by Ed Nelson
I had an idea, but I would have to make a phone call to set it in motion. My first instinct was to shoot the guy, but that seemed a little extreme. He seemed to like to take chances in his work, maybe I could help him push the edge enough he would fall off.
After that I fell asleep easily. You would think I had a busy day.
Chapter 56
Tuesday started out as a grey day, but the newspaper said it would clear up later. It was not quite the rainy season yet, but it was on its way. I wore a light jacket over my chinos and polo shirt. No sense in getting dressed up when my first stop would be costume and then makeup.
Before I left home I called Susan Wallace. In my revenge plan she was to leak to the specific paparazzi that had taken the pictures of Judy, that I would be doing a photo shoot with some hot models out at a private flight school near LAX on Thursday.
She told me she knew just who to call. She didn’t ask why I wanted this leaked and I didn’t tell her. What she didn’t know couldn’t get her in trouble if this went south.
I let Denny know that the photo shoot had to be on Thursday. He was okay with it. I didn’t share my plans with him either.
I went past the grade school and got caught at the traffic light. Looking over and thinking about what happened there seemed unreal. The kids were running, shouting and playing. It was as though nothing had ever happened here. I guess life goes on. At least this time it was the good lives going on.
I was flagged down at the gate by a new guard. He acted like I was trying to sneak in. Even when I pointed out the permit on the windscreen he made me show I.D. From there he made a telephone call to see if I was on the current admittance list. He was either extremely new or there had been a problem.
I had the time so I stopped by the main office and asked Donna, Mr. Monroe’s secretary if anything was going on.
“No, that new guard, Tony Lip is trying to be noticed and get into the movies. He will be gone by the end of the week. I suspect he will go back to Manhattan and never be heard of again.”
“He is a bit of a pain, but he really was doing the job the way it is written up.”
“He is? How do you know?”
“Remember when I worked with all the departments I read their manuals.”
“Maybe I should bring this up to Mr. Monroe as he is ready to drop the hammer.”
“Good idea, now I need to get to costuming.”
“Well you better hurry. There is a young actress that has a scene with you. She is fretting that you won’t show up.”
I wondered where Mum and Mary had gone when they left the house early, Duh!
Costuming was a breeze. They had my size down pat. All I had to do was change into a rough homespun cotton shirt and pants. I was even allowed to keep my regular shoes and socks as they weren’t to be shown.
Makeup was a different story. I spent two hours there as they kept me the same, but at the same time made me different. That sounds weird, but what they did was make me look dark. Not as in skin tone, but as someone you would not want to meet in an alley. They highlighted my features, so that I looked a lot harsher. Oh, they did put a two inch long scar on my right cheek ending at my eye.
All in all, I liked the look, dangerous.
When I walked on set the crew was ready for me. The set itself was done up as the interior of a barn. The extras were dressed for a frontier barn dance. That meant there were no fancy square dancing costumes. All were in clean rough and ready clothing.
There was one little girl there in a gingham dress and white cap. She was cute as a button. Well at least until she stamped her foot while looking at her wrist watch and told me it was about time. All these people had been standing around waiting for at least an hour.
“Well onto the movie, Mary, isn’t it a fine day?”
“It is Rick, I’m so excited.”
About that time we heard, “Places everyone.”
I moved to the slightly raised stage in the center of the set. My place was marked by an X taped to the floor. We then did a walk-through of the scene. Everyone hit their marks, so we went for the first live take, with me pretending to play the fiddle and sing.
I made the broad hand gestures I had been taught. At the same time I sang the song quietly. We were half way through the song before the first of many cuts were called. It seems the way the dancers were moving they were blocking the camera.
This resulted in the changing of the starting point of the dance. It was moved four times before the cameramen were satisfied. Next I was the problem. I was singing softly so my mouth wasn’t showing up on screen as it should.
So we went on and on. Typical for a movie set. I could see Mary getting restless on the sideline. Everyone was looking a little frazzled, so the next time the Director yelled, “Cut,” I walked over to him.
“I think we are ready for a change of pace. It is getting worse as we go.”
“That’s for damn sure, what do you have in mind.”
“Let’s do the scene where Mary tells me she wants to marry me and will I wait until she grows up.”
“Can’t hurt, and it will be a step forward.”
Of course this led to a change of lighting and camera angles. Once the set was ready Mary did a walk -through of her lines. She had them down cold, so we went for it. She delivered them letter perfect and with a sincere look. I wasn’t certain she was acting.
The Director had us run through the scene twice more, but it was a formality. She had nailed it the first time. I didn’t do too badly myself. I promised her I would wait until she grew up. To do a scene like that you have to have something real in your mind as you pretend.
For me it was easy. I just pretended that I was at one of Mary’s tea parties. We had done enough of them over the years I could say absolute rubbish with a straight face, “Why yes Mrs. Bear I would love to have sugar with my tea, two lumps please.”
