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- "It isn't wrong but we just don't do it."
- ― Gordon and Henry
Whistles and Sneezes is the twentieth episode of the first series. It is based on Gordon's Whistle and Henry's Sneeze from The Railway Series book Henry the Green Engine.
Plot
After Henry's return from Crewe, Gordon is jealous of Henry getting to pull the Express and questions his new shape. He also claims that Henry whistles too loudly at stations, saying, "It isn't wrong but we just don't do it." Henry is upset by this remark, but Percy kindly tells him that he is glad that Henry is back and likes his whistling.
Later, when Henry arrives at Wellsworth with a local passenger train, Edward tells him that he was glad to hear his whistle the day before, cheering Henry up. Suddenly, to the engines' confusion, the sound of a high-pitched, droning whistle can be heard in the distance, getting louder and louder as it gets closer. It turns out to be Gordon, whose whistle is jammed. He flies down the hill and thunders through the station. Edward is surprised, while Henry tells him what Gordon had said about whistling.
Gordon speeds down the line as the awful noise from his whistle continues even when he reaches the Big Station. This makes everyone, including the Fat Controller, cover their ears. The Fat Controller orderly shouts for Gordon to be taken away and fixed and an embarrassed Gordon leaves the station. He is then taken to a siding and two fitters knock his whistle valve back into place, which finally stops the noise. That night, Gordon finds the Sheds empty, to his relief. As the other engines arrive at the Sheds, Henry softly says nothing to anyone in particular, "it isn't wrong but we just don't do it," and says nothing about whistles.
Henry's coaches with smashed windows from the thrown rocks
The next morning, Henry, feeling better than ever, takes a passenger train and soon approaches a bridge where some boys are waiting. Henry whistles in greeting, but suddenly feels pain as the boys do not respond back, but instead pelt stones on him and his train, breaking some of the coaches' windows and grounding Henry to a complete halt.
While unhurt, the passengers are angry and want to call the police, but are interrupted by Henry's driver, who has a plan to get their own back. After getting everyone to promise to keep the plan a secret, the driver tells them. The plan is to have Henry sneeze, releasing the ashes that are built up in his smoke box. The passengers are excited and on the way back from the other end of the line, the driver makes sure everyone is ready and warns them to keep their windows shut until the train has passed the bridge because Henry is about to sneeze. Although the driver says that Henry is just as excited, Henry feels too stuffed up to answer.
Soon, Henry approaches the bridge, where the boys are waiting with more stones. Judging the moment, the driver has Henry sneeze at exactly the right time, coating the boys from head to toe in soot. Henry goes home satisfied; he knows that thanks to a whistle and a sneeze, he has educated both Gordon and the boys with a lesson they will not soon forget.
Characters
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- Percy
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Green Express Coaches
- Engine Fitters (do not speak)
- The Stone-dropping Boys (do not speak)
- Thomas (cameo)
- James (cameo)
Locations
- Island of Sodor
- Crewe (mentioned in the UK dub, not named in the US narration)
Trivia
- Events from the previous episode are mentioned.
- Gordon's mishap is later mentioned by Percy in Off the Rails.
- According to the Production Packet, the two stories that the episode was based on were initially not planned to be adapted, but were added in later for unknown reasons.
- This is the only episode of the first series that was not re-narrated by Ringo Starr for Shining Time Station in the US, as well as the first Series 1 episode narrated by George Carlin in said show. The original UK dub with Ringo's narration was aired on TV in Canada in the 1980s and later released on The Early Years US/Canadian DVD in 2004, giving US viewers a first-time exposure to his narration of the episode.
- This is Henry's last episode with a leading role until the third series episode Henry's Forest.
- When Gordon leaves Knapford, music can be heard in the US and international dubs but not in some versions of the UK one and the Ukrainian voice-over.
- This episode marks the first appearance of Lower Tidmouth in the television series (in this episode seemingly replacing Crosby from the original book).
- A close-up model of Henry's fireman with a bumped head was created for the episode but went unused, depicting Henry's body surviving the stone dropping. This head was based on the original story from The Railway Series when Henry's fireman got hit on the head by a stone, thrown by one of the boys. The head was once owned by Jonathan Saville.
