The Today Show, October 29, 2010

Michael & Dennis Hennington

Someone from NBC contacted husband John several weeks ago after he saw the web site for the Long Island Live Steamers.  There are photographs and videos showing people riding on small trains in a county park.  The idea was to stage a Halloween skit on the Today Show involving a steam engine.  John was intrigued with the idea, and others in the train club were enthusiastic.

Three men loaded 80 feet of track, a boxcar and a caboose at the train park and drove them to Manhattan.  Michael, the owner of the engine and cars, brought the engine and tender from his home in New Jersey.  They began assembling the tracks at 11 p.m.  Everything was set up on the private street outside the NBC studios, just a stone's throw from Rockefeller Center.  They had about 3 to 4 hours of sleep before going to the set.    Michael steamed up shortly after 6 for the segment that was to be live at 8.  A makeup man applied a handlebar mustache to Michael's face, trying to make him look sinister for the skit.

Mustache being applied

It wasn’t a slick production, but it was lots of fun.  Tina Fey was tied to the tracks, and Will Ferrell and Al Roker, the weatherman, were to save her from the advancing steam engine.  As Will was removing the ropes from Tina , he said they were so loose she could have gotten out of them by herself.  Wonder if that was part of the real script.  Al, dressed as Superman, gallantly stopped the train.  He swirled his cape and pushed on the engine with both hands.  I didn’t notice how quickly he jerked away until John told us that he burned his hands on the hot engine.  He also bent something, but Michael said he could repair it himself.  After the engine cooled down, the NBC people asked that it stay there on the tracks.  During another segment (Doctor Love?) the tiny woman who was screening questions for the doctor sat on the train with her laptop.  I think they may have used the train again for the next show.  It took forever to get everything dismantled, and then they had to travel through rush hour to get home.  John managed to stay awake through dinner, telling us as many details as he could think of.  It wasn’t long before he was sound asleep.  He was very satisfied at the way everything worked out, saying it was a once in a lifetime experience.

Michael as sinister villian