O.J. the Movie Star

Based on the TUGS segment Otis the Movie Star from Salty's Lighthouse

Written by Jonathan Downs, Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer

It had been almost a couple of years since Theodore and his friends moved to Bigg City Port and they had settled in. Captain Zero's granddaughter Jane had even started dating Captain Judd's son Andrew.

As for the Star Fleet and the V-Tugs, they would make their competition more of a game, as opposed to the fierce rivalry that used to exist between the Star Fleet and the Z-Stacks in the 1920s and early 1930s. There were even signs of romantic feelings between Sunshine and Hank as well as Zip and Moonlight. Not only that, Big Mac and Venus were showing signs that a romance between them was getting more likely.

Indeed, despite the ongoing Cold War, a new era of peace had come to Bigg City Port. But alas, that peace was about to be disrupted.

It all started one February morning. O.J. was at the waterworks with George and Theodore.

"The tenth anniversary of the Bigg City Blitz will be coming up soon," O.J. said sadly.

"I wish we could have met Top Hat, Zug, Zilly, Kirke, Sally Seaplane and Billy Shoepack," sighed Theodore.

"Plus the way that Zorran and Captain Zero went out…" said George. "They were both brave."

"As were Top Hat, Zilly, Kirke and Sally," agreed O.J.. Then a thought struck him. "Did any of you ever encounter any troublesome tugs back in Canada?"

George frowned. "There was an unwelcome visitor who came to our harbour once," he replied darkly. "An ocean-going tug named Oliver the Vast."

"Oh, don't remind me," winced Theodore. "That tug was a bully."

"As bad as Zak and Zeus?" asked O.J..

"I think Zak and Zeus are actually worse," replied George. "At least Oliver never supported Hitler. But like Theodore said, Oliver was a bully and he would pick on tugs who were smaller than him. Poor Theodore was targeted by him during his stay, but after Captain Judd was informed, he sent Oliver packing."

"Still, I was really scared," said Theodore.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Theodore," said O.J.. "Mind you, if Oliver was to try and cause grief for Ten Cents, Penny or Zip, I'll bet Hercules and Venus would throw him onto the rocks… 'accidentally on purpose'."

"Well, Oliver is roughly the same size as Hercules and Venus," said George. "Although Oliver is diesel-powered, so he would be more powerful."

"Never underestimate Hercules or Venus," said O.J. wisely. "If their little siblings should be threatened, their big sibling instincts will kick in. I remember Hercules telling me after how Venus was quick to protect Zip from Zeus."

"Good point," said Theodore.

Meanwhile, I was filling out some paperwork when I heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," I said. The door opened, and two smartly dressed figures stepped in; one of them had a mustache.

"Ahoy there," the clean shaven figure said, raising his hat. "I'm Mr. Nigel Boffo."

"And I'm Mr. Sean Socko," said the figure with the mustache.

"We do mega hits," said Mr. Boffo.

"You mean you're boxers?" I asked, humorously. I knew what they really meant.

"No, no," laughed Mr. Socko. "We're big time movie producers."

"You've probably seen our Boffo-Socko movies," added Mr. Boffo. "You know, Romeo and Juliet?"

"Treasure Island?"

"Hamlet?"

"Sorry, gentlemen," I replied. "I've not seen too many movies, what with trying to rebuild Bigg City Port after the war."

"Ah, we understand," said Mr. Boffo. "Now then, we've come to film our latest movie here in Bigg City – Proud Gary."

"It's about an old tug with age and experience who helps out during a cyclone," explained Mr. Socko.

"And we were wondering if you knew any tugs who match that description."

"Well, as it turns out," I replied, folding my arms, "my number three, Otis Jones, or O.J. for short, is the oldest tug in Bigg City Port. He is a paddle driven steam tug with plenty of experience."

"Can we talk to him?" asked Mr. Boffo.

"Sure," I replied. Then I heard Sunshine's whistle. "Just one moment." I went upstairs and grabbed my megaphone.

"Ah, Sunshine," I called. "Can you go and find O.J. and tell him to come back here?"

"What's up, Captain Star?" asked Sunshine.

"I've got a couple of movie producers looking for the star of their next big movie."

"O.J.?"

"Yes; they wanted an old tug with plenty of experience, and O.J. is perfect for the part."

"Ah'll go and find him right away," replied Sunshine as she set off.

Sunshine raced over to the waterworks where O.J. was about to leave.

"Sunshine, what's up?" he asked.

"Captain Star needs to see you," said Sunshine.

"Thank you for informing me, Sunshine," said O.J. "Sorry, George, Theodore; duty calls."

Sunshine and O.J. arrived back at the Star Dock where Mr. Boffo, Mr. Socko and I were waiting.