- The Rail Under Road Bridge and Signal Box replaces Crosby Road Bridge in the original book, while Crosby Road Bridge does not appear until the second series episode Old Iron.
- In the restored version:
- The scenes of Percy coming back to the shed at night, Henry pulling the express, arriving at Lower Tidmouth and the last scene have no fade effects.
- When Henry approaches the bridge, the scene where he looks angry before sneezing at the boys was omitted.
- Stock footage from Coal is used, as well as a deleted scene from said episode.
- In a promotional picture, Gordon (with his jammed whistle) is seen passing through the pond.
- This episode and The Flying Kipper were the last two episodes to be repeated in a ten minute block on 9 September 1987; at this point, the series was broadcasted on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ending its runtime in Australia on 28 December. Two days later, Thomas' Christmas Party was aired individually in the UK on 30 December 1987.
- This episode marks the only appearances of Gordon's sulky face until the fifth series episode A Better View for Gordon (not counting a deleted scene appearance), Henry's wincing face until the eighth series episode Henry and the Wishing Tree and the last appearances of Henry's stuffed-up face until the tenth series episode It's Good to Be Gordon, albeit in a different expression.
Goofs
- At Tidmouth Sheds, some of the tracks are off-centred.
- In the beginning of the episode, Gordon's buffer beam is dented and his right buffer is also slightly crooked.
- Henry's face is not put on properly after Gordon criticises him.
- When Henry approaches Wellsworth, his eyes jitter before he stops.
- Gordon is shown going up his hill from the Maron station side even though he had already passed through Wellsworth going away from his hill.
- When Gordon goes down his hill, his wheels are moving a slower pace and studio equipment can be seen reflecting off his coaches.
- When Gordon arrives at Knapford:
- The track he is on rises briefly.
- His face moves slightly while his eyes move.
- He also has several problems with eyes:
- His eyes are misaligned.
- They jitter multiple times.
- They do not move at the same time at least twice.
- They disappear for a split second due his eyes moving too far right.
- The narrator says, "everyone held their ears," but no one is holding their ears.
- In the shot of the Fat Controller telling Gordon to depart right away, there are three holes around his chin. Also, his right arm is chipped.
- In the scene where the workmen are seen trying to fix Gordon's whistle, a red smoke pipe can be seen next to it.
- In the close-up of Gordon's whistle:
- The shed beside him is gone.
- There is a stain on Gordon's boiler.
- Studio equipment is visible at the top of the screen.
- Because stock footage is used, Henry is in his old shape in a close-up of himself before reaching the bridge, his coaches are not seen and the red stripe on his cylinder is also peeling away.
- When Henry first passes under the bridge, a tree branch of the bottom right-hand corner of the screen can be seen shaking, giving the illusion that the boys are throwing stones. However, two shots later, it becomes clear how this effect was achieved: the branch is strategically placed over the track where Henry could run into it at just the right moment.
- When the passengers complain about the broken coach windows, there is a chip on the lining of Henry's tender.
- In the scene of Henry departing Lower Tidmouth, the chuffing sound effect is slightly delayed until after Henry starts moving.
- In the wide shot of Henry puffing towards the bridge each time, he is not moving for the first couple of seconds and when he finally moves, the telephone pole near him shakes in the second scene.
- In the original version, when Henry sneezes, a bush near the bridge changes shape. The restored version shows Henry with his wincing face as he is passing by before he sneezes with the bush in the same position, indicating a take of Henry passing underneath the bridge with his angry face was filmed after the shot of him passing with his wincing face.
- The boys are covered in ash prior to filming the shot of the steam coming towards them on the bridge to indicate the effect when Henry sneezes at them. However, the shot starts too early with the steam first hitting the boy in the middle, thus making it obvious what was done to the models.
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
Gordon (2004 My Thomas Story Library book)- Gordon (2016 Engine Adventures book)
Home Video Releases
Episode
UK narration
US narrationReferences
| #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 Thomas' Christmas Party |
| #07 Thomas and the Breakdown Train | #16 Trouble in the Shed | #25 Off the Rails |
| #08 James and the Coaches | #17 Percy Runs Away | #26 Down the Mine |
| #09 Troublesome Trucks | #18 Coal | |