Mary and Jody in the Movies

by JoAnn S. Dawson

  “Well, Willie, my goodness, don’t you look…”

  “Mom! What are you doing here?” Mary spun around at the sound of her mother’s voice.

  “And Dad!” Jody exclaimed. Mr. Stafford reached out to shake Willie’s hand and then turned smiling to Jody. “Well, now, do you two think you’re the only ones allowed to hang around the set? Willie invited us down to take a look at the carriage.”

  “Oh, Daddy, isn’t it beautiful?” Jody breathed. “Wouldn’t it be heavenly to take a ride in it?”

  “It sure would.” Mary’s mom and Jody’s dad exchanged glances.

  “And Mom,” Mary said excitedly, taking her mother’s hand, “come pet Caesar. He’s really big, but he’s about as gentle as a lamb.”

  Mary’s mom allowed herself to be led to Caesar’s huge head. When she tentatively put out her hand and stroked his muzzle, Caesar closed his eyes and sighed.

  “See, Mom? He likes you! Now, Twister said they’re just about to film this scene where Brian and Vicki get married and ride away in the carriage. Can you stay and watch? Please?”

  “Well, I guess so, if Frank says it’s all right. We drove over here together. I think he is planning on staying a while.”

  “Oh, goody! I think it’s OK if we stand right over here.”

  “Quiet! Quiet, please! We’re ready to roll! Last looks!” Mr. Gordon boomed through his megaphone. The hairdresser smoothed Willie’s hair one more time, and the wardrobe lady straightened his tie. Twister stood at Caesar’s head while Willie climbed onto the driver’s seat of the carriage and gathered up the reins. Sitting straight as an arrow, dignified in his top hat and suit, Willie almost looked young again. Mary and Jody, standing with their parents on either side, gazed at Willie in awe and then looked at each other, grinning through teary eyes and not feeling the least bit embarrassed about it.

  “Quiet, please!” It was the assistant director yelling this time. Then, “Rolling! And…action!”

  The door of the farmhouse burst open. Brian emerged first, pulling a laughing Vicki by the hand through the open doorway. A crowd of well-wishers followed, throwing rice and shouting their congratulations. The wedding photographer and most of the guests snapped away as the smiling couple ran to the carriage and climbed in.

  “Look at Caesar,” Mary whispered to Jody. “He’s being such a good boy! He hasn’t budged at all, even with all the commotion!”

  “Cut!” yelled Mr. Gordon, just as Willie gave Caesar the command to move forward by tapping him on the rump with the carriage whip.

  “That was great. Let’s do it again. Back to one!”

  “If it was so great, why do they have to do it again?” Jody’s father asked. “And what’s he mean, ‘back to one’?”

  “Dad, they do everything way more than once. You just have to get used to it,” Jody explained.

  “That means everybody goes back to the places they were at first so they can start all over,” Mary explained.

  “Yeah, Daddy, don’t you remember the day you watched us in the ring? We did everything at least twice,” Jody said.

  “Yes, Frank, don’t you know anything about moviemaking?” Mary’s mom asked with a smile.

  “Oh, excuse me, Katherine. I’ll wait for you to explain everything to me from now on.”

  Mary and Jody’s parents locked eyes and smiled for so long that Mary nudged Jody, and Jody looked at Mary quizzically. Finally they shrugged in unison and turned their attention back to business. Willie had turned Caesar in a circle so that he was standing in the exact same spot, and it was time to shoot.

  “And…action!” The door burst open again, rice came flying, Brian and Vicki climbed in the carriage, and this time Caesar actually trotted a few steps before Mr. Gordon called, “Cut!” Then, “Reloading!”

  “What’s happening now?” Mary’s mom whispered.

  “Oh, the camera needs to have its film reloaded,” Jody explained patiently. “It just takes a few minutes.”

  Just then, Mary caught a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye, over near the old horse chestnut tree. When she turned her head, she saw Annie Mooney peeking out from behind the tree, watching the filming. In that instant, Annie saw Mary watching her, and she turned and tiptoed away.