The Director made a big deal out of it, “That ladies and gentlemen is how a professional does it. On time, dressed correctly, knows her lines and does the job.”
I had been about to open my mouth, but decided not to say anything. Mary had left on her wristwatch. I wondered if they would catch it somewhere along the line. They didn’t and it made it into the final cut.
It made the trade rag as an error when they reviewed the movie. Just as I was ready, the Director sent us all to lunch. The movie business is a lot like the military; hurry up and wait.
Mary and Mum had left the studio as her part was done. I doubted if she would be called back for a retake. I like everyone else ate at the cookout setup immediately outside of our studio. I had never seen fifty-five gallon drums cut in half to make a grill before, so that was neat.
I spent my lunch with the set crew rather than the other actors. Not that I was a snob, but these were all temporary people who worked as extras trying to get a break. Trying to get the break also entailed bringing themselves to the attention of the star, hoping to have a good word put in.
I didn’t know any of these people and was getting tired of them thinking I owed them something. By hanging with the working crew I avoid the extras and also spent time with people I actually knew. Not all of them of course, but I had worked different movies with several of them.
I asked how everyone was doing, how the parts of the movie that I hadn’t been there for were going. I found out the crew was in a good mood, and that this particular movie was going fine.
They were more interested in the documentary about Jackson Enterprises. The whole industry knew how it came about. Their conclusion was that I’m good people. I felt good about it, but tried to downplay it. The more I tried the more they told me I was the greatest.
I finally bowed to the pressure and stood up and took a real bow.
“You all may kiss my ring to pay me proper homage.”
That took care of that. I had offers to kiss other parts of them in turn. I ignored the peasants. It was a good lunch with a lot of laughter.
&n
bsp; After lunch we went back to me playing the fiddle. The change of pace had helped drop the frustration level of all present. We had five more takes and the Director was satisfied.
There were three different barn dances that I had to appear in to build up my character as a likeable guy. I had to change clothes twice more and have my makeup refreshed each time. I didn’t have to sing in the last two so it was easier for me.
All I had to do was make the broad hand motions and smile. They would cut in Louis’s hands for the close in work. It only took a total of seven takes for the two scenes which must have been a record.
From there it was back to costuming for me. Now I had to do several talking scenes with me being a nice guy and admired for my feats, without describing what those feats were. This required three costume changes as the writers wanted to build a solid image of me. By the time these scenes would be shown on the screen people would be wondering what I added to the movie.
There were several women in the scenes showing interest in me, but I did not return the favor. By the time this was all displayed, I would have a firm image as a good guy in the movie, at least with the white settlers. While all the other named actors in the movie had interaction on screen with the Indians, I didn’t.
It went past dinner time, and late into the evening. They brought us cold cuts from the commissary. We ate standing just wanting to get it done. I was yawning as I played the fiddle and joked with people. I wonder how they would keep that out of the picture.
The Director called it a night sometime after midnight. I think he would have kept going, but the square dancers were all danced or squared out. They looked like they were staggering around the stage. I had ‘forgotten’ to sign the log with my hours. I hope the state didn’t check.
I drank black hot coffee from a paper cup before getting in my car to head home. It was bitter, but it did the job. I managed to keep between the Botts Dots. Well, I did run over a couple.
Mum and Dad were waiting up. This was the latest I had been out for a long time. I didn’t have a curfew and they knew where I was, they just wanted to know I was in safe. I felt good about that, as I said good night.
We were back on the set by nine o’clock the next morning. I spent the first two hours in costume and makeup. Yesterday I had been a good guy; today I was a bad guy, a very bad guy.
They were going to shoot the scene where I was to be revealed as the crazy killer Lew Wetzel. My clothes were changed to outdoors frontiersman and a freshening of my makeup. Well it was more than freshening up. They made me even more harsh looking.
I would be chasing a young girl through the woods with every intention of killing her.
From a previous scene which used a double, I had shot her father and killed her mother and brother with the tomahawk. I was now going to do the same with her. It was not a blood and gore movie, so my killing of them would be a gun shot, then an arm raising the steel headed tomahawk for a killing blow. Contact wouldn’t be shown.
The family had been built up as ‘good Indians” during the movie. They were relatives of the Chief of the Wyandot tribe. They were shown trying to convince the Chief to sign a peace treaty with the settlers. In real life this attempted peace treaty was as close to a peaceful settlement of the Ohio country as it ever came. The family’s murder by Wetzel led to wars which finalized the demise of the Indians in the Northwest Territory.
Granted, Wetzel’s family had been killed by Indians but he took his hate and revenge beyond any civilized bounds. His killing of Indians in turn caused the death of many a white settler.
This set up what we hoped would be a shocking ending. The young man who we built up as being admired turns out to be the villain they have learned to hate during the movie. For those who gave it any thought it would high light the difference between then and now.
For the shot all I had to do was run down a trail with the camera mounted on a trolley following me on a track. I would be chasing a six year old Indian girl with my rifle in my left hand and a trade tomahawk in my right.
