Hollywood

by Ed Nelson

  A program for the Saturday night campfire had to be put in place. The camporee group took the easy way out on this. The Order of the Arrow would be asked to take care of the physical arrangements for the program.

  A notice would be sent out to all units attending to submit skits they would like to perform. The program committee would pick and choose what skits in what order. I had only been a scout four years and hadn’t seen a new skit in the last two.

  The 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry agreed to take care of the daily flag raising and lowering ceremony. They would also set up their mock battlefield and control access. Even without bullets a close blast from a black powder rifle could cause severe burns.

  We would have over ten thousand people in and out of camp that weekend. That was like an Army Division commanded by a two star general. Oh what fun we were going to have!

  On the way home I told Mr. Harris I hadn’t realized what work went into making a safe successful camporee. He told me that if I thought that was something; go to the annual Scout show in Columbus where there would be thirty thousand people through on the weekend.

  Or better yet go to a National Jamboree. In 1957 they had over fifty thousand people at Valley Forge. There would be another special Jamboree next year at Colorado Springs to celebrate fifty years of Scouting. They expected even more for that.

  That sounded like fun. Maybe I could make it to Colorado Springs.

  When in bed I read a short novel. It was actually pretty dark. A nice man let’s his evil side emerge with destructive behavior. Utterson follows the mystery and it comes to a head with the murder of Sir Danvers. When the good man can’t reproduce the serum that keeps him sane he commits suicide. Not a very cheerful book.

  Chapter 11

  Thursday was a nice sunny day so I was able to run after my other exercises. Homeroom was the normal start of the school day routine. The only difference was the announcement of an assembly after lunch on Friday. The game was afoot!

  At lunch time the gang talked the plans over. I think we were all afraid to chicken out. Cheryl was looking forward to it the most as she would be leaving the school next week. She was still friendly with me, but I noticed she didn’t seem to be pining away from the prospect of moving on. To be fair she had to do this many times, and I never had.

  After school I went home and was typing up an essay in the basement. The other kids were playing Mr. Potato Head. They were getting very argumentative and loud. Mum came down stairs and issued a warning.

  “Quiet down, I don’t want to hear one more peep out of you!”

  As she was going back upstairs we all looked at each other. Wondering who would break first. It was Mary, with a grin she went.

  “Peep.”

  It was in a clear soprano and loud.

  We all laughed, but from upstairs came.

  “Richard Edward Jackson one more sound out of you, and you have had it!”

  Now that was totally unfair! I hadn’t caused the first problem, I didn’t peep, at least this time. Why was I getting the blame?

  As I thought about the total unfairness of life I thought I heard muffled laughter from upstairs. To add insult to injury my saucy little sister stuck her tongue out at me. This was too much to bear. She was about to die, from tickling. She saw her fate coming and ran up the stairs. It only saved her for a minute.

  She tried to hide behind Mum, but that didn’t work. I seized the little wretch and tickled her until I thought she was about to pee her pants. Only then did I let up. Mary didn’t hesitate she ran back downstairs leaving me to face the wrath of Mum. Only there was no wrath.

  She just said, “I trust you will always look out for your little sister.”

  “Of course Mum.”

  “Orwell had it right you know. People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. Mary is one of the good people. You will be one of the rough men.”

  Now what do you say to that especially when it is your own mother telling you that? I said nothing.

  She started to return sticking S&H green stamps in books but stopped and added.

  “There is an article in TV guide that might interest you.”

  Now I seldom read anything in the TV guide. On occasion I would look up when a game was on but that was about it. I never read their articles.

  She continued, “Read about Paul Grant.”

  I found the guide in its usual place in the family room. The article on Paul Grant and his hit TV show, The Outlaw Kid, told how the young star was going to have the second lead in an upcoming movie with John Wayne. They openly speculated how the difficult young man would get along with Mr. Wayne.

  He had a reputation of being late for shoots, not knowing his lines, being ill a lot, I think that meant hung over. Then there were his hangers on, three or four other guys would accompany him everywhere. They thought they were God’s gift to women. He and his gang sounded like a real pain. I guess I would have to work with him.

  Dad got home shortly thereafter. He had stopped at the post office to pick up a package. It was from the engineers in Columbus. There was a complete set of drawings, bill of material, order of assembly plus a prototype of the inner components assembled and fitted into a handmade casing. The casing was sheet metal. It gave a good idea of what the finished unit would look like.

  They also included quotes for six plastic molds to manufacture a complete housing. The molds wouldn’t be production molds but could be relied upon to make at least a thousand parts. We went through everything in the package.

  I ended up making two decisions with Dad’s input. One was that I would resend everything to Mr. Christensen and ask that a Document Disclosure be filed with the patent office. That would protect my ideas for two years.

  The second was to go ahead and approve the quotes. I would have to front a lot of money for it, but I believed in my hair dryer concept.

  As Eddie put it, “It looks more like a ray gun than a hair dryer.”

