Chapter 13 Chapter Twelve

Some days passed, and Sam Winters felt more and more as if he was running not a movie studio but a madhouse.Moreover, these lunatics are all making things difficult for him.This has been the case in recent times, almost besieged from all sides.There was another fire last night--the fourth; chop off.Burt Fullstone, the studio's up-and-coming genius director, had stopped production on a five-million-dollar movie.A film that was originally scheduled to start shooting in the next few days, its heroine Tacie Brand wanted to quit again. The fire chief and the studio auditor came to Sam's office.

"Was the fire last night bad?" Sam asked them. The auditor said: "The set is completely burnt out, Mr. Winters. We must completely build No. 15. No. 16 can still be repaired, but it will take three months." "How can we wait three months," snapped Sam, "call and rent a vacant lot at Goldwyn's place. Use this weekend to start building a new soundstage. Get everybody to work." He turned to Fire Chief Reilly (a man who reminded Sam of an actor). "There must be discontent with you, Mr. Winters," said Raleigh. "Every fire is clearly arson. Haven't you done a survey of the dissatisfaction?"

A disgruntled employee is a disgruntled employee who has either been recently fired or harbors a grudge against an employer. "We've gone through all the personnel files twice," Sam replied, "and found nothing." "Who can be caught with his own hands. He can use a timing device and attach the timing device to the incendiary bomb he made. This person may be an electrician, or a mechanic." "Thanks," said Sam, "I'll think about that." "Rogier Tap called from Tahiti." "Come on," Sam said.Tapp is a producer on Friday the Servant.The TV series is being filmed in Tahiti and stars Tony Fletcher.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked. "You won't believe it, Sam. Philip Heller, the chairman of the board of directors of the company that financed the film, and his family are here to visit. They came to the shooting site yesterday afternoon, and Tony Fletcher He was there. He insulted Haile and the others in public." "What did he say?" "He told them to get off his island." "My Jesus!" "It's true. Hyler was so mad, he wanted to kill the series." "Apologize quickly to Heller. Go right away. Tell him Thor Fletcher is out of his mind. Send Mrs. Heller flowers and invite them to dinner. I'm going to talk to Tony Fletcher myself. Talk to Rachel."

The conversation lasted thirty minutes.The conversation started with Sam saying, "Listen to you, you fool..." The conversation ended with, "I like you too, baby. I'm going to fly to the island to see it as soon as I have time." You. But for God's sake, Tony, stop hooking up with Mrs. Heller!" The next question is that young and talented director Burt Falstone.He's bringing down Pan Pacific Pictures.The film "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" directed by Falstone has been in production for 110 days, exceeding the budget by more than one million US dollars.But now, Burt Falstone has stopped all the filming work, waiting for a new plan.This means that in addition to the big stars, there are a hundred and fifty extra movie actors who have nothing to do all day long.Burt Falstone is a thirty-year-old prodigy who, after directing some award-winning TV dramas on Chicago television, came to Hollywood to become a film director.Falstone's first three films were relatively successful, and his fourth film was even more valuable at the box office.So he had the reputation of being a cash cow, and he became a big celebrity in Hollywood.Sam still remembers his first meeting with Firestone.Falstone looked like an inexperienced boy of fifteen.He is Caucasian, a bit shy, with a pair of short-sighted pink eyes hidden behind black horn-rimmed glasses.Sam felt sorry for the lad, because he had no acquaintances in Hollywood, so Sam took him out to lunch and arranged for him to go to the dance.When they first discussed Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Firestone was respectful.He told Sam that he sincerely wanted to learn from him.He listened carefully to Sam's every word and was obedient to Sam.Falstone even told Sam that if he signed the contract for the movie, he would definitely need Mr. Winters' expertise.