"Ah, O.J., you're back," I said. "Good work, Sunshine."

"Is there an urgent job, Captain?" asked O.J..

"Not exactly," I replied. "O.J., allow me to introduce Nigel Boffo and Sean Socko. They're movie producers in Hollywood and are looking for a tug for their next film. I told them you'd be perfect."

"I would?" O.J. asked in surprise.

"Indeed," Mr. Boffo replied. "You're perfect. Full of age and wisdom."

"We would like you to star in our next film, Proud Gary," said Mr. Socko proudly.

"We're going to make you a star!" added Mr. Boffo.

"Well, I'm already a Star with the Star Fleet," chuckled O.J., "but I suppose starring in a movie would make a nice change. Yes, I'll take some time off to make the movie and then come back to work."

"Splendid," Mr. Socko replied. "Captain Star, if you would like to sign a contract."

"By your lead, gentlemen," I said. Mr. Boffo and Mr. Socko walked back into my office whilst I turned to O.J.. "I'll arrange for another tug to come do your work whilst you're away."

"Thank you, Captain Star," replied O.J..

After signing the contract, I phoned up, looking for a chartered tug. There was one available, and I hired the tug without a moment's pause, which, looking back, was a big mistake.

A couple of days later, Sunshine was taking fuel out to Lillie Lightship when she saw a large tug heading into the harbour. He was painted cream and wore a dark blue cap.

"That must be the tug Captain Star's hired," said Sunshine. She was about to say hello to the tug, when suddenly…

"Hey, get outta the way, shrimp!" snapped the larger tug, and he bumped Sunshine, who was left shaken. "Oh, great!" sneered the large tug. "A steam one as well. Your captain must be stupid to keep outdated kettles. He should scrap you and get more modern tugs like me!"

Sunshine gasped in shock. The word 'scrap' brought back bad memories of Mr. Mitton's illness and how she was in danger of being scrapped. Then, Sunshine burst into tears.

"Aww, did I make the baby cwy?" the larger tug said mockingly as Sunshine ran off, crying.

Meanwhile, filming had begun Up River. For his scene, O.J. was towing a timber barge to the sawmills.

"Alright, cut!" shouted Mr. Boffo. "Good job, O.J.. Now, we'll need to film the scene."

"But we already did it," insisted O.J..

"Yes… but we've got to it again from different angles," explained Mr. Socko.

"Whatever you say," sighed O.J.. He had a bad feeling about this.

Later, Penny was helping Ten Cents to bring some engineering parts to Scuttlebutt Pete when all of a sudden, they both felt something bump into them.

"What was that?" gasped Ten Cents.

"I don't know," squeaked Penny.

Then, the larger tug that Sunshine had encountered came alongside. "Ha, are you two going to cry now?"

"No," snapped Ten Cents. "I've dealt with far worse than you."

"Really?" sneered the larger tug.

"And what is going on?" demanded another voice. The three tugs looked to see Hercules, George, Emily and Foduck approaching them.

"Well, if it isn't Old Bad News himself – Oliver the Vast!" snapped George.

"What in Neptune's name are you doing here?" demanded Emily.

"What does it look like, toots?" sneered Oliver. "I'm here to cover for that old clapped out paddler and those two bath toys keep getting in my way."

Penny looked like she wanted to cry whilst Ten Cents just growled.

"Let's get one thing straight and more," Hercules said sternly. "We are grateful for your help, but we will not tolerate your rude behavior and you better not drag Ten Cents and Penny into this again."

"I'll do whatever I like, gramps," said Oliver as he left.

"Famous last words," muttered Foduck.

"Are you alright, Ten Cents and Penny?" asked Hercules.

"N-no," sniffled Penny. "I don't know what felt better – the bump or the insult?"

"Ssh," Hercules said gently. "It's alright, little sister. I'm here now."

"Something tells Oliver's not going to last much longer around here," Ten Cents said darkly.

"You're probably right, Ten Cents," agreed Hercules as he continued to comfort Penny.

Meanwhile, Pisces and Moonlight were comforting Sunshine.

"Don't worry, sis," said Moonlight. "I'll tell Captain Star what happened."

"The nerve of that tug!" snapped Pisces. "Telling you that you should be scrapped when the main reason Captain Star bought you to save you from it."

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Hank. He, Theodore and Zip came up alongside.

"Well," Sunshine sniffled, "Ah was takin' fuel out to Lillie when this larger tug came up and bumped me. Then, he told me that Ah was outdated and should be… SCRAPPED!" Sunshine burst into tears.

"Larger tug?" asked Zip.

"We think it's the one who's come to cover for O.J.," replied Pisces. Then, she heard more crying and looked over to see Misty in hysterics and Scorpio looking like she wanted to push someone into some rocks.

