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The Sad Story of Henry

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This article is about the 1984 episode adaptation. You may be looking for the 1953 television adaptation or the magazine story.

“Once, an engine attached to a train was afraid of a few drops of rain. It went into a tunnel and squeaked through its funnel, and wouldn't come out again!”
―The narrator

The Sad Story of Henry, retitled Come Out, Henry! in American releases, is the third episode of the first series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book The Three Railway Engines.

Plot

It is a very rainy day on Sodor and a big green engine named Henry is pulling a passenger train. He runs into a tunnel and stops there, not wanting to go any further. Henry's driver and fireman argue with him, but he refuses to come out, reasoning that the rain will spoil his green paint with red stripes. The guard tries blowing his whistle and waving his flag, but Henry instead blows steam at him.

Just then, another passenger train arrives and on board is the railway director Sir Topham Hatt, better known as the Fat Controller. He decides that Henry will be pulled out of the tunnel. Attaching a rope to Henry, all the passengers try and pull him except for the Fat Controller, citing it as his doctor's orders. When Henry does not move, the passengers move to the other end of the tunnel and then they try to push Henry out, again without the Fat Controller's help, but with the same results.

The passengers point out to Henry that the rain has stopped, but Henry still refuses to move, believing that the rain will start again. Thomas arrives to help and tries to push Henry out, but even with another engine pushing, Henry remains in the tunnel. Finally, the Fat Controller admits defeat and, having had enough of Henry's stubbornness, tells him that they will leave him there. Soon the rails are taken up and a brick wall is erected in front of Henry.

Now Henry can only sit and watch the other engines passing through the other tunnel. He soon regrets his actions as he sees Edward and Gordon pass by. Edward always toots hello with his whistle, while Gordon always laughs at Henry, saying it serves him right. Henry has no steam to answer them and the soot and dirt from the tunnel has ruined his paint anyway.

Henry is left alone cold, dirty, and very sad, wondering if he will ever be let out to pull trains again.

Characters

Locations

Adaptation Notes

  • "Never" is swapped for "wouldn't" in the opening poem.
  • The line "he said rudely" after "I'm not going to spoil my lovely green paint and red stripes for you" is removed.
  • The passengers arguing with Henry is omitted.
  • Sir Topham Hatt is given a more thorough introduction and is referred to as a controller rather than a director.
  • The Fat Controller is on James' train rather than Henry's.
  • The narration about the guard getting a rope to pull Henry out is omitted.
  • The narration about Henry's steam getting the Fat Controller's suit wet is omitted.
  • The narration about the passengers hooking the rope to Henry is omitted.
  • The Red Engine is replaced by Thomas.
  • The passengers argue with Henry alongside the Fat Controller and the crews.
  • The Fat Controller is specified as the one who tells Henry they are giving up, rather than it being everyone.
  • The line "we shall take away your rails," is added.
  • Due to the tunnel always having two bores in the television series, the line about a new bore being cut is omitted.
  • The line "now Henry can't get out" is removed.
  • The episode's ending exposition is taken from the next story of the same book.

Trivia

  • The scene featuring Henry being bricked up was recreated in CGI during a flashback in the special Blue Mountain Mystery. The story was later re-adapted for The Adventure Begins. The event was later mentioned by Percy in the second series episode, Percy Takes the Plunge, James in the fourth series episode, Henry and the Elephant, Gordon in the twentieth series episode, Henry in the Dark, as well by Rosie in Big World! Big Adventures! during the song, Where in the World is Thomas? and Henry himself in the nineteenth series episode, Henry Spots Trouble.
  • Four scenes in this episode were recreated in 1988 for the Ladybird book The Sad Story of Henry and Thomas's Train and Thomas and the Guard.
  • In the Nick Jr. airing of the Shining Time Station episode, Mysterious Stranger, the sequence of Henry being bricked up is shortened.
  • This is the first episode with several things:
    • The first episode where the narrator breaks the fourth wall as he addresses the viewers in regards to the lesson of the story. He does this again in Thomas and the Trucks.
    • The first episode to have a punctuation mark in the title in the US dub.
    • The first episode to use stop-motion animation in a live-action model era episode.
    • The first episode to feature just one location as a central part of its narrative (not counting the Pond Runby).
    • The first episode in a series of four repeats in the late summer of 1990, beginning on Monday 30 July.
  • Following on from the 1953 adaptation, this episode marks the second adaptation of the story.
  • The UK dubs keep the original format from the Railway Series where the Fat Controller intended to leave Henry in the tunnel forever. In both US dubs, it was said to be until Henry was ready to leave and the wall was to prevent other engines from bumping into him. The narration change was so viewers would understand the context of the storyline better so they could predict what happens later.
  • This episode is Henry's first speaking role, and first leading role in the television series.
  • The Welsh title of this episode has the same name as Henry.

