Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Fiction; Motion picture industry -- Fiction
One detail only troubled Merton. After doing the leap from the high
window, and before doing its finish where he reached the saddle, Baird
directed certain changes in his costume. He was again to don the false
mustache, to put his hat on, and also a heavy jacket lined with sheep’s
wool worn by one of the cowboys in the dance-hall. Merton was pleased
to believe he had caught the manager napping here. “But Mr. Baird, if I
leap from the window without the hat or mustache or jacket and land
on my horse in them, wouldn’t it look as if I had put them on as I was
falling?”
Baird was instantly overcome with confusion. “Now, that’s so! I swear I
never thought of that, Merton. I’m glad you spoke about it in time. You
sure have shown me up as a director. You see I wanted you to disguise
yourself again--I’ll tell you; get the things on, and after we shoot you
lighting in the saddle we’ll retake the window scene. That’ll fix it.”
Not until long afterward, on a certain dread night when the earth was to
rock beneath him, did he recall that Baird had never retaken that window
scene. At present the young actor was too engrossed by the details of
his daring leap to remember small things. The leap was achieved at last.
He was in the saddle after a twenty-foot drop. He gathered up the reins,
the horse beneath him coughed plaintively, and Merton rode him out of
the picture. Baird took a load off his mind as to this bit of riding.
“Will you want me to gallop?” he asked, recalling the unhappy experience
with Dexter.
“No; just walk him beyond the camera line. The camera’ll trick it up all
right.” So, safely, confidently, he had ridden his steed beyond the
lens range at a curious shuffling amble, and his work at the Come All Ye
Dance Hall was done.
Then came some adventurous days in the open. In motor cars the company
of artists was transported to a sunny nook in the foothills beyond
the city, and here in the wild, rough, open spaces, the drama of
mother-love, sacrifice, and thrills was further unfolded.
First to be done here was the continuation of the hero’s escape from the
dance-hall. Upon his faithful horse he ambled along a quiet road until
he reached the shelter of an oak tree. Here he halted at the roadside.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account