When it comes to television Westerns,Wagon Trainwas a series distinct for itsimpressive use of guest starsand its ability to turn its leading characters into background parts in their own show. If that sounds like an insult, let us assure you, it’s actually a compliment.Wagon Trainwas formatted so thatevery episode followed a new story with different members of the wagon train, and few were as notable as the heartbreaking Christmas episode, “The Mary Ellen Thomas Story,” which will conjure up as many tears as you can muster by the very end.
“The Mary Ellen Thomas Story” Is a Heartbreaking Hour of ‘Wagon Train’
Season 2, Episode 12’s “The Mary Ellen Thomas Story” follows the titular Mary Ellen Thomas (Patty McCormack) and her best friend, Sally Mayhew (Jenny Hecht). The two are inseparable, more like sisters than best friends, but there’s a problem:Sally has taken a turn for the worse in her battle with consumption. For the uninitiated, consumption is simply tuberculosis, that same disease thatVal Kilmer’s Doc Holliday suffers from inTombstone. Despite that, Sally retains her spirits and is a delight to whoever encounters her. Unfortunately, Mary Ellen, an orphan, is considered the exact opposite. However, most of that is due to the members of the wagon train, such as wagon boss Major Seth Adams (Ward Bond) and cook Charlie Wooster (Frank McGrath), who only see her at her worst. Mary Ellen is prone to stealing and playing tricks on others, but all in earnest, hoping to help Sally get well and keep the faith. So, when Sally gets Mary Ellen in trouble, the former believes that the latter hates her, and it nearly wrecks the poor thing.
Unbeknownst to Sally, Mary Ellen runs away from the wagon train not because she’s mad at Sally for getting her in trouble (she couldn’t care less), but because she wants to retrieve some snow from the nearby Rocky Mountains so that Sally can see it before she dies. It’s heartbreaking really, because while Mary Ellen is trying to do this beautiful thing for her friend, Sally is completely beside herself, believing that she alienated Mary Ellen and drove her away. Considering no one but Sally (andRobert Horton’s scout Flint McCullough, who believes there’s more to the troublemaker than meets the eye) even cares much for Mary Ellen, it makes the orphan’s life pretty tragic. Butthings only go from bad to worse for Mary Ellenwhen she’s taken after trying to help an injured boy. Thankfully, McCullough comes to her rescue.
So,where does Christmas come in? Well, the truth is, thisWagon Trainepisode isn’t even set at Christmas. Though the episode aired on Christmas Eve 1958, the story itself takes place around September. But, because Major Adams doesn’t believe that Sally will survive that long,he decides that the wagon train will celebrate a little early this year. The whole train comes together to put on a gigantic party for the sick girl, full of Christmas trees, tinsel, and a warm meal. Yet, Sally won’t have any of it. Still reeling from her perceived harm to Mary Ellen, Sally struggles to find any joy in the makeshift holiday, that is, until McCullough brings Mary Ellen back. With the young girls reunited, Sally enjoys her last Christmas on Earth, and it’s her best yet.
This Classic Western Series Gave Viewers a Christmas Episode Unlike Any Other
Who would’ve thought that Christmas in the Old West would be so memorable?
“The Mary Ellen Thomas Story” doesn’t end happily. Sally dies after her Christmas party. While the holiday unites friends and foes alike, the magic doesn’t last. The next day, Sally is buried beside the remains of the Christmas tree, and the wagon train continues on. Though, perhapsthe only Christmas miracleto come of the whole thing is that the ordeal leads Sally’s parents to adopt young Mary Ellen. It turns out, they were sisters after all, just a bit too late. Another tragedy to add to Mary Ellen’s hard-knocked life. Make no mistake,“The Mary Ellen Thomas Story” is a grand and powerful episode ofWagon Train, but it’s also not the heartwarming holiday tale you were likely hoping for this Christmas season.
Still,Wagon Trainoffers holiday audiences a realistic, if not gut-punching, endingthat reminds us of those who came daringly before. Ward Bond and Robert Horton are as great as ever as Major Adams and Flint McCullough, but they aren’t the focus here. The real stars are Patty McCormack and Jenny Hecht, who play these young girls. Though we hope and pray for a real holiday miracle, that the wagon train may reach Colorado in time or that Sally may miraculously get well, neither occurs, and the train is left (as always) to continue on. Even still, at least they do so together, andthe camaraderie of the wagon trainshines the brightest on this simulated Christmas.
Wagon Trainis available for streaming on Starz in the U.S.
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Wagon Train
Stories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts, and Rocky Mountains.
