THAT'S ME IN THE SECOND ROW
PART 6
We were flying high, on easy street. Then my studio did something which greatly affected our future. The Studio had imported from New York, BROADWAY BOY! He had been a hit in a Broadway show. He was the Star, Director and Choreographer in a show that was a hit. The studio had great hopes for him. For his first project he was assigned to an "A" film that my Amarotto directed, and I worked on the dance numbers. He came over to the house and we read the script. We were sitting in the kitchen discussing the play when I noticed he was getting "Antsy." We took a break. My amaretto got up and made a fresh pot of coffee. While he was away from the kitchen table, I turned to BROADWAY BOY and asked him: "Why are you getting antsy?"
He answered: "My background is New York Theatre. It is a cooperative medium and everyone involved can give their opinion. I have had several ideas for the film, and was not sure how my input would be received."
At that point, my Amaretto returned to the table with the coffee pot. As he refilled the coffee cups he remarked: "My background is New York Theatre, So I will welcome any comments." We went back to the beginning of the script, and started over. BROADWAY BOY had some good ideas which were integrated into the working script. My amaretto later told me that he had heard every comment while making coffee. BROADWAY BOY became a friend and, although straight, he never made a comment or judgement about the strange living arrangements in our household. He didn't ask, and we didn't tell. We got along well, and we were a team!
The first film starring BROADWAY BOY was a hit, and a second one was scheduled. He came over to the house and asked my ammarotto: "What does a movie director do?" My amarotto brought him into the "Den" and showed him the many pads, and how a movie was broken down.
Several months later, we started another movie. BROADWAT BOY came to the house and asked to be an assistant to the director, without a credit. My amarotto agreed, and they disappeared into the den. In addition to the film's breakdown, my amaretto talked about camera angles: Long shots, Medium shots and Close Ups. There was some great talk about how dances should be filmed That film was a great success, both financially and artistically.
The studio noted that we did good work together, and packaged us as a team.
Then we did a film that greatly affected our lives. When my amaretto was not working on a project, he would read rejected scripts. The scripts were from many sources, including the general public. For various reasons, the scripts were rejected as not being "right" for a movie. My amaretto gave me the script in question to read. It was terrible, but it had potential. As the lead character was a male who could sing and dance, we invited BROADWAY BOY to come over. The three of us gathered in the kitchen, and we rewrote the script. Midway through, Peter came in from work. He joined us at the kitchen table. After a few minutes, Peter began to make comments. Most of his comments were technical in nature, but germaine to the story line.
The next day my amaroto brought the script and his voluminous notes to the secretarial pool and a revised script was typed up. The next step was to get the revised script approved. Since it had started as a rejected script, we did not have to submit it to the writing department, so my amaretto brought it directly to the office of the Studio Owner. He explained the situation to the boss's secretary and she assured my amaretto the she would see that the studio owner read it. From that point, all we had to do was wait!
The next morning we received a phone call from the secretary. She asked if my amaretto could make a meeting at 2PM. He agreed. The fact that she ASKED was a good sign. My amaretto went to the studio, to the office of the Studio owner. The secretary escorted him into the inner office and sat him down to await the appearance of the studio. A few moments later, the studio owner came in with the revised script. He sat at the desk, looked at my amerotto and said: "Deje Vou." My amaretto was taken back. The studio owner continued to talk. He said: "The last time you brought in a script, the film was just what I was looking for. We made a movie that not only made a lot of money, but was an artistic success. It put us on the Hollywood map. Now you come in with another script and, based on what you have done in the past, You have my full backing on this project. I will give your copy to the printing department, and we will have a production meeting next Tuesday." That ended the meeting.
I was home, very nervous; but this time I had Peter's hand to hold. My ammerotto came in with his hands behind his back and a neutral face. I couldn't stand the suspense, and asked: "Well?" He then brought his hands to the front. He was carrying a bottle of champagne.He said: "The production meeting for our new film is Tuesday!" Peter took the champagne bottle and disappeared into the kitchen while I embraced my amaretto and kissed him. Peter returned with three full glasses of champagne, and we toasted the new movie.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. In came a messenger with contracts for our participation in the new film. He said he was instructed to wait for our signatures, and return the paperwork to the Legal Department. I examined the contracts. We were going to get writing credit! We signed the contracts and the messenger took them and left. I then went to the phone and called BROADWAY BOY to give him the good news. He said that he had just signed a contract to star in an as yet untitled Movie, and he was to get a writing credit.
The next day, I went to the printing department and got copies of the script. The printing department had worked all night. They knew that a production could lose thousands of dollars if there were no scripts, so they worked accordingly!
We threw ourselves into working on the film. It was a financial and artistic success. The film was nominated for "Best Picture" by the newly formed Academy Awards (it didn't win, but that's another story.) That was our last "Contracted" Film. The studio transitioned to the "Studio System." I was now "Under Contract" and got a check each week. My amerotto was also under contract. As he was an "A" director, the contract check was not small. Peter was also under contract.
We were flying high, and were scheduled to make another film. BROADWAy BOY came over and said he would like credit as assistant director. We made no decision then, but later that night, with the three in bed together, we discussed the request. If BROADWAY BOY got a credit, it would mean a decrease in my ammerotto's compensation as the money for an assistant would come out of the Director's compensation. I assured my amerotto that this would not cause us any financial problems. It all boiled down to my amerotto's ego! Weather or not he could bare the blow to his ego. We talked some more and then slept on it. The next morning my amerotto called BROADWAy BOY and informed him that he would get credit as Assistant Director
We were doing very well, then came World War II.