"Some large tug with a blue cap came along and upset Misty by saying an unpleasant word I daren't repeat," she said angrily.

"Large tug with a blue cap?" gasped Theodore, his face going pale. "Oh no… Oliver…"

"You mean that tug that once bullied you back in our old harbour?" asked Hank.

"Y-yes," gulped Theodore.

"Great," groaned Pisces. "Looks like we're in for a really rough period."

I'm sorry to say Pisces was right. Oliver caused all sorts of trouble for the other tugs. He would mock the steam tugs for being outdated or bully those smaller than him.

I wish I could say O.J. was having an easier time of it all, but I'd be lying. Every day, he had to do the same scene over and over again and he found it tedious. Soon, it began to take a strain on his engine, as evident on the day they were to shoot the big scene.

"Oh, rusty rivets and engine ache!" groaned O.J.. "I'm not feeling up to speed."

"Maybe you should go and see Captain Lucky," Misty said with concern.

"No can do, Misty," replied O.J.. "We're filming the big scene today."

"If I didn't know any better, O.J.," said Stormy, "I'd say you've got engine trouble."

"And who made you Doctor Tugboat?" O.J. snarked.

"I was just saying!" snapped Stormy; she did not like the tone O.J. was speaking in.

"Well, if you said less and towed more, we might get some work done around here," retorted O.J. as he headed off.

"Oh dear," sighed Misty. "He's getting stressed by the filmwork."

"It's all going to come to a head," agreed Stormy.

Soon, everything was ready for the big scene.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" asked Pisces. "It might not be good for your engine."

"Feeling bad isn't going to stop me from acting," said O.J.. "Maybe this will give me a chance to blow the cobwebs out of the old crankcase."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Pisces replied.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," said O.J. as the crew got ready for the scene.

"Okay, everyone," said Mr. Socko. "This is the biggest scene of the film. Proud Gary will charge forward to rescue these stranded people and just as the cyclone reaches its worst point."

"Okay… and action!" called Mr. Boffo. The cameras started rolling and the special effects created a recreation of a cyclone. O.J. charged forward and tried to battle the fake storm, but the strain took its toll on his engine and with a loud bang, O.J.'s engine stopped dead.

"Cut!" Mr. Boffo said urgently. "Something's wrong."

"Oh no!" cried O.J.. "I blew my engine… again." Indeed he had; smoke billowed everywhere.

"O.J., are you okay?" asked Hail.

"I think we overdid it with the filming," sighed O.J..

Mr. Boffo and Mr. Socko looked at each other and sighed. The filming of the big scene was ruined, but there was a bigger concern…

O.J. was quickly taken to Lucky's where Mr. Boffo, Mr. Socko and I came to see him.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I've been better," sighed O.J.. "I shouldn't have gone through with that scene when I was not in a fit state to do so, and I should have told Mr. Boffo and Mr. Socko I was finding it stressful. I'm sorry, gentlemen."

"Don't be, O.J.," replied Mr. Boffo. "We're the ones who should be sorry."

"Yes," agreed Mr. Socko. "We shouldn't have put too much pressure on you if it was going to take a strain both physically and mentally."

"And I should have checked how strenuous the filming was going to be before I signed the contract," I sighed.

"It sounds to me like you four each learnt a lesson today," said Captain Lucky.

"Indeed," agreed O.J..

"So, going forward," said Mr. Boffo, "we will lessen the burden for you once you're mended."

"And we'll run all scenes by you in future as well," said Mr. Socko.

"That would be much appreciated," said O.J., "and next time I feel stressed out, I'll speak to you or Captain Star about it."

Meanwhile, Sunshine and Zip were about to tow out Catherine, when all of a sudden…

"Get outta my way, shrimps!" snapped Oliver, bumping the two switchers. "That's what I do."

"That's enough!" snapped Hank and Moonlight, who were nearby. They couldn't stand to see their friends (or sister, in Moonlight's case) being bullied like this. Then Ten Cents, Penny and Theodore all ganged up on him.

"Oh, great," said Oliver. "Suddenly I'm being ganged up on by the small fries."

"Oh, what's the matter, you big whale?" retorted Penny. "Are you a long way from your mommy?"

"Hey! You take that back!" snapped Oliver.

"So you don't like it when someone insults you?" replied Ten Cents. "Good. Now you know how we feel."

"We're tired of you always pushing us smaller tugs around," said Theodore. "It stops now."

Ariel, George, Emily, Hercules and Venus overheard and looked on in shock.

"We've got to intervene before Oliver hurts any of them!" Ariel said urgently. Quickly, the five tugs rushed over.

"Ten Cents, Penny, Sunshine, Moonlight, Zip, Theodore, Hank!" called Hercules. "Back off."

