by Gibson, Jo
Michael looked puzzled. “But wouldn’t it be easier just to ask your father if we could audition?”
“No way!” Heidi rolled her eyes. “That’s not the way things are done. You have to be discovered. It’s part of the game. Just leave everything up to me, Michael. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
Seven
“Oh-my-God! I’m so scared, I’m a nervous wreck!” Tammy Burns pulled out a mirror to check her curly brown hair as they approached the studio gates. Then she turned to Carla. “Aren’t you scared, Carla? This could be your big break!”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.” Carla glanced down at her high-heeled sandals. “I’m afraid I’m going to break my ankle when I try to walk in these things.”
“But Heidi especially told you to wear those shoes. She said it would help you make a good impression.”
Carla shrugged. “Well, I’m not going to make one if I fall flat on my face. I’m switching to my tennies.”
“I think you’re making a big mistake.” Winona Evans capped her lipstick, and dropped it back in her over-sized purse. Both Winona and Tammy had been primping for the past two miles. “What do you think, Linda?”
Linda O’Keefe leaned forward. She was riding in the third seat with Berto and Vera. “I agree with Carla. If she can’t walk in those shoes, she shouldn’t wear them.”
“Right.” Vera joined in. “I think Carla should wear whatever’s comfortable.”
Michael was riding in the front seat with Andy, and he turned around to talk to Carla. “Wear whatever you want, Carla. Heidi told me her father needs over a hundred extras. There’s no reason why one of them can’t be wearing tennis shoes.”
Carla gave him a quick smile, and took off her high-heeled sandals. Then she slipped her feet into her worn tennis shoes, and wiggled her toes gratefully. How could anyone walk in those ridiculously high heels? Heidi had taken her shopping and insisted she buy high-heeled strap sandals, and Carla had gone along with her suggestion. But when she’d practiced walking in them last night, in front of the mirror, she’d felt like a baby colt taking its first, tottery steps.
Andy pulled through the open gate of the studio, and stopped at the security booth. The guard, inside, was an older, gray-haired man who looked extremely bored as he pushed opened the small, sliding glass window. “Do you kids have a pass?”
“Not exactly.” Andy shook his head. “Heidi Robinson said she’d leave a pass at the gate for us. We’re meeting her at sound stage fifteen.”
“Andrew Miller?” The guard got off his stool as Andy nodded. He walked to the front of Andy’s van and taped a rectangular piece of paper on the corner of his windshield. Then he stepped back and smiled as he noticed their eager faces. “Are you kids going to an audition?”
“No, sir.” Andy answered his question. “Heidi’s just letting us watch while they shoot her father’s movie.”
The guard nodded, but his smile grew. “Do you know they’re looking for extras?”
“Yes, sir. She said something about that.” Andy blushed bright red. “The truth is, we’re sort of hoping to be noticed.”
The guard nodded. “Miss Robinson always brings her friends to the set when they’re casting for extras. And it usually works. Do you need directions?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go straight past the courthouse, and turn to the right. That’ll put you on New York Street. Follow it until you come to the stop sign by the big cannon. Turn left, and you’ll see Lot B directly in front of you on your right. You can park in any space that‘s marked for visitors. Sound stage fifteen’s the third big metal warehouse building on your left.”
As Andy thanked the guard and drove forward, Carla stared out the window with fascination. Even though she’d lived in the area all her life, she’d never been inside a studio before. They passed a series of low bungalows, and Carla saw several glamorous women walking down the sidewalk. She’d never paid much attention to movie stars and she turned to Tammy. “Those women are beautiful. Are they stars?”
“I don’t know.” Tammy shrugged. “They could be. They’re very glamorous.”
Michael turned around to grin at them. “Then they’re probably secretaries. Heidi told me that the stars all run around in turbans and casual clothes. They don’t get their make-up on or their hair done until it’s time to shoot a scene.”
They drove past a tall barracks-type building, and Carla drew in her breath sharply. The man walking down the steps looked just like Robert Redford, but she didn’t say anything. He was probably a production assistant who just happened to look like the famous star.
