Phyllis stepped out the back door of one of the sets, dripping wet from head to toe and leaving a trail of water behind her. More seemed to be following her out of the door. She was towelling her blonde hair, and seemed unconcerned that she was clad in some sort of brief 'jungle girl' costume.

"Uggh," she muttered to no-one in particular. A sigh of frustration, and a further sign that the shoot wasn't going well.

Perhaps this time, it'll actually stay in the film, thought Anna May as she made her way backstage, mentally going through the one actual line that her character would have.

The hustle and bustle here still gave Anna May a little thrill as she smiled at anyone who happened to glance her way.  There's more people just backstage than in all of Corbin's Mill.

Mark's eyes take in the hustle backstage as he talks with Blackwood. He couldn't miss the scantily clad woman dripping water as she stepped out the back door. His eye also caught the lithe form of a young lady looking very excited at all the effort going on behind the scenes. A bit part he would guess. She was too young and fresh to be a seasoned actress. The swimmer was a bit more seasoned, but not yet jaded. He hoped they could avoid the backroom couches he had all to often heard of and seen.

The conversation with Mark was pleasant. The two young hopefuls that entered the set more so. One of them, a petite redhead, smiled at them as she passed. She had the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. He smiled back.

"Hello", he offered. "Looking forward to filming?"

In reply to Anna May Gibson (msg # 10):

Ray gives the young woman a bright smile and walks up to introduce himself.

"Hello, I'm Ray and I'm here to keep you beautiful for the all-seeing eye." He gestures to the camera's vacantly-staring lens.

He raises his half-empty mug: "Would you like coffee? There's also orange juice, of course, and pastries."

He nods to the tallish fellow in the English suit. "I'm Ray Ammon. I do makeup. You're not an actor." His last remark is merely observant.

Before the woman cold respond a man showed up and introduced himself. He found the intrusion mildly dissapointing but smiled at the man nevertheless. "How observant of you. I'm Richard Hawthorne" He offered the man a firm handshake, before guesturung to the nearby Scotsman. "Mark and I are technical advisors working alongside the producer. It's s pleasure to meet you sir." He took Anna's hand and gently kissed it. "And madam", he finished.

"Yes, thank you," replied Anna May, her accent almost fully schooled away, but there remained a slight hint of lower peninsula Michigan.  "I am looking forward to it, and it's so nice to meet you."

Of course, in Corbin's Mill, she had been the prettiest girl--which wasn't hard at all when there were fewer than a half dozen others near her age; here Anna May felt that she was much more ordinary-looking, although perhaps the amount of attention might mean that her self-critical assessment wasn't quite correct.

"I'm Anna May Gibson," she said.  "Some coffee sounds lovely."

Graham had spoken to the so-called writer for his current project.  In Graham's opinion, the scriptwriter should be taken out to the desert and put out of Hollywood's collective misery.  The producer said that it would be improved during filming, and maybe so, that happened, a good director could turn a mediocre script into an excellent movie - usually by ignoring said script - but Graham preferred to play for success than throw up his hands and simply hope things worked out in the end.

Still, you didn't get too far in the business by bucking the studio.  And sometimes the studio decided to make a quick buck rather than a good movie, and sometimes Graham had to be in those movies because that's what his contract said.

He said to Anna, passing, script in hand, "It's always a good idea to make nice with make-up, new girl.  But, be warned, they're all dogs here sniffing around for I'm sure you know what.  Nothing quite like the first bite of the fruit and everything."

He just assumed that everyone knew who he was.

"Gee! A real private eye? Must be exciting...for you to be here in Hollywood." Ray grins at the Englishman.

"Hiya, Mr. Evanson," Ray says as the actor breezes past.

"That's Graham Evanson, an 'up-and-coming actor'. Some say he's going to go places. Some hope it'll be soon." Ray chuckles as he leads Anna to the hospitality table.

"Here's the coffee."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:46, Sat 04 May 2019.

"He's certainly ... direct," replied Anna May.  She poured her coffee and added a light dash of cream.

Phyllis half-recognized some of the group outside the set, mostly as people she'd seen around rather then actual names. After dabbing away the worst of the water, she decided the warm sun would do a better job. She wandered over to the others to warn them.

"They've had to stop filming. Water and electricity - fzzt!"

He spun around when Ray cracked wise, snapped his fingers and pointed at Ray, "I caught that, Ray.  It was... pretty funny, yeah, I bet a lot of people are hoping that I'll go somewhere sooner rather than later.  But, friend, am I wrong about the new girl?  Any fresh-off-the-bus new girl?

"Anyway, new girl, welcome to Hollywood!"

Then he spun back, almost hit Phyllis, and pulled up hard so he wouldn't bowl into her.  "Stop filming, you say?  That kind of accident could make your performance electric.  Really amp up your acting.  You'd downright sizzle, pop right off the screen.  It could be explosive...."

In reply to Ray Ammon (msg # 17):

"Oh yes, I am quite excited", Richard replied enthusiastically, ""There's a lot more goes on backstage than I realised"

When the director inergected and the pair passed comments Richard frowned. Was this what people were like in Hollywood?

He caught the look of surprise on the wet girl's face when the director nearly collided with her. The man didn't apologise.

"Are you o.k. Miss?", he asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:08, Sun 05 May 2019.

Malcolm shakes his head and the lack of couth in the younger generation. They were going to give Mr. Blackwood the wrong idea about...well, never-mind, It would be the right idea.

Mr. Evanson, I understand why you make you follow the script now. And your lack of manners is showing. You nearly run over a poor defenseless lady and can't apologize. Really?

Malcolm turns to the lady.