  “Annie! Wait!” Mary yelled, grabbing Jody by the hand. Running together, they soon caught up with Annie, who was on her way back to the house trailer. “What’s wrong, Annie?” Mary asked breathlessly. “Why don’t you come watch with us?”

  “Me?” Annie said, looking at the ground as she walked. “Oh, well, I never really got to be in the movie or anything.”

  “So?” Jody said.

  “So I didn’t know if I was allowed so close up.”

  Mary snorted. “Well, of course you’re allowed, Annie. You were already on the set the day they filmed the riding scene, and…”

  “I know,” Annie interrupted. “That’s why. I didn’t think they would want me around after that.”

  “Annie, what are you talking about? That wasn’t even your fault,” Jody said.

  “But it was!” Annie exclaimed, spinning around suddenly to face the girls. “I wasn’t supposed to be sitting on Stumpy, and then he took off, and I couldn’t hold on, and Willie had to rescue me, and at first it didn’t seem so bad, but then I thought and thought about it, and I knew they would never give me another chance to be in the movie, and it was just the worst thing that’s ever happened to me in my whole life!”

  Mary and Jody were rendered speechless by this, one of the longest sentences Annie had ever uttered. But when they saw tears springing to her eyes, they quickly recovered their voices.

  “Aw, Annie, don’t worry about it,” Mary said gently. “Nobody blamed you for it. It could’ve happened to anybody. Now, come on, why don’t you come back with us and watch?”

  “Yeah, Annie, you haven’t even seen Caesar up close,” Jody continued. “I bet he’ll just love you.”

  Annie stopped, squared her shoulders, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Then she nodded without a word and turned back toward the movie set. Mary and Jody smiled at each other, trailing a step behind.

  The three girls walked quietly for a minute, but as they neared the set Mary thought of a topic to break the silence. “Our parents came to watch today, too, Annie. They’re really acting goofy.”

  “Yeah,” added Jody. “They were looking all googly-eyed at each other.” “Well, they’re in love, you know,” Annie said.

  Mary and Jody stopped in their tracks. They looked at each other again, but this time they weren’t smiling.

  “What did you say, Annie?” gulped Mary.

  “I said they’re in love,” Annie repeated.

  “But, but…what do you mean?” Jody sputtered.

  “What do you mean, what do I mean?” Annie stopped walking to face the girls. “Didn’t you know? I mean, anybody can see it. Can’t you?”

  The girls gulped and stood staring at each other. Then they turned in unison and looked at their parents, who were standing just out of camera range, grinning and whispering like teenagers.

  “Checking the gate!” yelled Mr. Gordon.

  “Come on, that means they’re done filming!” Mary exclaimed, grabbing Jody by the hand. In the next instant, the girls were standing, hands on hips, in front of their surprised parents. Annie crept over to Caesar, who immediately began licking her hand.

  “Hey, girls. Where did you go off to?” Jody’s dad asked, a bemused look on his face.

  “What in the world is the matter?” continued Mary’s mom, reacting to the girls’ expressions.

  “Dad, we have to ask you something,” Jody said breathlessly.

  “OK, shoot.”

  Mary and Jody stood silently, gazing anxiously from one parent to the other.

  “Mary, what is it, for Pete’s sake?” Mary’s mother asked.

  The girls gulped, and the question came bursting forth from both lips at the same instant.

&nbs
p; “Are you in love?”

  Mary’s mother gasped and took a step back. Jody’s father simply grinned and shook his head. Then he took Jody’s hand in his.

  “We were wondering when you two would figure us out,” he said gently. “Jody, we were going to sit you and Mary down tonight and have a talk about it. We’ve had these feelings for some time, but we wanted to be absolutely sure before we brought you two into it. We didn’t want you to be hurt if it turned out not to be real.”

  Mary stared at her mom. “And…and…is it real, Mom?”

  Mrs. Morrow nodded slowly, tears coming to her eyes. “Oh, yes, Mary. It is definitely real.”

  They turned in unison and looked at their parents,

  who were standing just out of camera range,

  grinning and whispering like teenagers.

