(Opening shot: fade in to a stretch of the blue sky. We hear the sound of propelling; Snuffy flies into view.)
Narrator: It was a perfectly wonderful morning for little Snuffy the Skywriter. (Snuffy hums to himself under the following.) The breeze was warm, the sun was bright, and the scent of flowers was in the air. It seemed like nothing could ruin this day for Snuffy. Nothing that is, until...
(In an instant, he is greeted by the arrival of two jet planes—one blue, one light violet—as they come rocketing into view next to him. He stops humming, and they proceed in a triangular formation)
Jay Jay: Snuffy!
Tracy: Hey, Snuffy!
Snuffy: Oh, hi, Jay Jay. Hi, Tracy.
Tracy: Are you ready for your first day of school tomorrow?
Snuffy: (jittering in place, freaking out) Ohhhh, noooo!!! Why did you remind me?!
(Close-up on the two jet planes.)
Jay Jay: What's the matter, little guy? Tomorrow will be a great day for you! You're gonna be going to the Michael O. Tarry School—that's where Tracy and I went when we were little!
Snuffy: Bu-bu...but I'm scared of going!
Jay Jay: (a bit teasingly) Is that what's bothering you?
Tracy: Don't worry. Lots of kids are a little scared of their first day of school.
(Side view of the trio; Snuffy begins to panic.)
Snuffy: I-I'm a lot scared. What if I don't like the teacher?
Jay Jay: But you will!
Snuffy: (panting) W-what if the teacher doesn't like me?
Tracy: Of course, the teacher will like you.
Snuffy: (completely freaked out) A-and what if the work is t-too hard...and I don't know anybody...and I miss you guys... (stammering) and I-and-and-and I-and-and-
Jay Jay: (interrupting) Hey, little buddy, hold on before you blow a gasket.
Jaunty piano ballad, slow 4 (D major, modulating to F major)
Tracy: Listen, Snuffy. School is fun, and the teacher and other kids help you with the stuff you don't know. Listen.
Xylophone/flute/light percussion in
(Head-on view of the trio: Tracy ferrises over Jay Jay and hovers to Snuffy's opposite side.)
Tracy: Wouldn't you like to learn to say your ABC's?
Jay Jay: And learn to read just what you please?
Tracy: Wouldn't you like to know what makes a river flow?
Jay Jay: And how a hive of honey comes from bees?
Drums in
(Tracy hovers back to her original position, and Jay Jay does a fast barrel roll in time.)
Jay Jay: Wouldn't you like to find out how a planet spins around?
Tracy: Or how a single letter makes a sound?
Horns in
Jay Jay, Tracy: If you'd like some special friends
Then, there's a place I'd recommend
It's the very merry Michael O. Tarry School
Xylophone out, double time feel
Tracy: Wouldn't you like to learn to paint a bright, blue sky?
(Jay Jay darts from one corner of the screen to another.)
Jay Jay: And how a heavy hummingbird can fly?
Strings in
(One by one, each plane flies closer in time with their lines; the next four are spoken rather than sung.)
Snuffy: What if I'm scared?
Tracy: What if it's fun?
Snuffy: What if I'm slow?
Jay Jay: What if you won?
(They gradually float backwards to their original positions.)
Jay Jay, Tracy: At the very merry Michael O. Tarry
Ask someone who's been there already
Very merry Michael O. Tarry School
Tracy: It's so cool!
Jay Jay, Tracy: That's the very merry Michael O. Tarry School
Song ends on a stinger
Tracy: So, there's really nothing to be afraid of tomorrow, Snuffy. It'll be fun, we promise.
Jay Jay: Yeah. Best thing for you to do now is get a good night's sleep so you're ready for your first day of school.
Snuffy: Well...if you say so.
(They zoom o.s.; dissolve to an establishing shot of Tarrytown Airport at night. Zoom in slowly on the kids' hangar.)
Narrator: That night, Snuffy tried to follow Jay Jay and Tracy's advice to get a good night's sleep.
(Dissolve to the interior of the kids' hangar; both Jay Jay and Tracy have turned in and are snoring softly. Snuffy, still awake, taxis into view.)
Narrator: But poor Snuffy didn't sleep well. He worried and worried about the first day of school. Then, suddenly, he had an idea.
(Snuffy's eyes widen and his mouth drops open in turn on the end of this.)
Snuffy: I know what to do, and I'll do it first thing in the morning.
(A short pause, and the Skywriter voices a soft yawn, before closing his eyes and lowering his head, falling fast asleep. Dissolve to an overview of the airport; now it is sunrise. Zoom in on the kids' hangar and dissolve to the interior of it. Both jet planes are waking up, yawning briefly before getting themselves active; Snuffy is not here.)
