by Ed Nelson
“This weapon will only fire blanks so a lighter frame and barrel work. This cuts the cost down. They seem to walk off the set after every picture so we have to watch our budget.”
“I see,” I replied.
I also thought about the pair of real 45’s that came from the set of It Never Happened. Oh well too late now.
Chapter 27
When I went over to the shooting area Paul Grant was in position. He made a snide remark about the new kids not being able to show up for work on time. I was about to say something when I decided to ignore him. I couldn’t change the way he thought, so fight the battles that matter. This one didn’t.
In this scene we were at the end of the cattle drive and whooping it up in town. That was a little strange because we hadn’t even started the drive yet, but that is how they did things. I and several others would be firing our pistols on cue into the air.
We did a walk through and were ready to film. Mr. Wayne wasn’t in this scene but he was on the sidelines to my right watching.
As we were getting into position I heard someone say, “What the heck!”
I looked to my left and saw a coyote standing in the street.
The coyote had a problem, a real problem. It was foaming at the mouth.
Someone yelled, “Rabies!”
That started the stampede. Everyone started running past me as quick as they could.
The coyote saw every one running and took off after them. That left him coming straight at me. I drew my pistol and time seemed to slow down and my vision tunneled in on the coyote.
He was coming straight at me and was starting to leap. I fired when he was in midair. The armorer was correct it was loud, flame did shoot out the barrel and there was a cloud of smoke. I hit the coyote in the throat and it knocked him down.
He was down, but not out so I cocked the pistol and shot it in its ear from one foot. That ended the coyote.
To say there was pandemonium on the set was to put it mildly. The director told us all to go home. Studio security took custody of the coyote and my weapon.
Did they think I was going to shoot someone? I found out later it was to prove there were only blanks in the pistol. There had been some nasty accidents over the years.
Paul Grant was the one who caused all the real commotion. He stormed off the set saying that he had been promised security and that the studio was now in violation of his contract so he was done.
Several people came up to me and thanked me for what I had done. Mr. Wayne had an odd comment.
“David Niven said your mother has a lot of grit, I see you have it to.”
“He said he knew her in the war.”
“You could put it that way.”
You could see Mr. Wayne almost jerk himself like a running dog that had reached the end of its rope. I wonder what he had been going to say.
Los Angeles County Animal Control appeared on the scene and wanted statements from everyone. When they heard that I was the one that tangled with the critter they examined me closely for any sign of bites. Of course there weren’t any. They took the coyote with them to have it tested for rabies, but it sure looked classic to me.
John Wayne approached me again with the Director and Producer in tow.
“Rick, am I to understand that if this movie is cancelled that you would be willing to work with us on another one?”
“Yes Sir I would.”
“It looks like the time isn’t right for The Cowboys, we will make the movie someday but it doesn’t look like now. You are not old enough to play the lead and it would take too much to bring someone else in. We will have legal battles with Grant and might have to pay him over this incident today, which ruins our budget.”
“If we could have you lead in another movie at a lower price we could use the assets we have and still make a profitable movie.”
‘Sir, I’m having dinner with a prospective agent, I will talk to you tomorrow.”
“That sounds good partner.”
It was late enough I went to lunch by myself. While eating at least twenty people came up to me about the coyote. They all wanted to know how I had been able to stand there calmly while it charged.
I thought that said something about the movie industry. They played the parts of heroes but couldn’t understand how someone could face up to a problem in real life.
One person was very persistent in their questioning. They wanted to know where I was in relation to Mr. Wayne. He was on the side away from the coyote. When it was over he was next to me.
“So John Wayne charged into the trouble.”
“I guess so, I hadn’t thought about it.”
“Where was Paul Grant when the coyote was sighted?”
“His place in that scene was next to me.”
“Where was he after you shot the coyote?”
“I don’t know, he must have left the set because he came back on to yell at the Producer.”
“So you stood your ground, John Wayne charged into trouble and Paul Grant ran?”
“That’s what it looked like.”
“What do you think of Grant for running?”
“I don’t think anything of Paul Grant, he does what he has to, and I do what I have to.”
I began to get uneasy about all these questions so gave nothing answers and excused myself to go to class.
Both Mr. Danson and Miss Sperry were waiting for me at the schoolhouse. They had the results from my exams. They were very pleased. From my scores if I took the California end of the year exams I would pass everything but Biology and that was close. They felt with three weeks of concentrated study I could easily pass the test.
I asked.
“What about grades. How does that work? From what you are telling me this is a pass fail exercise. I could pass but then I would have no grades for the year. Right now I am carrying an A average. If I pass the tests I will get credit for the ninth grade but there will be no way to tell if I did it with A’s, B’s or C’s.”
“You are correct Rick. That is why we would also start you on the SAT exam series. Grades really have meaning if you are trying to get into college. I have never heard of a factory job application wanting to know your grades, only if you graduated,” Mr. Danson told me.