  “It was funny what you said about taking a ride in the carriage, Jody,” her father continued, “because that’s one reason we’re here today.Willie thought we should see it if we want to use it ourselves sometime in the future.”

  Mary and Jody stared silently while this idea slowly sank into their brains. “You mean…you would use the carriage for…for…” Mary began.

  “And Willie…Willie knew about this all along?” Jody finished.

  “Well, why don’t you ask him yourself?”

  Willie suddenly appeared behind the girls as if on cue, tie loosened and top hat removed. He stood scratching both sides of his head as if to get rid of the “goop” that had been applied to his hair. “Ask me what?” he said, looking down at the two girls.

  “Willie!” Mary exclaimed, “why didn’t you tell us why you really asked my mom and Jody’s dad to the set today?”

  Willie exchanged sheepish looks with the parents before answering. “Well, I guess it wasn’t my place to tell you. But now I guess you’ve been told.”

  “Yes, but they didn’t tell us,” Jody said.

  “Annie told us!” Mary practically shouted. “She figured it out!”

  At the sound of her name, Annie smiled and gave a little wave. Caesar, thinking he was about to be ignored, shoved her with his giant nose, almost knocking her over. At that, the serious group broke into laughter, and the ice was broken.

  Then Mary, always the first to think ahead, knitted her brow and appeared deep in thought. Suddenly, she looked up, as if a light bulb had gone off in her head. She grabbed both of Jody’s hands in hers.

  “Jody!” she screeched. “Do you know what this means? Do you get it? Do you get it?

  It means that we, you and I, are going to be…”

  The realization sunk in with Jody, and a brilliant smile lit up her face.

  “SISTERS!” The girls shouted in unison.

  Glossary of

  Horse Terms

  Bale—In stable terms, a bale is a closely packed bundle of either hay or straw (see definitions) measuring about two by three feet, weighing about forty pounds, and tied with two strings lengthwise. When the strings are cut, the bale can be shaken loose and either fed, in the case of hay, or used for stall bedding, in the case of straw.

  Baling twine—The term used for the thick yellow string that is tied around a bale.

  Bank barn—A barn that is built into the side of a hill so the hill forms a “ramp” leading into the upper part of the barn, where hay and straw may be stored; the bottom floor of the barn is used for milking cows if it is a dairy barn, or it may have stalls for the purpose of sheltering other animals.

  Barn swallow—A small, blue-black bird with a rusty-colored breast and throat and forked tail; found all over North America and Europe, these friendly birds like to build their nests in barns and eat insects.

  Barrel—The middle section of the body of a horse or pony between the shoulder and the flank.

  Bay—A common color seen in horses and ponies. The body is reddish-brown with black mane, tail, and lower legs.

  Bit—The metal piece on the bridle inserted into the mouth of a horse that provides communication between the rider and horse.

  Boom—A large, plush-covered microphone that picks up the dialogue and other sounds on a movie set. It is normally held on a pole by a sound person above the actors’ heads.

  Bosal—The braided rawhide or rope noseband of a hackamore-type bridle, knotted under the horse’s jaw.

  Bridle—The leather headgear with a metal bit that is placed on the head of a horse to enable the rider to control the horse.

  Bridle path—A section of mane about an inch wide behind the ears that is trimmed short to allow the crown piece of the bridle to lie flat and fit more comfortably.

  Call time—The time of day that an actor is required to be on the movie set.

  Cannon bone—A bone in the leg of the horse or pony running from the knee, or hock, to the ankle.

  Cantankerous—Ill-mannered or quarrelsome.

  Canter—A three-beat gait of the horse, which could be called a “collected gallop.” It is slightly faster and not as “bouncy” as a trot.

  Chaff—The seed covering separated from the seed when grain is threshed.

  Chestnut—A common coloring found in horses and ponies. The coat is basically red, in varying shades on different horses. The mane and tail are the same color as the body.

  Cinch—The girth of the western saddle that fastens around the heart girth of the horse, holding the saddle in place.

  Cluck—The “clicking” sound a rider or driver makes from the corner of the mouth to urge a horse forward. Also the sound a chicken makes when communicating.