“That must be the courthouse.” Andy pointed to a tall, imposing building with massive columns and a flight of steps.
“You’re right.” Carla nodded. There was a big sign on the front identifying it as the County Courthouse.
“Why do they need a court house at a studio?” Winona sounded puzzled.
“It’s not a real court house.” Michael explained as they drove past. “Look at the back. It’s only a couple of feet deep. There’s just enough room to put a camera inside.”
Winona was embarrassed, but she brazened it out. “I knew that. I just wanted to find out if anybody else did, that’s all.”
“This must be New York Street.” Carla smiled as she saw a row of brownstones with wrought-iron fences and steps leading up to their front doors. “But the next block is totally different. It looks like a small town in the Midwest.”
Michael nodded. “They face this block for whatever movie they’re shooting. It could be Chicago, or Tokyo, or even Saigon. They just redo the fronts so it looks like another place. Heidi says they can do it fast, and sometimes this block changes overnight.”
“Oh, great!” Carla laughed. “Maybe we’d better leave a trail of bread crumbs like they did in Hansel and Gretel. This might look like Paris when we come out.”
Michael turned to grin at her. “Not a bad idea. Turn left, Andy . . . there’s the cannon.”
“Is it real?” Tammy wanted to know.
“I don’t know.” Michael answered her. “We can touch it when we walk past. Sometimes they make props that look real. And other times, they use the real things. Heidi warned me not to mail any letters in any of the mail boxes. They’re real, but they’re props. Tourists make that mistake all the time, and then they wonder why their postcards never arrive.”
Andy parked between a silver Mercedes and a gold Ferrari, and they all climbed out of his van. As they began to walk across the parking lot, Carla spotted Phil MacMahon’s Oldsmobile and the panel truck that belonged to the Alway Brothers. “Everybody’s here already. Are we late?”
“No. They’re early.” Michael dropped back to take Carla’s arm. “Heidi said she’d meet us outside the sound stage, and we’ll all go in together.”
“There she is!” Vera began to walk faster as she spotted Heidi’s shining red hair. Heidi was standing next to a small group of Covers people.
“Oh, good! You’re just in time!” Heidi hurried to Michael’s side and took his arm. “I told Daddy some of my friends were dropping by.”
Michael frowned slightly. “Are you sure he won’t be mad when he sees so many of us?”
“Of course not!” Heidi pulled Michael to the front of the group. “Daddy won’t mind a bit. Trust me.”
Carla was ready to hang back. Heidi obviously wanted Michael to herself, and she wasn’t about to jeopardize his chances by hanging onto his arm. But Michael seemed to want her with him because he squeezed her hand, and kept her firmly at his side. When they approached the sound stage door, everyone was completely silent. This was a big moment for all of them.
Heidi pointed to the light mounted above the door. “That light flashes red when they’re shooting. It means you can’t open the door until it goes out.”
“Is there anything special we should do?” Michael looked a little nervous.
“Yes. Keep quiet, stay in a group, and don’t
trip over any cables. I had Daddy’s assistant set up some chairs for us. Just sit and watch and don’t ask any questions. Are you ready?”
Everyone nodded and Heidi pulled open the door. The huge metal building was shadowy inside, and they were completely silent as they trooped inside.
“This is the patio they’re using for one of the sets.” Heidi spoke in a low voice and they all nodded. “The exterior’s on Mandeville Canyon, but they can’t use the actual house. They’d have to take out all the windows, and do a bunch of remodeling for the cameras. It’s a lot cheaper to duplicate it here.”
Carla was surprised as they walked past. The patio looked a lot smaller than the actual patio at the back of a real house. There were four lounge chairs with colorful towels draped over their backs, and some glasses on the tables. But there was only the edge of a pool, and a ladder that led to a non-existent diving board. The place where the actual diving board and pool would have been, was walled off.
