Mary and Jody in the Movies

by JoAnn S. Dawson

  “All right, then,” Twister began. “Everybody dismount and stand next to your horses. The first scene starts with Miss Beaumont giving instructions on how to mount.”

  But there was no time for mounting instructions. The instant Mary and Jody touched their feet to the ground, the quiet morning air was split with a bloodcurdling scream! The girls looked up in alarm toward the sound of the shriek and covered their mouths in shock. Stumpy was galloping at full speed across the field toward the road. His rider, desperately hanging on with both hands to his mane, dangled with one leg over his back. When Mary and Jody saw red pigtails flying in the wind, they knew the rider was Annie Mooney!

  12

  Willie to the Rescue

  TIME SEEMED TO stand still in the center of the ring. Riders and crew members stood frozen to their spots, their mouths open in fright. The horses flung up their heads and pricked their ears in the direction of the sound. Only when Willie jerked Hoppy’s bridle reins from Mary’s grasp did she turn away. And what she saw in the next moment shocked her almost as much as the horrible sight of Annie dangling from the saddle.

  Willie, suddenly as agile as a schoolboy, flung the reins over Hoppy’s head and vaulted from the ground onto the saddle without using the stirrups. Laying the left rein firmly against Hoppy’s neck, in one swift motion he spun the horse in a circle and flew out of the gate in pursuit of Stumpy, who was rapidly approaching the paved road.

  “Twister!” Mary screamed, turning to the wiry wrangler. But Twister was already up on Augie and headed out the gate. Knowing that galloping directly behind Stumpy would only make him run faster, Willie was making a wide circle to the right in an attempt to come around in front of the runaway horse. Leaning over the saddle horn, his hat long blown off and hands forward like a jockey, he kicked Hoppy frantically with his heels with each stride. Understanding Willie’s strategy, Twister bore to the left, hoping to head Stumpy off if he suddenly galloped in that direction to avoid Willie.

  “I think he’s gaining on them!” Jody squeaked, clutching Mary’s arm with a grip like iron. Mary, too anxious to speak, simply stood with her hands on either side of her face, fixated on the scene unfolding before them. Vicki Beaumont, the color completely drained from her face, put her arm around Mary’s shoulder and squeezed.

  Willie drew near enough to Stumpy’s flank to fling his arm around Annie and pull her to safety.

  “Get the set medic!” Mr. Gordon yelled to one of the production assistants. “Have her standing by in case the girl is hurt.”

  Indeed, it looked as though Annie would fly off at any second if Willie didn’t get to her in time. But Hoppy had gained on the galloping horse, and just as it seemed that Annie could hold on no longer, Willie drew near enough to Stumpy’s flank to fling his arm around Annie and pull her to safety. Hoppy, feeling the extra weight on his side and the tug ofWillie reining him in at the same instant, seemed to instinctively know to come down quickly to a halt, allowing Willie to set Annie’s feet gently on the ground, where she immediately crumpled into a heap.

  The instant Annie landed on the grass, Mary and Jody recovered from their paralysis and grabbed Lady and Gypsy’s reins from their hapless riders.

  “I’ll hold Shalimar!” Vicki Beaumont volunteered, as Jody and Mary vaulted onto their ponies and took off cantering across the field toward Annie. Several production assistants, along with the medic, began running on foot in the same direction.

  Willie, having sprung from Hoppy’s back an instant after lowering Annie to the ground, kneeled in the grass next to her. As if sensing something wrong, Hoppy stood quietly at Willie’s elbow, extending his muzzle toward Annie’s still body. Mary and Jody reached the scene just as Twister rode up on Augie, leading Stumpy alongside.

  “Is she hurt, Willie? Annie, are you all right? Can she hear me?” Mary gasped all in one breath.

  “Twister, ride to the cow stable and get Roy,”Willie said, ignoring Mary for the moment. “Just turn Stumpy loose. He’ll find his way back to the stable.”

  Twister did as he was told, releasing his hold on Stumpy’s reins and turning Augie swiftly toward the dairy barn. But when Twister galloped off on Augie, Stumpy decided to stay exactly where he was, near Hoppy, where he seemed to feel safe. In fact, horses and people were so thick around Annie that the medic could scarcely get through.