Simple sounding, but I stumbled the first time and fell on my face. Not only did this ruin the shot, but I wiped my face as I got up, resulting in a redo of my makeup. Fortunately, they were used to such things happening and had the makeup artist on set with their gear.
My job was to run down the path, and then when I crossed a line drawn across the path, I would look up. They had a white spot painted on one of the fake trees. When I looked directly at it, my face was full on to the camera.
The trees weren’t really fake, they were sections of real tree trunks turned vertical and mounted on a trolley so they could be stationed where ever they were needed, a forest that could move. I asked one of the stage hands if they were Tree Ents, but he didn’t get it.
The tomahawk I was using had a very dull rounded edge. It was a good thing because I tripped on another retake and would have done myself serious harm. I think the safest person in the area was that young girl I was chasing.
The last time I fell she actually came back and asked if I was okay. Not what I would do if someone was trying to scalp me with a hatchet, even pretend.
We finally got the scene in the can. There would be an epilogue roll over that would tell that Lew Wetzel was eventually arrested for murder of the peaceful Indians but was freed by his friends. He went to New Orleans where he spent time in prison for being caught counterfeiting, and eventually died of old age. The Shawnee to this day put charms on his grave to keep him there.
The day went long again, but we did finish up in time for me to return home in time for dinner. Mary was still up from her appearance in the movie. She hardly shut up the entire meal. She asked me what my next project was and could she be in it.
Mum interrupted her to remind her of the deal, one movie or ad appearance this year. Mary got a stricken look and burst into tears. Not crying, just tears running down her cheeks. I wanted to hug her but Mum just glared.
“Mary Elizabeth Jackson, I can make your scene go to the cutting room floor.”
Just like that the flow stopped. What an actress.
“Yes Mum, I will behave, but it was so much fun.”
“I know dear, there will be other chances.”
In a spritely happy voice, “I know, I wanted to see how serious you were.”
“Very.”
The kid was frightening.
Chapter 57
After dinner I called Mr. Larson and explained that there might be an unwelcome guest tomorrow and that I would love to see him arrested for trespassing on federal property. Mr. Larsen just rented his space from LAX; it was controlled by the US Government, even though it was owned by Los Angeles County.
He thought it would be a good idea for him to invite the LAX police over for coffee in case they were needed.
Today was New Year’s Eve, it was a normal work day for most people but they would probably get off work early to get ready for the nights festivities. I skipped my morning workout, so that Denny and I could head out to LAX early. Mr. Larsen didn’t have any flight training scheduled for today and wanted us in and out as soon as possible.
On the way I explained to Denny my plan for the paparazzi and would he get as many pictures as he could.
Denny had taken care of the wardrobe for the photographs with input from Sam Neilsen. Sam met us in the lobby of the flight school. Even though Denny was taking the pictures this was a new opportunity for his studio and he wanted to make certain it went well.
He had a van with a ton or so of lights and reflectors in it. At Mr. Larsen’s direction we took it around to a hangar with several planes that would be used in the ads. All had Larsen’s Flight School painted neatly on the fuselage. Denny was to make certain that all pictures included these.
To my surprise another van and a car drove up. The van contained the wardrobe that would be used today. I hadn’t given it any thought as to what I would be wearing. Now that I thought about it, my chino’s and light blue polo shirt, al
ong with my dark blue sport coat would be a bit much for every picture.
Denny had raided my closet, and Sam had borrowed some outfits from Warner Brothers, using my name.
The car had two models sitting in the back, a blonde and a brunette. This worked out well, it turns out that the papa-rats-eye had not been lied to. I knew that two LAX policemen were watching us from the window in the hangar office. Since the blinds were pulled you couldn’t see them.
About that time the door opened and the two cops came strolling out. They headed towards the hangar man door, but at the last moment turned to the side and ran behind a plane parked there. The next thing I heard was a couple of thuds like a scuffle going on.
The police emerged from behind the airplane with a slightly worse for the wear man in handcuffs. As they brought him towards us, Denny and Sam both were clicking away. At least I would have something to send to Judy, it wouldn’t change how she felt, but it would show that I did care.
The paparazzi swearing up a blue streak was still struggling with the police. Not the smartest thing to do.
The lead policeman told Mr. Larsen, “As you suspected there was a trespasser on your grounds and that of the LAX airport. He also resisted arrest, so that will be added to the charges.”
From the cops smirk I wouldn’t bet who started that little fracas out of our sight.
I asked, “What will the penalty be?”
“Not that much, he is probably a first time offender. The Judge will probably fine him a couple of hundred and time served.”
“How much time will he have to serve?”
“It will be at least until next Monday when court resumes.”
Mr. Larsen thanked both of them for their efforts as they hauled the guy away. The guy had never stopped swearing, I thought he was going to bust a gut when they exposed the film from the camera and all that he had on him.
I thanked Mr. Larsen for his help.
“No problem Rick, but he seemed to get off lightly.”