All of this was before Foalstone signed his contract.After he signed the contract, it was like suddenly becoming Adolf Hitler.This apple-faced boy turned into a devil overnight.He cut off all communication links.He completely disregarded Sam's suggestion of assigning roles, insisted on reworking the very good script that Sam had agreed to, and changed most of the filming locations that had already been passed.Sam was going to fire him, but the New York headquarters told him to bear with it.The company's chairman, Rudolf Hegelshorn, was simply captivated by the huge revenue of Falsestone's latest film.Sam had to wait patiently, hanging on his hands.In his opinion, Falsestone's arrogance was getting worse every day.In the production meeting, when all the experienced department heads had spoken, Fowleston would negate them one by one.Sam sat there and said nothing.He decided to grit his teeth and endure, and it didn't take long for Falstone to be nicknamed "Emperor".When they didn't call him "Emperor," they called him "Chicago's never-seen-in-the-day fool."Others said he was a "hermaphrodite", maybe he could play with himself and give birth to a monster with two heads.

Now, halfway through filming, Foalstone stopped the crew. Sam goes to see Dean of the arts, Defferyn Kelly. "Leave this to me quickly," said Sam. "Okay. But the idiot has made—" "Don't call me a fool or a fool, just call me Mr. Falsestone!" "I'm sorry. Mr. Falstone originally asked me to build him a bunker set. He drew the sketches himself, and said you had approved them." "The sketches are fine, what's the matter?" "That's right. We built it for him exactly as he requested. But yesterday, after he took a look at it, he decided not to. Half a million dollars will be considered—"

"I'll go talk to him," Sam said. Falstone was not there.He is playing basketball with his colleagues behind the shooting site No. 23.They improvised a court, drew the sidelines, and installed two baskets. Sam stood there watching for a while.Playing like this costs the studio $2,000 per hour. "Bolt!" Falsestone turned, saw Sam, smiled, and waved to him.At this time, the ball was being thrown towards him, and he dribbled the ball a few times, made a feint, and put the ball into the basket.Then he walked up to Sam and said, "Is everything going well?" Like no one else.

When Sam saw his smiling, childlike face, he always thought he was some weird lunatic—a psychopath.He's talented, even a genius, but he's also a testament to his insanity.But the company's huge sum of five million dollars is in the hands of this lunatic. "I hear there's some problems with the new set," said Sam. "Let's fix those." Burt Falstone smiled languidly, and said, "There's nothing to fix, Sam. That set doesn't fit." Sam lost his temper. "What nonsense are you talking about? We made it for you exactly as you asked. You did the sketches yourself. Now what's the matter with you now?"

Falstone glanced at Sam, blinked, and said, "Hey, there's nothing wrong with it, it's just that I've changed my mind. I don't want bunkers anymore. I've decided that's not a very good idea." Do you know what I mean? This is the background of the scene where Alan says goodbye to Mike. I like when Mike is ready to sail and Alan comes to visit him on the deck of the ship .” Sam glanced at Falstone and said, "We don't have the ship set yet, Burt." Burt Falstone stretched out his arms, and said with a lazy smile, "Build me one, Sam." "Of course I hate it too," Rudolf Hegelshawn said on the long-distance call, "but you can't get rid of him, Sam. We're in too deep. We're short of stars. Burt Falstone is our star."