“You’re probably wondering why there’s no pool.” Heidi smiled at them. “It’s because they only need this particular part of the patio. There aren’t any scenes in the pool so they didn’t bother to build it. When one of the actors says he’s going for a swim, he just races off and disappears behind that wall. When he comes back, he’s dripping wet, and everyone in the audience thinks he was in the pool.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Michael’s voice was low.
Heidi nodded, and gave him a smile. “Sure, Michael. What is it?”
“Why is the patio roped off? And what does that sign, Hot Set, mean?”
“It means nobody can touch it. They started shooting a scene on the patio, and then they broke for lunch. Everything has to stay exactly as it is, so they can pick up where they left off. It’s called continuity. If someone moves one of those glasses or rearranges a towel, the audience might notice.”
“Are they gone for lunch now?” Carla asked. “I don’t see anybody else around.”
Heidi nodded. “They’re all in the catering tent. I planned this so you’d all get here when they were on break. That way, I can show you around before they come back.”
“Can we see the rest of the sets?” Andy was curious. “There’s more than this one, isn’t there?”
“Yes. Daddy has five standing sets on this sound stage, and he also shoots a lot of scenes on location. When they come back, they’ll finish the patio scene, and then they’ll go to the nightclub set.”
“There’s a whole nightclub in here?” Linda looked around with awe.
“Well . . . not exactly. Daddy has four nightclub sets. One is a hallway, another’s the dressing room, a third is the catwalk above the stage, and the other’s the stage. I’ll show you the dressing room first.”
Carla followed along at Michael’s side as Heidi took them to the dressing room set. It was just a room with three walls and a ledge with a long mirror behind it.
“But it’s open on one side!” Linda frowned. “And that door on the wall doesn’t go anywhere.”
Heidi nodded. “The wall’s open so the camera man can shoot from any angle. And we don’t have to see the other side of that door. Follow me and I’ll show you why.”
“What’s this?” Michael was puzzled as Heidi led them to a narrow space, open on one end with a door at the other.
“It’s the hallway outside the dressing room. The actor goes out the door in the dressing room, and they pick him up coming out of this door. When you see the movie, it’ll look like this hallway’s right outside the dressing room. It saves money to build two separate sets rather than one big one.”
Carla nodded. “I see. Where’s the catwalk, Heidi?”
“Right over here.” Heidi led them past a living room set and around a wall to another set. The floor of the set was painted black and there were two steps leading up to a catwalk which was built a foot above the floor.
“But you said this was over the stage!” Andy looked puzzled.
“It is . . . in the film. When the actor’s on this catwalk, you’ll never realize that it’s only a foot from the floor. That’s the magic of movies.”
During the next half hour, Heidi showed them the other sets. Carla was amazed at all the tricks that were used to give the illusion of height and width. The stage itself was very small and there were only two rows of theater seats. But when Heidi explained that the seats matched those in a real theater where the audience scenes would be shot, she could see how everything would work.
The door to the sound stage opened, just as they’d taken their seats in front of the patio set. Heidi jumped up from her chair in the front and ran to hug a handsome, older man in a black polo shirt.
“Is that Heidi’s father?” Carla leaned over to whisper to Michael.
“I think so. He looks like his pictures. Smile, Carla . . . here they come.”
“These are my friends, Daddy.” Heidi gestured to the group from Covers. “And this is my father, Ralph Robinson.”
Mr. Robinson smiled. “Glad to meet you. Did Heidi explain the rules?”
“Yes, sir.” Michael spoke up. “She told us to stay in our chairs and be quiet.”
Mr. Robinson gazed at the group and nodded. Then he turned to Heidi. “Did I mention that we’re casting for extras?”
“Yes, you did.” Heidi grinned up at him. “What do you think, Daddy? Can you use some of my friends?”
“I can use all of them. Sign them up with Denise when you leave. Good work, Heidi. Now . . . aren’t you going to introduce me to the young man you told me about?”
Heidi grabbed Michael’s hand and practically pulled him to his feet. “Daddy? This is Michael Warden. He’s the totally fantastic singer I told you about.”
“Hello, Michael.” Ralph Robinson stared at Michael for a moment and then he reached out to shake hands. “Heidi’s right. You have the right look for the part. How about a quick audition?”