  “Please stand back,” she implored, setting her black leather bag on the ground next to Annie, who laid still, her eyes closed. The medic took a small white vial from the bag, broke it in half, and held one half under Annie’s nose.

  “Wow, that must be smelling salts, just like they use in the movies,” Mary marveled. “I didn’t know they used that in real life.”

  The smelling salts had just the desired effect on Annie. She shook her head from side to side, and her eyes flew open. She gazed at the gathering crowd in confusion for an instant and then tried to sit up.

  “Wait a minute, honey,” the medic said gently, cradling Annie’s head in her hand. “Don’t sit up yet. Does anything hurt? Tell me where it hurts.”

  Annie didn’t speak but continued looking dazedly at the medic.

  Suddenly, “Annie!” came a panicked voice from behind Willie. Mr. Mooney knelt beside his daughter and put his arms out to her.

  “Daddy!” Annie whimpered, flinging her arms around his neck. “Stumpy ran away, and I fell off, but Willie saved me!”

  The crowd around Annie breathed a sigh of relief as she spoke, realizing that she was at least thinking straight. The medic held the palm of her hand on Annie’s back, supporting her as she hugged her father tightly.

  “Annie, I need you to listen to me for a minute,” the medic said firmly. “Are you feeling dizzy at all?”

  Annie simply shook her head no.

  “Then I’d like to see if you can stand up, slowly, with your daddy helping you on one side, and I’ll be on the other.”

  This time Annie shook her head yes. Ever so slowly, with the medic supporting her elbow on the right and Mr.Mooney with his armaround her waist on the left, they raised Annie to her feet. The minute she stood upright, the crowd around her burst into applause. At the sudden outburst, Stumpy and Hoppy raised their heads in surprise, but neither moved from their spots.

  “Look at the horses,” Jody giggled. “They’ve probably never heard applause before.”

  But Mary was too busy gathering information to notice what the horses were doing.

  “Annie, what happened? Why did Stumpy take off? Were you trying to ride him? Did something spook him?” she blurted all in one breath.

  “Leave her be,” Willie warned in his you’d better mind me voice. “Annie needs to rest right now, and you need to git your horses back over to the ring. We got a movie to shoot.”

  The no-nonsense tone in Willie’s voice was enough to inform not only Mary and Jody, but the rest of the crowd as well, that it was time to get back to business. Almost in unison, the crew, production assistants, and even Mr. Gordon the director turned and headed back to the ring. Mr. Mooney and the medic, with Annie between them, made their way to the stone farmhouse rather than the house trailer so that Annie could lie down and rest in comfort without little Heath bothering her.

  At that very moment, Heath was sitting in the middle of the living room floor in the house trailer, playing intently with his blocks. Annie’s brother Jimmy sat fidgeting on the couch, watching Heath. But, although Jimmy was watching his little brother, he was not really seeing him. The only thing Jimmy could picture in his mind was the sight of his sister flying across a field, hanging onto the side of a horse for dear life.

  And it was all his fault.

  13

  Shooting the Scene

  AFTER THE TERRIFYING incident with Stumpy and Annie, getting back to the business of making a movie proved to be a more somber affair than Mary and Jody anticipated. They were dying to say something to Willie about his heroic ride, but they could tell from his expression that he was in no mood for
conversation. After settling Stumpy in a stall at Lucky Foot Stable, Willie and Twister assembled everyone once again inside the ring. The cameraman and crew took their places. Vicki Beaumont handed Shalimar over to Jody and placed herself in the exact spot in the center of the ring where Mr. Gordon had instructed her to stand. Finally, all riders were lined up in the same sequence as before, standing next to their mounts. It was only then that Twister addressed them, but not in his usual joking manner.

  “Now, we’ve got to concentrate on what we’re doin’ and put what just happened out of our minds,” he said, twisting his handlebar mustache between his thumb and finger. “I don’t know what caused Stumpy to run off, and I don’t know why Annie was on him at the time, but her daddy’s takin’ care of her in the farmhouse, and she’s fine. Now just remember that you all are inside the ring, and you know your horses are as dependable as they can be. So there’s nothin’ to be afraid of. Is there anybody that doesn’t feel comfortable mountin’ up?”