Jay Jay: (singsong) Hey, Snuffy! Time to rise and shine! It's your big day, guy! (realizing, normal tone) Snuffy?
* All lines marked with one asterisk (*) will be delivered in singsong form from this point on. *
Tracy: Hey, where is he?
* Jay Jay: Hey, Snuffy!
* Jay Jay, Tracy: Come out, come out wherever you are!
* Tracy: Time for school, Snuffy!
(Both jet planes make their way out on the end of this. Cut to outside the main hangar as we hear the sound of rotors hovering; Jay Jay and Tracy taxi into view.)
Herky: (from o.s.) Hey, ever-r-rybody! (He lowers into view before them.) What's up?
Jay Jay: We can't find Snuffy!
Herky: What?
Tracy: He's gotta be around here, somewhere.
(On the start of the next line, she turns slowly around and all three begin searching.)
* Tracy: Snuffy? Oh, Snuffy!
(She taxis out of frame on the end of this, the other two following her.)
Narrator: (Overhead shot of the airport; the three kids search all around.) Where was Snuffy? His friends were worried. But don't you worry, Snuffy was safe and sound.
(Cut to Lightning Bug Lake as Snuffy comes partially into view.)
Narrator: He was hiding in a secret, special hiding place near Lightning Bug Lake, far, far away from school, and he had a plan.
Snuffy: I'll come here every morning and hide out till school, then I'll go home. That's what I'm going to do, no matter what.
(Dissolve to the runway back at the airport; Jay Jay and Tracy roam across it as Herky hovers behind them.)
* Jay Jay, Tracy: Snuffy!
Herky: (looking through the observation tower's glass windows) Hey, Snuff! Ar-r-re ya in ther-r-re?
(The jet planes taxi over to the main hangar.)
* Tracy: Where are you?!
(Cut to inside the hangar, viewed from entrance forward; Jay Jay's voice echoes in the empty space.)
* Jay Jay: Snuffy! This is no time to play Hide and Seek! We've got to get to school!
(Back outside; he turns to Tracy.)
Jay Jay: I don't see him anywhere, Tracy.
Tracy: I wonder if he's hiding because he's afraid of school.
Jay Jay: I didn't even think of that, but where could he be? (Herky hovers over to them.)
Herky: Don't think he went to Tar-r-rytown, do ya?
Tracy: Well, he could of. Maybe we'd better look for him there.
Jay Jay: C'mon, let's go!
(Dissolve to an aerial shot of downtown; both jet planes and the helicopter hover through.)
* Jay Jay: Snuffy!
* Tracy: Where are you?
(Head-on view of them.)
Tracy: I know! I'll bet he's getting a donut at Andy's Donut Shop!
(She swoops out of frame; cut to the donut shop as she flies past.)
* Tracy: Snuffy! (Jay Jay flies past as well.)
* Jay Jay: Huh. He's not here!
(Cut to the fire station; Jay Jay zooms past it.)
Jay Jay: I know. Maybe he's hiding next to the fire station. (Tracy follows.)
* Tracy: Or maybe not!
(Back to the sky; Herky has his back turned and looking downward. The two jet planes rise into view, and he turns around.)
Herky: Hey ther-r-re, guys! Did ya find him yet?
Tracy: No, Herky, he's gone. And school's gonna start soon. If we don't find him, he'll miss it!
Jay Jay: That would be terrible, Tracy!
Tracy: I wonder where he could be?
* Jay Jay, Tracy: SNUFFY!!
(All three zoom upward as they shout; dissolve to Snuffy at Lightning Bug Lake.)
Snuffy: I'm bored. I really miss my friends. I wonder if this hiding from school thing is such a good plan after all.
(Dissolve to Old Oscar, Jay Jay, Tracy, and Herky outside the main hangar back at the airport.)
Oscar: What do you mean Snuffy's gone? He's missing?!
Jay Jay: Oscar, Snuffy was scared of his first day of school!
Tracy: And now he's missing, and we've looked everywhere for him.
Jay Jay: What can we do?
Oscar: (chuckling) So, it's that same old story again, huh? Listen, you three settle down and wait right here. I think I know where the little guy might be holed up.
(Oscar's propeller starts spinning and he exits. Long shot of the runway; the old biplane zooms down it.)
Narrator: Now, the strange thing was, this whole story about Snuffy seemed kind of familiar to Old Oscar. (Oscar takes off into the sky.) He didn't say why.
(Cut to Oscar in flight, glancing downward.)
Narrator: But when he flew off to find Snuffy, he had a pretty good idea of where he might be hiding. And you know what?
