Analysis of John Malloy (18) the Blackmailed Beauty

Jon Malloy (18)
the Blackmailed Breauty

*R.K.O. Radio Pictures*

When I walked in my front door, I saw Lana lounging in my wingback chair. She was wearing white shorts and a pink blouse. She had a grin on her gorgeous pan like she just won the Irish Sweepstakes.

"What put a bee in your bonnet?" I asked as she ran across the room to jump up and wrap her warm gams around my waist.

She planted a wet one on my puss and leaned back with her hands clasped around my neck "I got the part in 'Adams Rib!' she announced. "And George Kukor gave me a job as script girl to tide me over until production starts!"

I smile back. "That's darby, kiddo! When do you start?"
I'm
    "Tomorrow morning, John! Will you drive me?"

"I'd be happy to, angel! What time?"

Nine O'clock!....I can't WAIT!"

That evening, I filled her in on the events of the day, including Withers getting my first name.

I explained to her how that it made it too dangerous for her to flop in my pad from now on. I suggested she stay with a friend until Withers was no longer a threat.

We stepped out to eat at the Brown Derby for dinner to celebrate. After a swell meal we came back home and listened to The Colgate Comedy Hour and went to bed.

She was so excited about her good news, she kept me up until two A.M., demanding sex.

Being the understanding sort of joe I am, I obliged her without too much complaint.

The next morning we walzed through the front door of R K.O. Radio Pictures and into the huge lobby.

There was a pretty secretary behind an oak desk who looked up and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Will you tell us where they're filming 'A Double Life'?" asked  Lana.

"Let's see here. …" the secretary began, thumbing through a leger of some sort.. "That would be in soundstage three….just down the hallway and the fourth door to your right….Anything else?"

No thank you," Lana smiled.

As we made our way down the busy hallway, I was amazed at the beehive activity. Some folks were in civvies, and some wrere in costumes from every culture and every age you can think of. Cowboys were passing English royalty from the seventeenth century, and gangsters were jostling Indians on their way to somewhere .

"Are you sure you wanna work on this looney bin?" I whispered to Lana.

"More than anything," she said, with conviction….. "Here it is, John!"

The large door had. Lit sign above it warning, 'Quiet On The Set'.

Lana pushed the door slowly open and we sort of sneaked in. The room was huge. It looked like the cieling must have been thirty feet up. The room looked to be forty be fifty feet..

The room was dark except for the set of a living room in the center of it, which had three walls about eight feet high, and lit-up like it was daytime.

There were about twenty people sitting in two rows of chairs, fifteen feet from the set.  Others were walking around looking at various papers in their mitts and staying busy. A  boom camera was off to the right, with no-one in the seat. Two other huge movie cameras were on wheels, with a cameraman behind each one.

There was a sound man wearing earphones who held a microphone above the couple on a long metal boom, I assume above the camera shot.

The man and woman were right in the middle of of the phone living room, saying their lines.

We went up behind some shmo and stood there in silence. After a few seconds, Lana whispered in my ear, "That's Ronald Colman and Shelly Winters! He's playing a stage actor who's  confusing the roles he plays with his true personality."

Then  I recognized both actors. Colman looked just as refined as he did in the flickers. Shelly Winters was  blonde and lovely as she stood there in a revealing dress.

Colman said to Winters in that upper crust British accent, "People know who they are, or think they do, which is the same thing! It's simple for them!"

He got an angry look on his mug. "You want to know my name?....it's Martin!"

Winters said," Thank you."

Coleman looked even madder. "Or Ernest or Paul….Hamlet or Joe, or Othello or…." He went on to name too many stage characters to remember.

Shelly Winters looked worried when he was done. "What's wrong with you, fella? You're talking funny like you're somebody else!"

Ronald Colman sighed and said, "I almost was……"

Shelly Winters answered with, "Don't talk no funny stuff no more!... In fact…don't talk at all!"

The two actors shared a long kiss…

…Good job kids. You did it in one take!"

Shelly Winters slapped Colman with a smack so loud it almost echoed. "Keep your damn tongue to yourself,  BUDDY!" she huffed.

Colman rubbed his cheek and smiled. "I can't help myself, dear lady….I'm a method acTOR, you see! I have to FEEL the part.'   

A stagehand stepped in the camera still running and put a clapboard in front of the lense and closed it with a loud bang.

"I've always wondered why the do that after a scene,"  I told Lana,  as people started milling around and muttering to each other.

"It's to Let the editing room as to the title of the movie, the scene and the time. You can see all the writing on the front of the board," Lana explained.

She took my hand and tugged me toward a guy sitting in a folding canvas chair. The handle Kukor was stenciled on the backrest.

"I want to introduce you to the  director," she said, pulling my arm behind her.
Mister Kukor?"she said as he stood up. "I'd like to introduce my good friend, John Malloy."

Kukor took a long time to eyeball me up and down, then back up again. "Good friend you say?"

George Kukor reminded me of my high school principal. He looked to be in his late forties; horn rimmed glasses and decked out in a brown business suit.

He had .prominate lower lip and a slightly bulbous honker at the tip; Not handsome , but  presentable. He had brown hair, comed straight  back on his noggin.

"I'm having one of my parties on Saturday, Miss Roger, he said….. "And definitely bring your handsome young friend with you!"

As we were ankling away, I heard Lana giggling to herself. .
      "Not a word!" I said under my breath. "Not ONE word!"

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George Kukor did direct this movie in 1947. Ronald Colman and Shelly Winters were the stars, along with Edmond O' Brian and Art Carney.

The dialogue in the scene is true and àvery word is in the movie.