  The riders stood silent as stones, no one making a sound.

  “All right then, we’ll get started. It’s goin’ to be a long day, but we’ll make it as short as we can, if everybody cooperates. Now as I told you before, this scene is s’posed to be your first ridin’ lesson. Miss Beaumont is playin’ a character named Jenny who has decided on her own to use her family’s horses to teach lessons so’s she can help with the expenses on the farm. So you all just do as she says, just like a real lesson. When the scene starts, she’s already demonstrated how to mount, and she’s goin’ to ask you to mount up just like she’s just shown you. And don’t forgit, try not to look too good, even though you know how to ride.”

  Twister paused and then turned to Willie. “Will, you got anything to add?”

  “I reckon not,” Willie said, tugging on his earlobe. Although the other riders didn’t know Willie well enough to sense anything amiss, Mary and Jody could tell that he was still upset from the incident with Annie.

  “All right, then, I’ll turn it over to Mr. Gordon.”

  As if from nowhere, a man wearing headphones and carrying a long pole topped by what appeared to be a stuffed, gray, fuzzy stocking appeared and took a position near Miss Beaumont.

  “What in the world is that thing?” Jody whispered to Mary.

  “Oh, that picks up the sound,”Mary repliedmatter-of-factly. “I think it’s called a boom. I saw Willie with it yesterday. He was holding it over the horses’ heads and moving it around so they wouldn’t be scared of it when the time came.”

  Before Jody could reply, two women, one carrying a blue canvas bag with all sorts of pockets and zippers, and the other with a brown leather bag slung around her waist, suddenly trotted through the gate. Approaching Vicki Beaumont with a business-like air, the woman with the blue bag dipped a stubby, round makeup brush into a container of powder that she took from one of the many pockets. First shaking it gently to rid it of the excess powder, she began dabbing the little brush swiftly over the beautiful face of Vicki Beaumont. At the same time, the woman with the brown leather pouch had retrieved a comb from its depths and was concentrating very hard on making sure that not one little hair was out of place on the nape ofMiss Beaumont’s neck.Mary and Jody watched this procedure with open-mouthed fascination.

  “Wow, Jode, it’s just like in the movies!” Mary exclaimed in a whisper from the side of her mouth.

  “Mare, in case you hadn’t noticed, this is the movies,” Jody said patiently, almost giggling at Mary’s awestruck expression.

  “All right, last looks, last looks,” Mr. Gordon shouted from his seat next to the monitor, a sort of television where he could watch the action unfold just as it would be seen on the movie screen. Twister and Willie stood just to the left of the director.

  “Clear the set, we’re ready to shoot.”

  The two women scurried from the ring like rabbits, and Mary and Jody had to cover their mouths to keep from laughing out loud.

  “Quiet, please,” shouted Mr. Gordon’s assistant director. “Rolling.”

  A man appeared with a clapboard and held it in front of the camera. “Scene five, take one,” he declared, snapping the hinged top of the board against the bottom, making a resounding clapping noise.

  “Now I see why they call it a clapboard,” Mary whispered.

  “Speed,” said another of the assistants, this one wearing headphones.

  “And…action!” Mr. Gordon called.

  Miss Beaumont turned her attention to the group of riders. “Now try and remember what I’ve just shown you,” she instructed with a smile, “and let’s mount up.”

  The riders in unison turned to their horses and, each placing their left foot in the stirrup, swung themselves up, landing squarely in the center of each of their saddles.

  “Cut!” shouted Mr. Gordon.

  Mary and Jody looked up in surprise and confusion. They thought everyone had done just as Mr. Gordon asked. But Mr. Gordon was gesturing toward the ring and saying something to Twister and Willie. A moment later, Twister walked over and leaned his arms on the top rail of the ring.

  “Now, let’s do that again, and this time some of you need to look like you’re havin’ a little trouble. Remember, this is the first time you’ve done this. So, let’s see, let’s have you, Mary…and you, Jeff, have trouble gettin’ your foot in the stirrup. And a couple of you others, just fumble around a little bit gettin’ up. Maybe you could have trouble throwin’ your leg over the first time. Use your imagination.”

