Chapter 29

Before running in the morning I called from Wyman’s and talked to my parents. I told them things went exactly as we had talked about yesterday. Mr. Baxter would be dropping off a contract at our Hollywood lawyers today. Dad said he would make the call to let them know about it, and that Dick held a valid power of attorney.

As Dick and I were running I thought about all the attorneys in my life, it was getting crazy, there was our family attorney, my patent attorney and now my entertainment attorney. Thank god for our family seldom had divorces.

When I had stopped at the front gate there had been a note waiting for me to report to room 107 building 3. The buildings were marked well enough that I was able to find building 3 without having to ask one of the tour guides leading groups around.

John Wayne, Producer Saul Goldman, and Director Ron Dodge were waiting for me. There were also two writers that I hadn’t met. They were introduced as Dusty Rhodes and Jim Turner.

Mr. Wayne began.

“I talked to both Dick Wyman and John Baxter this morning. They both told me that you had reached an agreement with John that would take care of his problems and also meet my goals. They didn’t want to give me any details until you have a signed contract in place with John. I will be very interested in seeing how you appear to have achieved the impossible.”

“In the meantime, we want to discuss a movie with you. As of today, Paul Grant has put the studio on notice that they have broken his contract by not providing the security required. He claims the studio should have had safeguards in place against rabid coyote’s and trained personnel rather than an irresponsible teenage boy who could have got him killed.”

I liked that, I was irresponsible because I stood between him and danger. Would that have made me responsible if I let it attack him?

Mr. Wayne continued, “That puts The Cowboys on hold for the foreseeable future. While we will all be paid as we haven’t violated our contracts we are effectively out of work. The studio will have to take the loss. That gives us a unique opportunity.”

“We can rent everything in place for another western which will reduce the studio’s losses at the same time we don’t have to pay the upfront costs of bringing everything together. We will use the sets that are already in place on the lot. We will not have to pay for any of the filming already done, but from it, we know how everyone should look.”

“The current cast will stay in place. The only addition will be a young lady to play my daughter and to be your love interest. We will use someone from Central Casting rather than an established star.”

“Sir, you appear to have given this some thought.”

Mr. Wayne made a gesture to include the others, “We have worked as a team for many movies. For us time is money. We could make a little money-drawing this movie paycheck or a lot of money by producing and selling our own movie.”

“Part of the deal with the studio would be that we give up our paychecks from The Cowboys and draw our money from Sir Nicklaus. All the other actors won’t see a change and yours will go up so that shouldn’t be a problem. You and I are the only people that are absolutely needed, me for the drawing power, and you for the ability to play an English cowboy.”

“An English cowboy?”

“Dusty, give Rick an outline of the story. The boys wrote this several years ago and we have been holding it as an ace in the hole if we had to fill in with a B movie. I hate to admit it but with me, as the only name in the movie it will be rated as a B.”

“Rick, the story opens in 1889 England, Sir Nicklaus an eighteen-year-old has just been sent down or as we called it expelled from Eton. Sir Nicklaus son of and heir to the 6^th Earl of Grays had smuggled a goat into the Dons or Deans lounge.”

“By itself, no big deal, except the lounge was set up to entertain visiting Queen Victoria, while her tea was being served the goat made its presence known. Her Majesty was not amused. Unfortunately for Sir Nicklaus, who is called Nick by his friends, is seen leaving the premises. His father the Earl is also not amused.”

“During the first scene interview, Nick is informed that he is being sent to the Earls younger brother James Braxton in the Wyoming territory. The Honorable James Braxton has established a successful cattle ranch of twenty thousand acres. There Nick will hopefully learn what it takes to be a successful adult.”