old one.
As Stacy is locking up, a man who missed his train comes in and asks Stacy if she can give himm a ride into town. Stacy says he looks farmilar. He is, in fact, the great-grandson of Ned Kincade!
Extras
- Thomas Story: Rusty to the Rescue
- Jukebox band: Lonely Cowboy
- Jukebox Band: Dance by the Light of the Moon/I Love the Mountains
- Thomas Story: Thomas and Stepny
- New Jukebox: What's New, Pussy Cat?
Continuity
"Once Upon A Time" happens somehwere inbetween the final regular episode, "How the Station Got its Name", and the third 1-hour special, "Second Chances"
Cast
- George Carlin as Mr. Conductor
- Jonathan Freeman as Tito Swing
- Didi Conn as Stacy Jones
- Mart Hulswit as J.B. King
- Tom Jackson as Billy Twofeathers
- Bobo Lewis as Midge Smoot
- Jerome Dempsey as Mayor Flpdinger
- Erica Luttrell as Kara
- Danielle Marcot as Becky
- Ari Magder as Dan Jones
- Barbara Hamilton as Ginny
- Brian O'Connor as Schemer
- Flexitoon Puppets as the Juke Box Puppet Band
- Olga Felgemacher Marin as Didi
- Craig Marin as Rex Boy
- Alan Semok as Tex Boy
- Beverly Glenn as Grace
- Ed Begley Jr. as Ned Kincade
