Brita Addams Tarnished Gold

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.“No slumping.Sloppy.You’ll get nowhere with sloppy posture.”Ted’s commanding voice made Jack exert a conscious effort to stand straighter.“You’ll need makeup.Much too pale.”Ted raked his hand through Jack’s unruly hair.“Annie!”A young woman ran up.“Yes, sir.”“Get this one pomaded, then send him to Izzy for makeup.”Jack’s gaze darted between the two, who spoke to each other as though he weren’t there at all.“We have a restaurant scene, so you’ll need to be in formal attire.”“He’s all set,” Eric said as Annie fidgeted with Jack’s hair.“See you later, Jack.”Jack attempted to look toward Eric, but Annie slapped his shoulder.“Be still.”“Sorry.Yeah, later.”“So you’re his latest protégé, huh?”“I s’pose, if you have to put a name on it.”“Eric’s good for that,” Ted said.“Okay, Annie, get him ready and to Izzy in five.We shoot in twenty.”EMILE DICKSON instructed the extras in the art of sophistication.“Pay no attention to Paul or Rosemary.Make conversation with your dinner companion until I say cut.”“Jack and Flossie, over here,” Ted said.“Sit down, pretend you’re interested in each other, and be beautiful.”The young woman who sat down opposite him was indeed beautiful, and likely turned many heads.“I’m Jack,” he said, his smile natural in response to hers.“Flossie.This is terrific, isn’t it?”“Yeah, I don’t quite know what to make of it.”“Okay, all you extras, eyes only for each other.” Ted went from table to table with last-minute instructions.“Have you ever done this before?” Jack asked Flossie.“Oh my, yes.Lots of times.I’m a regular around here.”“Mind if I ask you some questions?”“Don’t mind at all.Smile and act like you like me.”The director shouted, “Action,” and sweat magically beaded on Jack’s forehead, as though it was his scene.“How long have you done this?”“A couple years,” Flossie said as she inched her hand across the table to take his.“Were you nervous in the beginning?”Flossie smiled coyly, staying in character.“Of course, but it does get easier.All you have to do is pretend we’re the only two people in the world and we’re in love and out on the town.”Out on the town with a woman, God, he couldn’t imagine such a thing, which only added to his bout of nerves.He took a deep breath and called upon his memories of his parents, how they acted when they thought no one was watching.After a few moments of concentration, his nervousness abated, and he was able to conduct a benign conversation with a woman he’d never met before in his life.Their discussion grew so natural, the director’s shouted “Cut” surprised him.All told, he was in five scenes before the director wrapped filming for the day.The script called for him to mill around in one scene, then Ted ordered him to the set where Siegler was filming a pirate movie.Within minutes, a dresser had transformed him into a dastardly bandit of the sea, complete with a scraggly beard and a very tall, rather ridiculous-looking hat.With gusto, he fell into an animated brawl with a dozen other actors and found it as natural as breathing.At the end of the day, unable to find Eric anywhere, he trudged to the car and slumped in the seat, hungry and completely exhausted.“There you are,” Eric said as he climbed in.“I’ve looked everywhere for you.”Jack rolled his head toward his friend.“Acting isn’t anything like I imagined.It’s real work.”Eric laughed the way someone does when they know something you don’t.“You wouldn’t have believed me if I’d told you.Best you learned it on your own.”“I don’t know how the main actors do it.I’m tuckered out.”“They perform when they only have the energy to crawl into bed.That’s why Paul and Rosemary get four hundred a week.”Jack woke up fully and straightened in his seat.“Four hundred a week?”“Some make more, lots more, but yeah, that’s what they make.They have some star power and are gaining in popularity all the time.”What do they have that I don’t? “You’ve got to teach me everything there is to know about the picture business.I want to make that kind of money one day.”“Well, let’s get home, get you some food, and you can ask me anything you’d like.”“Okay, first question, how does a guy end up making four hundred a week?”Eric chuckled.“You start off making a dollar fifty a day and work your way up.”December, 1922“MRS.ATWOOD outdid herself this evening,” Jack said, as he pushed his plate away.“She put on a spread just like back home.”“She did, indeed,” Eric said as he leaned back and rubbed his stomach.“Speaking of home, do you want to go for Christmas?”Jack stood and grabbed his nearly full glass of wine.“I don’t believe so.I’ll send money, but I don’t feel the need to go back.Let’s go sprawl in the parlor.I believe I need to loosen my buttons.”Eric smiled and followed Jack.“Good.I want to give a Christmas party, and I’d rather hoped you’d be here.”They sat side by side on the overstuffed striped-damask and mahogany sofa, their legs stretched out before them.“Oh yes, this is better,” Jack said as he loosened his fly.“A party you say? You haven’t hosted anyone but me since I moved in.Why now?”“With the holidays coming, I believe it’s high time I showed you off.You’ve learned so much in such a short time, and you’re getting noticed at the studio.There’s buzz amongst the directors that you have star quality, that you steal scenes from the actors.Have you noticed that much more work is coming your way?”“You mean am I more tired at the end of each day? Yes, I’ve noticed, but I have nothing to compare it to.I thought that was normal.”“Take notice of your fellow extras and how often they are used compared to you.”Jack took a mental tally.“Yes, I see what you’re saying.Many of them are only used once or twice a week.”“For your own edification, keep track of the kinds of scenes they are in, then compare to what you’re asked to do.Meanwhile, you need to display the qualities that make you matinee idol material, and the only way to do that is for you to meet people in higher places.Directors, producers.You’ve learned to comport yourself properly, and you’ve outdone me in your knowledge of music and antiques.I’m proud of all you’ve learned, and there’s no better time to put it to good use.”Eric’s praise warmed him, fueled his growing affection for the man who only saw him as a friend.“Thanks to you, I can converse with just about anyone, about more than sugarcane and moving pictures.”Eric let out a deep, soulful laugh.“It’s more than that though.You’ve developed a confidence that one can’t help but admire [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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