Stonington took a step back in time yesterday.

The harbor, stocked with schooners, Friendship sloops and fishing dories, looked the way it did around the turn of the century. The lobster boats of today had vanished.

Men and women dressed in antique clothing sat on the steps of a downtown shop drinking coffee and eating doughnuts.

“What are you supposed to be?” a young boy asked one of the men.

“Just what it looks like, a dumbo,” replied the crusty fellow.

The source of the transformation of this small island town could be found further around the harbor. The already narrow road to Connery’s Wharf was lined on both sides with vehicles, shrinking it even further. The crowding was caused by a film crew from the television movie, “Sarah, Plain and Tall,” in town for part of a one-day shoot. The Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation will be aired on CBS around Valentine’s Day 1991.

The production had its roots in the John Newberry Medal-winning children’s story written by Patricia MacLachlan. It’s the story of a woman living in Maine in the early 1900s. When her brother decides to marry, she reassesses her life. She answers an ad for a mail-order bride placed by a widower with two children who lives in Kansas.

Actress Glenn Close, the film’s lead and co-executive producer, loved the book, and approached William Self, a longtime TV executive. Self, also a co-executive producer, sold the idea as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.

Friday marked the 23rd and last day of shooting for the movie. The bulk of the film was shot in Emporia, Kan., with scenes involving Sarah’s arrival at a train station shot in Nebraska.

Self said that perhaps the crew could have found the right setting in the Pacific Northwest, but they decided to bring the production to Maine because “from Kansas, it was a trip either way. We decided to come to the real place.”

Many of the film’s stars, including Christopher Walken and Mary Beth Hurt, didn’t make the trip to Maine. But Close was in Stonington, as was New York City actor James Rebhorn, who plays Sarah’s fisherman brother, William.

The Maine filming began and ended for the actors yesterday, but many local people have been working for weeks to give the producers the picturesque, period look they sought.

Going up and down the coast, John Barlow of Stonington rounded up the five Friendship sloops, two schooners and numerous fishing dories which created the Winslow Homer-like backdrop for the movie.

“We’re fortunate that there’s an awful lot of good, period boats in Maine,” Barlow said.

As for getting the harbor cleared out for the period boats, Barlow contacted the Island Fishermen’s Wives group.

Sue Pickering of the wives’ group said that the fishermen agreed to move their boats in exchange for a $2,000 donation to the fund for the proposed fishermen’s memorial, to be built at the Stonington fish pier.

“It took a little bit of convincing, but they all moved their boats, either last night or this morning,” said Pickering. “They knew it was for a good cause.”

Another fisherman’s wife, Suzy Shepard, was in charge of finding the period props like wooden buckets, lobster pins, pop buoys, traps and crates.

Overseeing all the local effort was Diane Lee of Orland, who did everything from serving as liaison with the film crew to finding locations. She also planted a garden at the North Brooklin house that was to serve as Sarah’s home, where filming took place Friday afternoon.

Lee and most of the crew got an early start Friday, beginning setup before 6 a.m., but a heavy blanket of fog delayed production for three hours. The dozen extras in period dress stood around getting breakfast from the catering truck, or snapping photos of each other.

Bill Petry inspected his 1917 Model T, which had been rented to be shot in the background. Petry expected just his car to be in the film, but he ended up as an extra as well.

Petry spent much of the morning talking with another extra who was a long way from home. Moscow artist Yuri Reshanov, who is preparing for an exhibition at the Blue Hill library, was about to make his film debut. His role would call for him to pass in front of Close, then peer across the harbor.

When the sun finally poked through around 8:45, the star came out. Despite being dressed in a long-sleeved patterned blouse, long green skirt and brownish apron, Close was neither plain nor tall.

“Is it morning?” Close asked director Glenn Jordan. “Is there a Maine way to say morning?”

Shooting began after a couple of rehearsals. The first shot called for Close, carrying several baskets, to walk down a gangway to the floats. She then walked to her brother’s boat, filling the baskets with fish and arguing with Rebhorn. A Friendship sloop would glide by in the background.

The biggest problem the crew faced, after the fog cleared, was keeping the 50 or so onlookers out of the shots.

Movie-making is a lot of hurry-up-and-wait. The sloop had to go back across the harbor for another approach. There were adjustments to be made to costumes, makeup and equipment. Between takes, Close sat demurely on a crate, holding an umbrella for shade. She chatted amiably and posed for pictures with the extras.

Finally, an hour and 10 takes later, the first scene was done. Cameras were set up for closeups of Close and Rebhorn, with each taking about 20 minutes. By 10:50 a.m., shooting in Stonington was done. But the scenery will be long remembered by crew members who oohed and aahed at the sweeping vista.