“The Universities and Colleges rely on the SAT scores more than grades. The SAT is a standard test where high school grades are all over the place across the country. What is an A in one school may be only a B in another,” chimed in Miss Sperry.
That made sense to me. I knew that grading in Bellefontaine varied from teacher to teacher. Heck every kid in school knew that if you wanted an easy A in English you didn’t get near Miss Bales class. She actually insisted you know the subject.
“So passing the state requirements then doing well on the SAT’s will be the same as having high grades?”
I had reached that conclusion but wanted them to reaffirm it. They did so we proceeded to the next steps.
“Rick, what we think is needed is a concentration in Biology for the next three weeks plus some review work in the others.”
Mr. Danson told me then added, “It wouldn’t hurt to expand your Latin vocabulary to include the rest of the year.”
A sudden wild thought hit me.
“Can I sit for an exam that I have never had the course work for?”
Miss Sperry replied, “Yes you can, what are you thinking of?”
“Do you speak Spanish?”
It turned out neither of them could. However Miss Sperry walked out the door and yelled that she needed someone that was bi-lingual in Spanish and English. Two stage hands came over. She told them to see if I could really speak Spanish.
The two stage hands and I talked about the coyote incident this morning. They both thought I had cojones for standing there while the coyote charged. I told them it wasn’t bravery, it was the fact that I couldn’t run fast! They both thought that was funny.
After several minutes of this Mr. Danson interrupted.
“From the way you guys are carrying on, I gather he speaks Spanish?”
“Yes he does, he comes across as very educated.”
“Well then we will test you on it tomorrow and if you do well you can sit for the California final.”
This gave me a lot of food for thought. How much could I test out of? There was no lesson plan for the day so I was excused. It was only two o’clock so I had plenty of time to do my work out.
That gave me time to think. I sat on the steps of a courthouse and thought about my options for the possible new movie. The way I saw it, there were three needs that needed to be addressed. Mine, John Baxter’s, and John Wayne’s and all of those needs had short and long term requirements.
In the short term John Baxter needed a lot of money. If he got it, it would hurt me in the long term. John Wayne needed to spend less money. This would hurt John Baxter and help me. No matter how much I was paid it would be considerably more than I was making now. Even the money I was making now was whipped cream on top of my sundae.
So I had to come up with a plan that helped Mr. Baxter and Mr. Wayne achieve their goals. That would financially hurt me in the short term but could set a solid foundation for the future. Then I had a thought about how I could even improve my short term problem.
Chapter 28
I went to the studio office and arranged to use a phone in private to call my parents. They checked to see what movie I was working on so they could bill the phone call to that budget. The lady who took care of this was businesslike and helpful.
She also wanted to know about the rabid coyote. She had heard that it had bit two people before I shot it. That was news to me. I later learned that didn’t happen.
I talked to Mum and Dad and explained what I was facing and my possible solution. They both agreed that it might just work and that long term I would be a big winner in good will and probably money. I thanked the ladies in the studio office and headed over to the stunt area.
Today they were roping a post. The guys showed me the basics and I got to practice a while. I also was given free run of the roping gear, so I could practice on my own. The point was made that I wasn’t to jump off any roofs unattended, but if I want to shoot any coyotes feel free.
After working with the lariat for a while I started to get the feel of it. I soon became proficient at roping a fence post while standing. I’m sure that roping a moving cow while on horseback wouldn’t be much harder. In my dreams!
I did all my weight lifting with some of the stunt men. We took turns spotting for each other. As usual I desperately needed a shower when we were finished.
Dick was on time so I had plenty of time to clean up and shower. I went for the preppy look again but wore a dark blue sport coat over my golf shirt. Or call it a polo shirt if I wanted to be Hollywood glamorous.
Our reservations were at the Hollywood Brown Derby. I took a quick shower and changed into grey slacks and a light blue golf shirt. A dark blue blazer with gold buttons and a black belt made me look spiffy. I still wore my boots. They were too comfortable to give up.
The Brown Derby was a cool building, built in the shape of a hat. Inside were cartoon drawings of famous actors and actresses.
Mr. Baxter arrived almost at the same time. We had to wait less than a minute. Dick introduced us and we were seated. Mr. Baxter appeared to be in his sixties with silver white hair. I had heard men with hair like that called, The Silver Fox. He had a tanned face which had some lines, but not as many as you would have thought. There were none of those burst blood vessels in his cheeks or nose like my Uncle Wally had from drinking.
He wore a dark blue pin striped suit with a red tie. His tie clip had a diamond in it. I don’t know what brand his watch was but it appeared expensive. Every inch of him screamed here is a successful man. I also knew he was a desperate man.
We made small talk all through dinner. He asked questions about Bellefontaine, school and my life in general but avoided business. We all turned down dessert. I think Dick, Janice, Mr. Baxter and I wanted to get to the real reason we were there.
Mr. Baxter opened with, “I hear you are looking for an agent.”