  “Hmph,” Mary snorted, again addressing Jody from one side of her mouth. “Of all things, I would never have trouble getting my foot in the stirrup!”

  “Mare, remember, it’s a movie,” Jody answered. Then she saw something from the corner of her eye. “Hey, look! There’s my dad and your mom! They’re watching from behind Mr. Gordon’s chair!”

  “Oh, my gosh! It is them!” Mare replied, grinning. “Now we really have to behave ourselves.”

  But there was no time for further conversation. Mr. Gordon was ready for take two.

  “Quiet, please!”

  “Rolling.”

  “Scene five, take two.” Clap!

  “Speed.”

  “And…action!”

  Again, Vicki Beaumont turned to the riders. “Now try and remember what I just showed you,” she repeated, “and let’s mount up.”

  This time, the riders attempted to follow Mr. Gordon’s direction. Mary fumbled with her stirrup, letting her foot slip out two or three times before getting it right. Jeff actually put his right foot instead of his left into the stirrup the first time, then sheepishly switched it. Jody grabbed the saddle horn and tried to swing her leg over but had to grab Shalimar’s mane with the other hand before she could accomplish her mount. The others mounted much more slowly and awkwardly than before. Finally, all riders were mounted.

  “Cut!” shouted Mr. Gordon.

  “What the heck!” Mary said, loudly enough that Willie shot her a warning look.

  “That was much better! Great, in fact!” Mr. Gordon called. “Now let’s do it one more time, and this time we’ll continue the shot with Miss Beaumont giving you further instruction.”

  Once again, the riders dismounted. When the camera was ready, once again, Miss Beaumont said her line. This time, the riders had just managed to get their feet in the stirrups when they were interrupted by the man with the long, fuzzy-topped pole.

  “Plane!” he shouted.

  “Cut!” shouted Mr. Gordon.

  “What in the world is going on?” Mary said in bewilderment. Her question was soon answered by the sight and sound of a low-flying small plane, which had picked just that moment to pass over the farm. Everything stopped until the plane was well out of sight.

  “OK, back to one. Let’s do it again,” called Mr. Gordon’s assistant.

  “Scene one, take four!” Clap.

  Thankfully, this time all was well, and the scene was allowed to continue. Vicki Beaumont instructed the ri
ders to turn their horses to the rail, and they actually almost made it to their destination before Mr. Gordon interrupted.

  When Mrs. Morrow gave her a sympathetic

  look and a thumbs-up, Mary sat up taller i

  n the saddle, ready to be quiet.

  “Cut!”

  “Oh, my gosh, this is crazy,” Mary exclaimed. This time, Willie walked over to the rail and leaned over.

  “Mary Morrow, you need to keep quiet,” he hissed. “I told you there would be a lot of stoppin’ and startin’, didn’t I? This is how it’s done. Now, after while, things’ll get a little smoother, but you have to be patient. Each little bit of the scene is goin’ to take three or four takes. You just have to get used to it,” he finished more kindly, noticing Mary’s face had flushed a deep red.

  Mary simply nodded and glanced over to where her mother sat next to Jody’s father. When Mrs. Morrow gave her a sympathetic look and a thumbs-up, Mary sat up taller in the saddle, ready to be quiet, no matter how many “takes” it took.

  “All right, one more time,” Mr. Gordon yelled.

  The morning wore on, and just as Willie said, each small part of the riding scene needed to be repeated at least three times before Mr. Gordon was satisfied. Since this was supposed to be a beginner lesson, the riders were asked to perform no more than a walk on the rail. Miss Beaumont gave them instruction on keeping their heels down and toes up, their hands low on the withers, eyes straight ahead, heads high, and backs straight. Just as Mary thought she would go crazy if she heard the word “cut” one more time, Mr. Gordon’s assistant approached the ring.

  “Lunch!” he yelled.

  “Yay!” Mary shouted and then clapped her hand over her mouth, looking guiltily at Willie, who tried to look stern but only managed a shake of his head.

  Production assistants scurried around, shutting the power down on equipment and rolling cords up. Riders were instructed to dismount. The sound man lowered his fuzzy pole and removed his headphones.