  Corncob—The inner segment of an ear of corn to which the corn kernels are attached. The horse eats the kernels but not the cob.

  Crop—A short, leather riding whip carried by the rider and used lightly to encourage the horse to move forward.

  Crosstie—The method of tying a horse squarely in the aisle or stall by which a rope is clipped to both sides of the halter.When a horse is crosstied, he cannot move away from the rider during grooming and saddling.

  Dam—The mother of a horse or pony.

  Dismount—The action of getting down from a horse and onto the ground.

  Dock—The bone in a horse’s tail, which is formed of the lowest vertebrae of the spine.

  Draft horse—A type of horse characterized by a heavy build; typically used for field work and other types of pulling and driving. Breeds include Belgian and Clydesdale.

  Dutch door—A door divided horizontally in the middle so the two sections can be opened separately.

  Eaves—The overhanging lower edge of a roof.

  Fetlock—The part of the lower leg of the horse or pony between the cannon bone and the pastern.

  Flake—A section of hay that is taken from a bale for feeding, usually about six inches wide and two feet square. There are usually about ten flakes of hay in a whole bale.

  Flaxen—A cream-colored mane and tail sometimes found on chestnut horses and always found on palominos. If a chestnut has a flaxen mane and tail, he is known as a “flaxen chestnut.”

  Foal—A young, unweaned horse or pony of either gender. When the horse or pony is weaned or separated from its mother, it is called a “weanling.”

  Forelock—The lock of hair falling forward over the face of the horse.

  Founder—A painful disease of the foot that may be caused by the overeating of grass or grain when the digestive system of the horse or pony is not used to it. This may cause the tissues and blood vessels inside the hoof to be permanently damaged.

  Gallop—A fast, four-beat gait where all four of the horse’s feet strike the ground separately.

  Garner—To acquire by effort.

  Giving the horse his head—Allowing the horse or pony to stretch his neck and feel his way along rather than keeping a tight rein on him.

  Grain—Harvested cereals or other edible seeds, including oats, corn, wheat, and barley. Horses and ponies often eat amixture of grains, vitamins, minerals, and molasses called “sweet feed.”

  Gray�
��A common color found in horses and ponies. A gray horse is born black and gradually lightens with age from a steel-gray color to almost white.

  Graze—The act of eating grass. Horses and ponies will graze continually when turned out on good pasture.

  Groom—To groom a horse is to clean and brush his coat, comb his mane and tail, and pick the dirt from his hooves. A person known as a “groom” goes along on a horse show or horse race to help with grooming, tacking up, or anything else that needs to be done.

  Hackamore—A bitless bridle used in the West for training horses.

  Halter—Also known as a “head collar,” a halter is made of rope, leather, or nylon and is placed on the head of a horse and used for leading or tying him. The halter has no bit, but it has a metal ring that rests under the chin of the horse or pony to which is attached a lead rope.

  Hard brush—A grooming tool resembling a scrub brush, usually with firm bristles made of nylon, used to brush dried mud or dirt from the coat and legs of a horse or pony.

  Haunches—Another term for the hindquarters of a horse or pony.

  Hay—Grass or other herbage that is cut in the field and allowed to dry over several days, then usually baled and stored in a barn to be used as feed for animals.

  Hay net—A nylon or rope net that is stuffed with loose hay and tied at the top, then hung in a stall or trailer to allow an animal to eat from it.

  Heifer—A young cow that has not yet birthed a calf.

  Hindquarters—The rear of a horse or pony, including the back legs.

  Hitch up—Attach a horse or pony to a cart, carriage, or sleigh with the harness straps.

  Hoof pick—A grooming tool used to clean dirt and gravel from the hooves of a horse or pony.

  Hooves—The hard covering of the foot of a horse or pony. The hooves must be cleaned before and after riding and trimmed every six weeks (or so) to keep them from growing too long.

  In hand—Refers to horses shown in halter classes, not mounted.

  Interior—Amovie scene that is shot inside a building rather than outside.

  Last looks—A term used by a movie director to warn the hair and makeup crew that the shot is about to take place and they should exit camera range.