Goofs

  • In a few close-ups of Henry in the tunnel, the tracks in front of him have already been taken up.
  • In the first scene of Henry having stopped at the other end of the tunnel, the points in front of him appear misaligned from the connector track. They are properly connected in subsequent scenes, however.
  • In some shots, purple marks are visible on the Fat Controller's hand, such as when he says, that his doctor has forbidden him to pull.
  • When the passengers try to pull Henry out of the tunnel, almost all of them have blu-tack on their feet.
  • At some stages, the level of the wall can be seen being decreased in the original version and Henry moves a bit both in the original and restored versions.
  • When the guard tries to get Henry out by blowing his whistle and waving his flags, the scene is played forward and then backward.
  • At first, the buffers of Henry's last coach are at their normal height. But when Thomas comes to push, the buffers have been lowered to accommodate Thomas' buffers. Also, in the close-up of Thomas buffering up to the coaches, his buffer housing is black instead of red and the detail of his buffer housing is different, he is also missing his headlamp lens.
  • When the workmen are walling up the tunnel, the buffers have no track connected to them. But in the last close-up, there is.
  • When James leaves after bringing the Fat Controller:
    • The puffing noise can be heard before James starts to move.
    • The edge of the set can be seen, and the sky has ruffles in it.
  • In the close-up of Edward, his whistle is crooked.
  • As Thomas tries to push Henry the yellow stripe around his cab is bent.

Merchandise

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Wooden Railway

Name Released Discontinued Highlights Image
Come Out, Henry Story Pack 1998 1998
  • Includes exclusive sad-faced Henry and Henry's Tunnel
WoodenRailwayComeOutHenrypack.jpg

Books

Name Published Publisher Highlights Photo
Henry's Bad Day 2006 Random House
  • Step Into Reading book
Henry'sBadDay.PNG
Henry and the Tunnel 1997 Egmont
Random House
HenryandtheTunnel.jpg

In Other Languages

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Language Title
Albanian Historia e trishtueshme e Henrit
Brazilian Portuguese Quanto Maior a Altura, Maior o Tombo
Saia daí, Henry!
Chinese Mandarin 亨利的悲惨故事
Croatian Tužna Priča o Hrvoju
Czech Henryho Smutný Příběh
Danish Henrys Sørgelige Historie
Dutch Het Droevige Verhaal van Henry
Finnish Henrin Surullinen Tarina
French Les Mésaventure de Henri
German Die traurige Geschichte von Henry
Greek Η Τιμωρία του Τσάρλι
Hungarian Henry Szomorú Története
Italian Paura Della Pioggia
Japanese でてこいヘンリー
Korean 굴속에 갇힌 헨리
Latin American Spanish El Orgullo de Henry
Norwegian Henrys Triste Historie
Polish Smutna Historia Henia
Romanian Trista Poveste a lui Henry
Romansh L'istorgia trista da Hendry
Russian Боязнь дождя
Serbian Tužna Henrijeve priča
Slovak Smutný Príbeh o Henrym
Slovenian Žalostna Zgodba o Henriku
Swedish Henrys Sorgsna Historia
Turkish Henry, Haydi Çık Dışarı!
Welsh Henri

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  • Thomas and Gordon and other stories

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Series 1

Series 2 >>

#01 Thomas and Gordon #10 James and the Express #19 The Flying Kipper
#02 Edward and Gordon #11 Thomas and the Guard #20 Whistles and Sneezes
#03 The Sad Story of Henry #12 Thomas Goes Fishing #21 Toby and the Stout Gentleman
#04 Edward, Gordon and Henry #13 Thomas, Terence and the Snow #22 Thomas in Trouble
#05 Thomas' Train #14 Thomas and Bertie #23 Dirty Objects
#06 Thomas and the Trucks #15 Tenders and Turntables #24 Off the Rails
#07 Thomas and the Breakdown Train #16 Trouble in the Shed #25 Down the Mine
#08 James and the Coaches #17 Percy Runs Away #26 Thomas' Christmas Party
#09 Troublesome Trucks #18 Coal
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