“Oh . . . sure. Whatever you say, Mr. Robinson.” Michael nodded. “Do you want me to go out to the van and bring in my guitar?”
“That’s not necessary. We’ve got a guitar around here someplace . . . Denise?”
“Yes, Mr. Robinson.” A pretty dark-haired woman in her early thirties rushed over, clipboard in hand.
“Find me a guitar. And get me two copies of that love scene on the beach. We’re doing a screen test.”
“Yes, Mr. Robinson. Shall I find someone to read the girl’s lines?”
Ralph Robinson surveyed the group from Covers for a moment, and then he shook his head. “Don’t bother, Denise. We can use one of Heidi’s friends.”
Carla began to smile. This was wonderful! Someone from Covers would be in the screen test with Michael. Michael would be more relaxed, sharing the stage with someone he knew. And it would be a marvelous opportunity for one of the girls.
Mr. Robinson turned to Heidi. “How about it, Heidi? You know all these girls. Who should we use?”
“I’m not sure.”
Carla held her breath as Heidi surveyed the group. She hoped that Heidi would choose Linda. Linda had dreams of breaking into show business, and she was very pretty. Tammy wouldn’t be a bad choice, either. She’d done some acting in the drama club at school. And Nicole had starred in their last high school play. Almost all of the girls from Covers were very talented, and any one of them would love the chance to play a scene with Michael.
“I know, Daddy.” Heidi gave a mean little smile and pointed to Carla. “How about . . . her?”
Eight
Carla could barely believe her ears. Surely Heidi couldn’t be talking about her! She’d never done any acting, and she was all wrong for the part of Michael’s girlfriend. Carla turned to look behind her. Heidi must be talking about someone else. But there was no one else in sight. Then Carla got it, and she blushed bright red. Heidi was making fun of her by suggesting that she play Michael’s girlfriend.
But Ralph Robinson didn’t laugh, as Heidi had clearly expected. He just smiled, and nod
ded. “You’ve got a good eye, Heidi. She’s perfect.”
Carla swallowed hard, and forced herself to ask. “Excuse me, Mr. Robinson. Are you talking about . . . uh . . . me?”
“That’s right, young lady. Are you willing to help us out?”
“Uh . . . of course. If you want me to.” Carla practically gulped out the words. “But are you sure you really want me?”
“Absolutely.” Ralph Robinson turned to his assistant. “Listen carefully, Denise. Take . . . uh . . . what’s your name, honey?”
Carla swallowed hard. “It’s Carla Fields. But Mr. Robinson . . . I’m not an actress.”
“That’s a point in your favor.” Mr. Robinson laughed, and turned to his assistant again. “Take Carla to make-up, and tell Mavis I want glamor plus. She should coordinate with Jessie on the costume. Something blue and sexy would be good. And I want Frank to do Carla’s hair. I need something loose and kind of wild. He’ll know what to do. We’ll shoot the screen test right after we finish the patio scene.”
Carla felt as if she were in a dream as Denise took her by the hand and led her toward the door. Was Heidi’s father kidding? She couldn’t act, and even worse, she was the totally wrong person to do a love scene with Michael.
“Come on, Carla.” Denise tugged her along. “We don’t have much time.”
Carla felt like bursting into hysterical laughter. Even if they had all the time in the world, she’d never wind up looking like Michael’s girlfriend. This had to be some kind of joke.
“Denise?” Carla hung back as they reached the door. “Is Mr. Robinson really serious?”
“Of course. Hurry up, Carla. It’ll take them at least an hour to get you ready, and then you have to rehearse your lines.”
Carla blinked as Denise opened the door, and they stepped out into the strong sunlight. “Excuse me, Denise. I suppose I shouldn’t say this, but Mr. Robinson is making a horrible mistake. There’s no way I can look glamorous.”
“If Mr. Robinson says you can, then you can.” Denise pointed to a Winnebago motor home that was parked in back of the sound stage. “Make-up’s right over there.”