"Come on, sweeties," urged Venus.

"Yeah, listen to 'mommy'," taunted Oliver.

"Now you listen here…!" snapped Zip.

"No, you listen to me, you little runt!" interrupted Oliver. "Either you get out of the way, or there will be a switcher found dead in the harbour from an 'accidental Final Firing!'"

"What. Did you. Say, mister?" snapped Venus.

"Accidental. Final. Firing," sneered Oliver.

"THAT'S IT!" roared Venus, and without warning, the large ocean-going tug surged forwards and bumped Oliver so hard he crashed into the quayside.

"Oof!" cried Oliver. "Help! I'm sinking!" Indeed, he was; Venus had rammed him so hard his hull now had a large gaping hole.

"Err… whoops," Venus said, realising what had just happened.

"We'd better get the Salvage Team over here," sighed Hercules.

Soon enough, Stormy and Hail were on the scene. Captain Lucky and I were there as well.

"Normally, I would scold a tug for using violence against others," I said. "However, the other tugs and Captain Judd have told me Oliver was something of a bully, and I understand you're looking out for the other tugs' welfare. Therefore, so long as this remains an isolated incident, we'll say nothing more about it."

Venus sighed with relief.

"As for you, Oliver," I said sternly, "I now see it was a mistake bringing to this harbour. As soon as you're out of the water, you're going to go to dry dock for the rest of your stay and you will never be invited back ever again."

"And I will not be authorizing your repairs," snapped Captain Lucky. "You'll be lucky if someone wants to repair you." I resisted the urge to smirk at her accidental pun.

Soon enough, Constance and Snowy arrived to arrest Oliver.

True to their word, Mr. Boffo and Mr. Socko lessened the filmwork for O.J. and always made sure to run a scene by him. If the paddle tug wasn't happy with the scene, it was cut from the film.

Meanwhile, I decided to get Sea Rogue to do O.J.'s work instead. Heh, if I had done that from the start, maybe that whole mess with Oliver could have been avoided.

Later, Zip and Sunshine spoke to Hank and Moonlight.

"Thanks for sticking up for us," said Sunshine.

"I'd do anything for you, sis," smiled Moonlight.

"Hank," said Sunshine, "since we first met, Ah've really come to admire you because you're so sweet and funny. No wonder Theodore considers you his best friend. What Ah'm trying to say… I love you."

Hank blushed at this. "I love you too, Sunshine," said Hank, "especially after you saved me from crashing a couple of years ago."

"And Moonlight," said Zip, "I love you, because of how kind and thoughtful you are. Heck, the whole reason you joined the Star Fleet was to give your sister comfort."

"Well… whilst I miss Sally," admitted Moonlight, "I've been growing feelings for you since you've been supportive of us following the war."

Little did the switchers know that Big Mac and Venus had overheard.

"Hey, Big Mac," said Venus. "I don't suppose we could… finally become a couple?"

"Weel, we've waited this lang," chuckled Big Mac. Both of them gave a flirtatious wink at each other. Just then, Ten Cents and Ariel came up.

"So you two have finally become a couple then?" Ten Cents said.

"Not only that, but Zip and Moonlight have become a couple, as have Sunshine and Hank," smiled Venus.

"Oh, that's wonderful," Ariel said happily.

After a few weeks, the filming was completed, and O.J. returned to his normal tugging duties.

"It's good to have you back, O.J.," I boomed through my megaphone.

"It's good to be back too, Captain Star," said O.J.. "Being a movie star is alright and all, but I prefer to be a Star in the Star Fleet."

"It wouldn't be the same without you," said Sunshine.

"Say," asked O.J., "whatever happened to that Oliver? I'd like to give him a piece of my mind."

"He already left this morning," explained Ten Cents.

"Have you noticed," said Theodore who was passing by, "that Oliver seemed unusually quiet?"

"Now that you mention it," said Sunshine, "he looked like someone was watchin' him."

Of course, we never found out why as such, but then again, we decided not to press the issue. We wanted to forget about Oliver as much as possible.

As for Mr. Boffo and Mr. Socko, Proud Gary proved to be a massive hit, but they learnt a valuable lesson from all this, and they made sure that the cast and crews of any future films they made received excellent treatment and plenty of counseling should they ever feel stressed.

The End

Athour's notes: Well, we're coming down to the wire, and we decided to use another Salty's Lighthouse plot for the series. It was kind of weird that Burke and Blair were movie producers in Salty's Lighthouse, but we decided they were humans instead. We also had Oliver the Tugboat appear in this second-to-last story of the TUGS series, and I think the RWS/T&F Oliver would be willing to show him a lesson or two.

Next time, Christmas is coming to Bigg City, but is Captain Star planning on his Retirement?