  I was going to try it out in the morning after I wrapped the metal handle with some leather or cloth. I bet the metal housing would get hot. The plastic would be thicker and absorb the heat.

  I typed up a letter authorizing the start of production on the prototype molds. Paul Samson the ME would be the one working with the plastic company. I should try to get over and see their facility in Worthington near Columbus, but I didn’t know when I would be able to find the time before I left for California.

  At dinner we talked about San Toy. My parents had something going on Saturday so they were not available. The following Saturday was my Eagle ceremony. Next week was semester exams. That meant I would only have to attend school to take the tests. This left me with all day Wednesday free. I brought that up and Dad was all for it. He really wanted to go to San Toy.

  I had got a book from the library on acting. I didn’t think I could learn acting in a few days from reading a book, but I could learn the terminology and differences. I spent my time before falling asleep reading about character acting vs. method acting.

  I think I would have to be considered a character actor. I would be playing a teenage boy on a cattle drive. I think I had the teenage boy part down pretty well. I could ride a horse and if needed ride the cattle!

  I also realized that it couldn’t be that simple. I probably wouldn’t have that many lines, but I would have to be believable when I delivered them. I would be able to memorize the words with no problem but what about the required emotions? I had spent enough time out west in the rodeo that I had no trouble with the things involved like horses and guns. It was the people interactions that concerned me.

  There was also Paul Grant to consider. I doubted that we would become friends if he was really like TV Guide had portrayed him. Remembering all the history I had read and biases involved I would try to keep an open mind. I know movies had been cancelled because of a temperamental actor. I hoped that didn’t happen here.

  Chapter
12

  Friday was the big day. We were going to steal Mr. Watkins desk from the classroom and have it on the center of the stage when the curtain opened. We had it planned out to the seconds. What could go wrong?

  The morning seemed to drag on forever, yet as it got close to lunch time the clock then sped up. I saw various members of our gang in the hall as we changed classes. We all smiled and winked at each other. I guess we were keeping our nerve up.

  We scarfed our lunches. We walked to Mr. Watkins room. Cheryl took up her position by the stair case to intercept Mr. Watkins if he headed to his room. Tracy had headed to the auditorium. She would open the emergency door. It was double wide so we could get the desk in with no problem. Tom Watson and I went into the classroom to open the windows and pick up the desk.

  I had recruited Tom Pew yesterday to be our fourth guy. Tammy Woodstock hadn’t been in school the last two days, Tracy called her house and found out she had the flu. So it was three Tom’s and a Rick. There must be a song in there somewhere. Pew and Morton headed outside to take the desk as we let it down.

  The desk was heavy but we got it to tilt through the wide window. These windows were the old types that raised straight up or we would never have been able to do it. We got the desk tilted out the window on its side, and then Tom Watson jumped out the other window. I finished tipping the desk over to the three Toms. When the desk was out the window I closed both windows and exited the room through the door.

  I saw Tom Humphreys talking to Mr. Watkins. Cheryl was still in position. I left through the end door of the building and went around so I could help the three guys. They almost had the desk to the auditorium door when it opened. We took it down the aisle. Cheryl came in from the hall at that time. She was waving frantically as we pulled the curtains back to set the desk on the stage.

  Her waves were too late. Waiting on the other side of the curtain were Mr. Watkins and our Principal Mr. Gordon. Busted!

  Mr. Gordon said, “You will have to hurry to get the desk back to its room before the assembly. Take the desk back, attend the assembly, and then report to the office.”

  As we lifted the desk to take it back, this time carrying it through the hall rather than trying to lift it back through the window I asked Cheryl, “What happened?”

  She was almost in tears as she replied, “Tom Humphries looked in the room and saw what you were doing. He went to talk to the teacher. I couldn’t believe he would tell on us, so I didn’t say anything.”

  “It was too late by that time anyway, we had the desk out the window and there is no way we could’ve lifted it back.”

  That seemed to relieve her mind.

  I sat through the assembly which was an act put on by a hypnotist. I spent my time trying to think what I could do to Tom Humphries to get even. Whatever it was, it would have to be in secret, at least anonymous, or he would just tell on us again. I didn’t come up with anything immediately but there would be retribution.

  After the assembly we trooped down to the school office. We all were a little nervous about what was waiting for us.

  Mr. Morton took us into his office.

  He looked directly at me and said, “This might have been a good time for the board of education. He wasn’t talking about the school board, because he was holding the school paddle when he said it.”

  Then he laughed a little.

  “I will never admit it, but it is a shame we were waiting for you. Since every teacher’s desk in school is identical every teacher present would have been dreading returning to their classroom. As a group they give me enough headaches that I would have enjoyed it.”

  I and the other kids were smart enough to keep our mouths shut. Mr. Morton’s desk was the same as all the others. He would have been wondering like everyone else.

  “However you were caught. Now I realize that Miss Hawthorne is moving after this week and that Mr. Jackson is leaving town next week. So it wouldn’t be really fair for the others if you got off scot free.”

