“Can do.”
He thought for a minute.
“Get Bernstein in here.
Better get Kessler and Marrs, too.”
The projectionist left.
In a few minutes Kessler, a heavy-set man, and Marrs, a young, nervous chain-smoker, came in with Bernstein, the sound man.
We were introduced all around and Johnson asked if we minded sitting through another showing.
“Nope.
We like it better than you do.”
Not quite. Kessler and Marrs and Bernstein, the minute the film was over, bombarded us with startled questions.
We gave them the same answers we’d given Johnson.
But we were pleased with the reception, and said so.
Kessler grunted. “I’d like to know who was behind that camera.
Best I’ve seen, by Cripes, since ‘Ben Hur.’ Better than ‘Ben Hur.’
The boy’s good.”
I grunted right back at him.
“That’s the only thing I can tell you.
The photography was done by the boys you’re talking to right now.
Thanks for the kind word.”
All four of them stared.
Mike said, “That’s right.”
“Hey, hey!” from Marrs.
They all looked at us with new respect.
It felt good.
Johnson broke into the silence when it became awkward.
“What’s next on the score card?”
We got down to cases.
Mike, as usual, was content to sit there with his eyes half closed, taking it all in, letting me do all the talking.
“We want sound dubbed in all the way through.”
“Pleasure,” said Bernstein.
“At least a dozen, maybe more, of speaking actors with a close resemblance to the leads you’ve seen.”
Johnson was confident.
“Easy.
Central Casting has everybody’s picture since the Year One.”
“I know.
We’ve already checked that. No trouble there.
They’ll have to take the cash and let the credit go, for reasons I’ve already explained to Mr. Johnson.”
A moan from Marrs. “I bet I get that job.”
Johnson was snappish. “You do. What else?” to me.
I didn’t know. “Except that we have no plans for distribution as yet.
That will have to be worked out.”
“Like falling off a log.” Johnson was happy about that.
“One look at the rushes and United Artists would spit in Shakespeare’s eye.”
Marrs came in. “What about the other shots?
Got a writer lined up?”
“We’ve got what will pass for the shooting script, or would have in a week or so.
Want to go over it with us?”
He’d like that.
“How much time have we got?” interposed Kessler.
“This is going to be a job.