Thank Your Lucky Stars by Martin Turnbull

Author:Martin Turnbull
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Martin Turnbull

Nell checked her calendar—March 5th, 1944—then ran down the list of movies now under her purview.

The September 1st release of Arsenic and Old Lace was six months away, so she didn’t need to worry about that for now. The Adventures of Mark Twain was opening on May 6th, so it got bumped to top priority. The Mask of Dimitrios was scheduled to go into theaters in July. Even though it starred Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, it was a low-rent Maltese Falcon retread and wasn’t likely to set the box office on fire. Bogie’s Passage to Marseille was coming out in a week’s time, which left Hollywood Canteen, due to start in June, and To Have and Have Not, which would be shooting for a couple more months and open in October. As well as the refreshed advertising campaign for Casablanca now that it had won three Oscars.

And to think she had once assumed PR people only worked one motion picture at a time. What blissful ignorance you lived in, you foolish, naive girl.

The number of cameos planned for the Hollywood Canteen movie stood at twenty-six. Or twenty-seven, including Roy Rogers’ horse, Trigger. It was bound to be a hellaciously busy set. She shoved a pencil into the sharpener and ground the handle around, wondering how filming was going over at To Have and Have Not. She had dropped by a couple of times. Stage Twenty-Eight vibrated with sexual tension from what Nell could only assume was now a physical relationship.

If passions didn’t get out of hand, and if they stayed inconspicuous, and if Mayo didn’t catch wind of what was going on until production had finished, then the studio bigwigs would be fools to not play up the romantic angle. But that was a lot of ifs. Could those two lovebirds keep their extracurricular activity on the q.t.? She didn’t blame Bogie for falling hard for Betty, but he had worked so long and so hard to reach the top. Had he thought through the consequences?

Her intercom buzzed. Taplinger’s voice asked, “You got a minute?” which meant ‘Come here.’

He was hanging up as she walked into his office. “Did you invite Hedda Hopper onto the lot?”

“Not unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“She just arrived—with a guest.” He studied his telephone as though it might bite him. “Mrs. Bogart.”

A frisson jolted Nell. That night at the Mocambo, when Hawks had told Bogie about his plan to film To Have and Have Not, his disdain for everything Mayo said had spread across his face like a syphilitic rash. “Mayo has recruited Hedda as a bodyguard.”

Taplinger raised a worried eyebrow. “Wherever Mayo goes, trouble follows.”

“Especially with Hedda in tow.” Nell started backing away. “I’d better run down there and reconnoiter.” She was out the door before he could question her any further.

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