"Do you know how much he's over budget?—" "I know. Like Goldwyn said, 'We're never going to hire this son of a bitch again until we have to.' But we need him to finish the movie right now." "It's a wrong accommodation. He can't be allowed to do it again," Sam argued. "Sam—do you like the stuff he's shot so far?" Sam had to be honest: "That was amazing." "Build him a boat." The set was built in ten days, and Falsestone got the "Tomorrow After Tomorrow" crew back into action.The film became the highest-grossing success of the year. The next question is about Tacie Brand. Tacie is the hottest singer in the show business.Sam Winters managed to land her a contract with Pan Pacific in three films.It turned out to be a great success for Sam Winters.While the other studios were negotiating with Tacie's representatives, Sam quietly flew to New York to see Tacie perform and, at the end of the show, invite her out to dinner.This supper lasted until seven o'clock the next morning. In Sam's eyes, Tacie Brand was the ugliest, but probably the most talented woman.It was her talent that made her famous.Tacy is the daughter of a Brooklyn tailor.She had never had a single singing lesson in her life.However, when she walked onto the stage and sang loudly, her voice could linger in the beams with endless aftertaste.The audience went crazy.There was a musical that flopped on Broadway and barely lasted six weeks.Tacy has always been a stand-in in the play.It so happened that on the night of the closing performance, the actress who played the innocent girl should not be called because she was unwell, so she stayed at home.And so that night, Tacie Brand made her debut.She sang her heart out to a sparse audience.As it happened, one of the audience that day was a Broadway producer named Paul Valik.Paul Valik casts Tacie Brand as lead singer in his next act musical.This musical script is mediocre, but she made a sensation when she sang it.Commenters have given their best words to describe this incredible ugly girl and her astounding singing voice.She recorded her first solo record.The record became a number one bestseller the next day.She recorded an album, which sold two million copies within a month.Tacie became, because her singing could shake the world, Broadway film producers and record companies made a fortune from Tacie Brand, and Hollywood also wanted to invite her to make films.Their enthusiasm was dampened when they saw Tacie's face, but her box office value endowed her with an irresistible beauty. After Sam talked with Tacy for five minutes, he knew how he should control Tacy. "What made me nervous," Tacie said candidly on the first night they met, "was how I would look on that big screen. The screen image was the same size as me, and I was Ugly, isn't it? Every movie studio tells me they can make me look beautiful, but I think that's bullshit." "True nonsense," said Sam.Tacy looked at him in surprise. "Don't let anyone change your image, Tacy. They'll ruin you." "what?" "When Danny Thomas was contracted by MGM, Lloyd Meyer wanted to get his nose done, but Danny quit the company. He knew he was going to sell , it was him. And so are you now—Tacy Brand, you're selling yourself, not a plastic stranger." "You're the first person to be so open with me," Tacy said. "You're a real man. Are you married?" "No," said Sam. "Do you love the opposite sex?" Sam laughed: "Never with a singer—I'm tone deaf." "You don't need to be perfect," Tacy smiled. "I like you very much." "You like me, can you make a few movies with me?" She glanced at him and said, "Yes." "Very well, I'll go and sign a contract with your agent." Tacy stroked Sam's hand and said, "Are you sure you don't like to mess with something?" Tacie broke records at the box office with her first two films, the first being nominated for the Academy of Arts and Sciences; the second winning an Academy Award.Audiences all over the world lined up in front of movie theaters to catch a glimpse of Tacie and hear her incredible singing.She is versatile and has a great sense of humor. She can sing and act.Her ugliness has become her property, because the audience recognizes her.Tacie Brand also became the poster child for all the unattractive, unlikable, and unmissable. Tacie married the leading man in the first film, and she divorced him after the remake.In the second film, she married the leading actor in the film.Sam had heard rumors that this marriage of hers was also cooling down by the day.Hollywood is a hotbed of gossip.He didn't pay attention to it; what's more, he didn't think it was his business. Actually, he was wrong. Sam spoke to Barry Herman, Tacie's agent, on the phone: "What's going on, Barry?" "Tassie's not happy with her new movie, Sam." Sam was really angry: "Forget it! Tacie has all agreed with the producer, director and shooting script. We have also built the set. That is to say, everything is ready for shooting No. She can't run now. I'm going to—" "She didn't want to run away." Sam was taken aback. "What the hell is she trying to do?" "She wants a new producer." Sam yelled into the phone, "What's the matter with her?" "Ralph Dustin doesn't understand her." "Dustin is the best producer ever. She is lucky to have such a producer." "I quite agree with you, Sam, but they don't work together. If she doesn't take him away, she won't be in the picture." "She's signed a