  “So everyone but Miss Hawthorne will spend every day after school next week doing our spring cleanup. You will report to Mr. Brown after school. He will provide you with gloves, rakes and shovels. You will pick up all the winters debris on the school grounds.

  “Miss Hawthorne you get a pass. I don’t want to communicate this to your new school. It really doesn’t merit that and I don’t want to start you off wrong with them.”

  Poor Cheryl was almost in tears again.

  “It’s not fair, I should be punished too!”

  You could see Mr. Morton was becoming disconcerted. I put my arm around her and pulled her into a hug.

  “Now, now we discussed this and saw this possible outcome. No worries.”

  I found I like hugging her and then it hit me that she was moving, I would probably never see her again. Damn it all to Hell!

  We were excused to return to our classes, notes had been prepared for us. On the way back to class I apologized to Tom Pew for dragging him into this. He told me that he was glad to be part of the making of a school legend. Even though we had got caught the story would be repeated for years.

  Even though it had just happened everyone in school would know about it by now including all the teachers. Between classes for the rest of the day I was questioned by other students about the incident.

  I just told them we had taken Mr. Watkins desk out the classroom window with the intention of leaving it on stage in the auditorium. We were caught and would have to clean the school grounds next week.

  Somehow it became known that Tom Humphreys had squealed on us. When asked he bragged about it. At least at first, people started telling him how uncool he was. Before the afternoon was out no one in school was talking to him. I heard that he would go up to people and try to talk. They would ignore him or even turn their backs. I guess shunning was the new school sport.

  When I arrived home after school I was glad to see both my parents were there. I told them I had a problem at school today. They wanted to know what so I related the whole incident. I didn’t name Tom Humphreys, just that someone told.

  They heard me out and Dad said, “I heard it was Tom Humphreys and that none of the students will talk to him now.”

  That took me aback, so much for keeping secrets from your parents.

  “How did you hear about that?”

  “You forget that there is many a phone call in and out of the office each day and that the shop teachers have to go downtown sometimes to pick up parts. There is a mailman that stops there every day. There are deliveries to the cafeteria daily. You don’t go to school in a vacuum.”

  Mum broke in, “I told you to act like a freshman, I didn’t tell you to get caught doing it. Now what lesson have you learned from this?”

  “Don’t do it?”

  “Better planning, you should have realized other students would be in and out of that room. A couple of big guys at the door to act as minders would have kept people in line.”

  I really don’t understand my Mum.

  Dad asked, “What is your punishment?”

  I explained the trash detail. Both parents thought that fair and reasonable. What I didn’t get was that Mum appeared to think the punishment should be for getting caught, not for the act itself.

  I had to know.

  “I don’t understand, you haven’t said, don’t do that again even once.”

  “Rick, you are still young no matter how you act at times,” Dad started. He continued with, “It is like the Army, officers are taught never to issue an order they know won’t be obeyed. It does nothing but undermines their authority and makes them appear weak. As a teenager you are going to do dumb things in the future. It would be futile to tell you not to do dumb things.”

  It is nice to know that your parents have such a high opinion of you!

  Chapter 13

  As the conversation started to get repetitive, Mum brought out two letters for me.

  The first was from the International O
il Rig and Drillers Union. Actually it was a copy of a letter they had sent to the International Seamen’s Union. One handy thing it had the address of the Seamen’s Union hiring hall in New York City so that was one obstacle that had been overcome.

  They relayed the information to the ISU that I was a member in good standing with the IORD and performed satisfactorily on all jobs that I had been sent on.

  That was an interesting way to word it. I had only been on one job for them and it had only lasted for several weeks. I guess they take care of their members. I had only sent the letter to them on Monday and had a reply on Friday.

  The second was from the patent attorney Mr. Christensen. He had a signed receipt from the patent office and acknowledgement letter for the Document Disclosure letter we had submitted.

  He had included seven copies of each document. I would be keeping one and sending the others with my business proposal to the major manufacturers.

  He had also reviewed and approved the letter I intended to send to the shower head companies. It described the patent application that had been submitted, the design for sale and proposed license fees. We were in business!

  All my problems forgotten I headed to the basement. As part of my typing practice I had typed up letters to Delta, Moen, Pfister, Kohler, American Standard and Detroit faucets. I then had our attorney Mr. Burke review and sign as Corporate Attorney.

  I also signed as President of Jackson Engineering and Dad as Chief Executive Officer. This way my legal guardian had counter signed without telling the companies that it was a kid they were dealing with.

  Each letter was addressed to the Head of Business Development at the respective companies. We didn’t even know if that title existed at any of them, but it would get the letters to the correct people.

  I couldn’t wait. Dad let me drive us down to the post office where I mailed the letters with a return receipt requested. That way we would have evidence that the company had received the information.

  As Mr. Christensen had explained in his letter we had to do that. Each company would turn the design over to their engineering group to see if they could achieve an adjustable shower head without violating my patent. He didn’t see how it was possible, but it was good business on their part to check out the possibilities.