“When Dick Wyman and John Wayne tell you to get an agent you would be a fool not to listen.”
“I’m prepared to represent you on certain conditions. I understand they are putting The Cowboys on hold and want you to star in another vehicle. You can make a lot of money doing this. I think we can get you half a million dollars. For that small fortune I would want ten percent.”
It was nice to know that Mr. Wyman and Mr. Wayne were being straight with me. It made my next statement easier.
“I believe in having all the cards on the table. You need fifty thousand dollars for your granddaughter’s medical bills. That is how you came up with my price and your fee. John Wayne needs to keep my price under three hundred thousand dollars.”
“Here is my proposal. I pay you fifty thousand dollars to negotiate for me as a one-time deal for this movie. That way your problems are solved. We also sign a standard agent contract for future work where you receive five percent. That way my longer term monies are maximized. As my earning potential grows you will still come out ahead.”
I had everyone’s attention. “I would like you to negotiate for two hundred thousand dollars….”
I let it wait for a beat, and then added, “plus one point.”
Mr. Baxter looked at Dick and asked, “What sort of monster have you set loose on Hollywood? That is brilliant.”
He looked at me and stated, “You are playing the long game, creating markers all over the place and setting the precedent that you will ask for points in every movie you are in.”
Dick asked, “Rick, how did you come up with this?” “
“I had time to think today, I had just learned what points meant in the movie business, if you believe in the people you are working with why not share the risk and rewards. I knew both Mr. Baxter and Mr. Wayne had a problem and that I was in the middle so I thought about how to make it a win for all of us.”
Mr. Baxter leaned over the table and offered his hand.
“I will be proud to be your agent. I knew that if I got the money I needed it would destroy me in this business, but I didn’t see any way out. I regret I don’t have a granddaughter the right age for you.”
Now that was embarrassing!
The flood gates of cheerful conversation were opened. Luckily I remembered the name of the law firm that had reviewed my original Warner Brothers contract. Mr. Baxter would have his agreement in their hands tomorrow.
I would call home again and keep my parents up to date and ask them to contact the law firm on my behalf. The power of attorney held by Dick would let him sign the contract on my behalf if I countersigned it.
We decided that dessert was a good idea after all so we indulged. Dick found out that Mr. Baxter hadn’t heard about the coyote incident. He asked all sorts of questions. He was most interested in who talked to me about the incident.
When I named the last person who questioned me and how they concentrated on where people were and what they did he gave a small grimace.
“It will be in the papers tomorrow, Kid stands, Paul Grant runs. Kid has a poor opinion of Grant.”
“I didn’t say that!”
“Did you say you didn’t think much of Grant?”
“Well yes, but I meant that I had so many things on my mind at that point he wasn’t one of them.”
After I gave that reply I remembered everything I had learned about historical reporting in my essays.
“Uh Oh I’m in for it.”
“A little but since you are the hero of this you will get away with it. I wouldn’t recommend ever asking Paul Grant for help though.”
After that we went our separate ways. On the way out Mr. Baxter introduced me to Mr. Cobb. He told him he would be seeing a lot of me in the future. I shook hands with him and we left. While waiting for the valet to bring our car aroun
d I made a little joke.
“It must be tough being named after a salad.”
This received way more laughter than I thought it would.
Chapter 29
Before running in the morning I called from Wyman’s and talked to my parents. I told them things went exactly as we had talked about yesterday. Mr. Baxter would be dropping off a contract at our Hollywood lawyers today. Dad said he would make the call to let them know about it, and that Dick held a valid power of attorney.
As Dick and I were running I thought about all the attorneys in my life, it was getting crazy, there was our family attorney, my patent attorney and now my entertainment attorney. Thank god our family seldom had divorces.
When I had stopped at the front gate there had been a note waiting for me to report to room 107 building 3. The buildings were marked well enough that I was able to find building 3 without having to ask one of the tour guides leading groups around.
John Wayne, Producer Saul Goldman, and Director Ron Dodge were waiting for me. There were also two writers that I hadn’t met. They were introduced as Dusty Rhodes, and Jim Turner.
Mr. Wayne began.
“I talked to both Dick Wyman and John Baxter this morning. They both told me that you had reached an agreement with John that would take care of his problems and also meet my goals. They didn’t want to give me any details until you have a signed contract in place with John. I will be very interested in seeing how you appear to have achieved the impossible.”
“In the meantime we want to discuss a movie with you. As of today Paul Grant has put the studio on notice that they have broken his contract by not providing the security required. He claims the studio should have had safe guards in place against rabid coyote’s and trained personnel rather than an irresponsible teenage boy who could have got him killed.”
I liked that, I was irresponsible because I stood between him and danger. Would that have made me responsible if I let it attack him?
Mr. Wayne continued, “That puts The Cowboys on hold for the foreseeable future. While we will all be paid as we haven’t violated our contracts we are effectively out of work. The studio will have to take the loss. That gives us a unique opportunity.”