(Oscar swoops o.s.; dissolve to Snuffy at Lightning Bug Lake.)
Narrator: He was right. (Oscar joins.)
Oscar: Well, hi there, young feller!
Snuffy: Oscar. (He smiles with wonder.)
Oscar: I think you and I need to have a little talk.
(Dissolve to the sky as Snuffy and Oscar fly into view.)
Snuffy: But I don't get it. How did you know where to find me?
Oscar: Well, I can answer that question with a story about another little plane. You see, it happened a long time ago, and this little fella was just like you. He was afraid to go to his first day of school, too.
Snuffy: He was?
Oscar: Yes, indeed.
Snuffy: What did he do?
Oscar: Well, the same as you—on his first day of school, he hightailed out of the hangar and went off to a special secret place where he could hide forever and never go to school. And it was the very same place where you went to hide.
Snuffy: It was?! Then what happened?
Oscar: Well, then someone who cared about him and understood what he was afraid of came and found the little plane. He took him home and helped him to see that he had nothing to be afraid of.
Snuffy: (with wonder) Well, who was the little plane?
Oscar: Well, that little plane, my friend...was me.
Snuffy: Oh, really?
Oscar: Heh-yeah, cross my prop and hope to fly! Oh, I was scared too. But that's before I discovered something.
Snuffy: What's that?
Oscar: Well, school's a place where you learn wonderful new things. And when someone teaches you something, it's like you've gotten something very very special. Well, trust me, youngster—school's where you can learn and learn and learn new things all the time! And it's even more fun because you also get to make new friends.
Snuffy: Wow, I never thought of it that way before! I guess I don't mind going to school after all.
Oscar: Oh, that's great.
(They zoom out of frame; dissolve to outside the main hangar. Jay Jay and Tracy are here; Brenda paces around, wearing her radio headset.)
Brenda: But let me get this straight. Snuffy is not at school? Okay. Okay, thank you. Over and out. That was the Michael O. Tarry School on my radio—nobody's seen Snuffy so far.
Jay Jay: Where could he be?
Herky: (from o.s.) Hey, ever-r-rybody!
(Wide shot of the group; Herky hovers over them.)
Herky: Her-r-re comes Oscar-r-r— (Snuffy and Oscar approach the quartet.) —and he's got Snuffy with him!
Snuffy: Hey, guys.
Brenda: Hey, Snuffy.
Tracy: Snuffy, we've been worried about you.
Jay Jay: Yeah, where have you been?
Snuffy: I'll let Oscar tell you all about it.
Oscar: Oh, no time now, Snuffy. I've got someplace important to be. I'll let Jay Jay and Tracy fly you back to school.
Snuffy: (freaking out) But Oscar, what if I don't know what to do? Or I don't make any new friends?
Oscar: You will.
Snuffy: Or what if my teacher doesn't like me?
Oscar: Ohh, now don't you worry. I'm sure your new teacher will take you under his wing. In fact, I bet you'll find someone who cares a lot about ya. See you later, Snuffy. (He exits.)
Jay Jay: We're glad you're back, Snuffy.
Tracy: You see, school is fun.
Snuffy: You know, you guys might be right. Come on!
Jay Jay: Right behind you, Snuff! (Snuffy exits.)
Tracy: All right!
Herky: We'r-r-re with ya!
(Herky hovers upward, and Brenda waves to the kids.)
Brenda: Have fun!
(Both jet planes follow Snuffy out of frame. Dissolve to the aerial shot of the village square; the quartet hovers over.)
Tracy: Hey, Snuffy! It looks like your new teacher is waiting for you at the school.
Snuffy: Where? Where? I don't see him.
(Dissolve to ground level of the school playground; the student enters, his escorters save Jay Jay follow up behind.)
Tracy: Right there!
Snuffy: No, it can't be. It's...Oscar!
(Indeed he is; the old biplane reveals himself when mentioned.)
Oscar: Well, hello there, youngster. Better hurry. You're almost late for class. (chuckles)
Narrator: That's right. Snuffy's new teacher was his friend, Old Oscar.
(Snuffy smiles happily at his teacher; the view widens to frame the other three, Jay Jay has joined them.)
Narrator: So, that was Snuffy's first day of school, and he found out that Old Oscar was right: learning was fun and exciting.
(Snuffy and Oscar exit, before Herky hovers out of frame followed by Jay Jay and Tracy trading smiles that best translate to, "Our work here is done.")
Narrator: Every day was filled with new friends, new ideas, and new fun things to do.
(They taxi away, and the scene dissolves to an establishing shot of Tarrytown, pulling back slowly.)
Narrator: And Snuffy knew he would never be afraid of school ever again.
(Fade to black.)