contract, Barry." "I know, dear. You have to believe me, Tassie respects that contract very much, but only when she is physically able to do it. Now the situation is like this: when she is upset, she is nervous, so she can't even I can’t even remember the lines.” "Let's talk about it later," Sam said curtly, and hung up the phone with a bang. The damn whore!She has no reason at all to fire Dustin from the film.He might have refused to go to bed with her, or something ridiculous like that.He said to Lucier, "Send Ralph Dustin over here." Ralph Dustin was an affable man in his fifties.He started out as a writer and eventually became a producer.His movies are full of charm and fascinating. "Ralph," Sam began, "I don't know how—" Dustin took Sam's hand and said, "Never mind, Sam. I'm here to tell you. I'm leaving." "What's going on?" Sam asked. Dustin shrugged his shoulders and said, "" "Listen to you, she wants to replace you because she already has someone?" "My Jesus, where have you been--to Mars? Don't you read those 'chat columns'?" "I don't read if I can. I don't have time. Who's that man?" "Not a man." Sam sat down slowly and said, "What are you talking about?" "It's the costume designer for Tacy's film. Her name is." "Are you sure of that?" asked Sam. "I'm afraid you are the only one in the Western Hemisphere who doesn't know about this." Sam shook his head. "I always thought Tacie was very frank." "Sam, life's a cafeteria. Tassie's a hungry girl." "Well, I'm not going to let a damn couturier pay for the loss of a four million dollar movie." Dustin grinned and said, "You're totally wrong." "what do you mean?" "I mean, part of Tacy's high profile is that women aren't being given proper opportunities in the industry. Your starlet is now a feminist." "I wouldn't do that," said Sam. "Whatever you want. I'd like to give you some advice. Because, that's the only way you're going to make this movie." Sam called Barry Herman: "Tell Tacie that Ralph Dustin is leaving the film," Sam said. "She will be delighted to hear that." Sam gritted his teeth, and then asked, "Does she have anyone in mind to make this film?" "In fact she has someone," said Herman calmly. "Tassie has discovered a very talented young girl who she thinks is ready for the task. Besides, with someone like you Under the guidance of wise men, Sam—" "Let's be less bureaucratic," said Sam. "Is this the final word?" "I'm afraid so, Sam, I'm sorry." Barbara Carter was handsome and well-figured.According to Sam, she was also very gentle.Sam watched her sit down on a leather couch in his office, her long, beautiful legs spread gracefully.She spoke with a slightly hoarse voice, which may have been because Sam was trying to find a certain characteristic.She looked him over with soft gray eyes, and then said: "I seem to be in a terrible position, Mr. Winters, and I have no intention of putting anyone out of work. But—" She threw up her hands resignedly. Get up, "Miss Brand says she's only making the film if I'm the producer. What do you think I'll do?" For a moment, Sam wanted to tell her the truth.But all he said was: "Have you had any experience in acting—besides being a costume designer?" "I've worked as a receptionist and I've seen a lot of movies." Terrible! "How did Miss Brand think you could be the producer of a film?" Like Sam triggering a dark spring, Barbara Carter came alive. “Tassie and I talked a lot about the film.” She stopped calling her “Miss Brand,” Sam noticed. "I think there are many mistakes in the script of this film. I pointed them out to her and she agreed with me." "Do you think you know more about writing a script than an Academy Award-winning writer who has written several successful films and Broadway plays?" "Oh, that's not it, Mr. Winters! I'm just saying I know better about women." The gray eyes were more serious now, and the tone of the voice was firmer. "Don't you think it's ridiculous that men often write women's characters? Only we know what we think. Can you understand that?" Sam is getting a little bored.He knew he had to hire her, and he hated himself for it.But he was running a movie studio, and his job was to get that movie made.If Tacie Brand wanted her pet squirrel to be a producer on the film, Sam would start ordering walnuts too.Because a Tacie Brand starred in a movie that meant $20 million to $30 million in profits without breaking a sweat.Other than that, Barbara Carter doesn't actually do anything to detract from the film.At least not right now.What's more, now that the filming is about to start, it is not allowed to make major changes to the shooting work. "You've convinced me," Sam said, not without irony, "that you've got the job. Congratulations." The next morning, both The Hollywood Reporter and Vanity Fair announced on their front pages that Barbara Carter was on board to produce a new film starring Tacie Brand. As Sam was about to toss the papers into his wastebasket, a small column in the lower part of the paper caught his eye: "TOBY TEMPLOR SIGNS DAHOU HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT." Toby Temple, Sam thought of the eager young comedian in uniform, and Sam couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of the young man.Sam figured he'd go see Temple if he was in town. He couldn't figure out why Toby Temple had never contacted him.

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