Water and electric you say? I can understand loss of one or the other but not both. I'm going to go talk to the director a moment.

Phyllis smiled briefly at the shocking puns, then turned to the Welshman.

"I'm OK. Just wet."

Then she spoke to the older man.

"They do when one gets into the other. The tank gave way. Water over everything. They're cutting the power, then seeing what the damage is."

Phyllis sighed.

"I thought they were cutting too many corners with that tank."

Remembering her manners, she introduced herself.

"I'm Phyllis Green."

Having gotten Anna a coffee and showed her the pastry tray, Ray walks up to Phyllis.

"Hello, Miss Green, I'm Ray Ammon. You probably don't remember, but a couple of years ago we worked together on Confessions of a Co-Ed at Paramount. I did make-up for the background characters."

Mark shakes his head.

Sorry, too many years of investigating sabotage on movies.  My mind goes there every time.

Mark extends a card to the wet young lady, then realizes she has no place to put it. He retracts it and extends his hand.

My apologies Ms. Green. Mark Hawke, consulting detective along with Mr. Blackwood here.

Graham said, "Let me see, here.  Girl smiles, two daddy types frown and at least mentally 'tusk-tusk' me, so that's about right for my relationship with women.  The morality squad has never much approved of me.  I also see more than a little irony in studio dicks being so concerned with propriety."

Richard's frown and Mark's words had the effect of making Graham more interested in Phyllis.  Since he was wearing a suit - a quite nice one, too, light blue silk with an Italian cut that fit his frame well - he undid his jacket and would (Phyllis permitting) put it on her shoulders.  He said to her, "The hell of getting soaked in LA is when you go outside to warm up, you get cold.  It's the warm, dry air.  Evaporation effect.  It wouldn't surprise me if your teeth were about to chatter.

"And, Miss Green, I didn't see you in Confessions of a Co-Ed... but I did see you as Jane.  You were undercast.  You were better than the script or direction, though that's not hard on a Tarzan film.  You looked nice, though, that's for sure."

Anna May stirred her coffee, interested in listening to what Phyllis had to say.  She had rather expected to fade to the background, but she was certain that there were things she could learn to help her progress to multiple lines and maybe actually making it onto the credits.

Richard mentally shrugged. This was going to be an interesting day.

So Miss Gibson", he said, addressing the blue eyed beauty once more. "What part are you playing in this production. Leading role? You definitely have the beauty of a leading lady."

He didn't recognise her from any films, but then Richard didn't recognise anybody.

"Hi, Ray. I remember, that was my first picture."

She shook Mark's hand.

"I don't think it was sabotage, just an accident. Unless the producer wants to lose money."

With a smile, she rejected Graham's offer of his jacket.

"I'm OK in the sun. And I wouldn't want to spoil your jacket."

Though the power of suggestion meant she did feel a little colder, and suppressed a shiver. She blushed at his compliment, and seemed conscious of her costume for the first time.

"Thanks. I was hoping Jane in the Jungle would be be my big break, but now I'm just hoping that shooting continues."

"Considering the way movies get shot, I sometimes think producers do want to lose money," Graham said with a wry frown and roll of his eyes.  It was slightly melodramatic to emphasize self-deprecating humor.  He had been in Hollywood long enough to understand the absurdity of being an in the Business.

Directly to Phyllis, he said, "If a little water spoils a jacket, it wasn't a very good jacket.  I'm under contract.  You wouldn't believe what they pay me.  I sometimes don't."

The studio was going to push him as a big star, which he found absurd, but also proper, since he'd cast all the proper spells, done all the proper rituals.  He wasn't a real magician (though he'd probably be offended at people saying he wasn't, at least a little), and he and his coven worked from the Ordo Templi Orientis tradition (which meant it was just an opportunity to get high and fuck starlets while dressed in dangerous clothing while pretending to be a magician), but since his success followed the "works" he'd performed, he made the mistake of assuming that his success was because of the "works" and not because he was very handsome, a good actor, and lucky as hell.  At any rate, his pay was astronomical.  Much better than a Lebanese-Irish kid from San Pedro had any right to expect, anyway.  (He had changed his name for business purposes, obviously.  Francis Daniel al-Khazari wasn't going to star in anything.)

"The shooting usually continues, even for the worst productions.  Still, you're undercast.  It's the dilemma, though.  We're taught that any work is better than no work, but you do too many Tarzan movies, you get a reputation for being an air-brained damsel-in-distress with nice legs and a good scream.  But if you wait for real work, you could spend your whole life waiting."  Then he looked a little sly.  "What if I told you, Miss Green, that there might be a way to hasten your career?  If you were bold and daring and strong of spirit?"

Mark realizes what a dunce he was, having missed the fact that Ms. Green might be cold. And the jacket Graham offered was silk, not good for getting wet.  He shrugged out of his ever present trench coat and took it in hand.

Ms. Green, perhaps this might work better for you. And I promise you a little water won't bother it. It has been in storms you wouldn't believe.

Ray beamed, pleased to have been remembered.

"I'll get you some coffee, Miss Green."

He comes back in a few minutes with a steaming cup of java and a blanket he'd found among the props: "These should help."

Phyllis couldn't help smiling at the way the men almost seemed to be fighting to cover her up! She finally accepted the blanket and coffee from Ray.

"Thanks."

Graham's suggestion piqued her curiosity, but also her suspicions.

"At the moment, I'd be happy as a 'damsel-in-distress with nice legs' if it meant steady pay. What's this short cut you're thinking of?"

She decided that if the word 'couch' was part of it, her reply would include 'kick' and 'family jewels'...