"Cut and print it," the booming voice of the Director carried across the sound stage.
The four actors on the set, a depiction of a typical mid-American household, froze in place. They had been at it for over an hour now, trying to finish a scene that seemed plagued by one glitch after another. The Director paused for a moment more, then said to their relief, "Okay people, that's a wrap for today."
"Thank God," Brooke Hudson said to herself, thankful to get out from under the hot lights.
As the thirty-nine year old star of "Dear Prudence" walked off the set toward her trailer, her twenty-two year old assistant, Joyce, met her halfway.
"You've had a few calls while you were on the set," the short brunette said as she held up a half dozen pages from a message pad.
Smiling back at the younger girl, the taller redhead flipped through the sheets, deciding that the first three didn't need answering. The fourth was from her agent reminding her that she had a Monday morning meeting to sit down and discuss her career.
In three more episodes, after a five-year run, "Dear Prudence" would fold its tent for good. The ratings had begun to slip badly this year, as the show seemed to run out of steam. All of the star's contracts were coming up for renewal, and with the expected demands for salary increases balanced against the expected even lower ratings next year, the Network had decided to pull the plug.
Still, it had been a good run, one a lot longer than Brooke had ever thought it would be when her agent had first brought her the pilot script six years before. It was just another silly sitcom, he'd told her. Not great, but something that would give her a little exposure. Something that her career could really use at that point. Despite fifteen years of guest shots and minor roles, she still hadn't made that jump to the first string.
The show was originally supposed to be entered around her character, Prudence Greer, a mid-western wife and mother who wrote an advice column for a local paper. Also signed on for the cast had been Harry Hamilton, a respected actor who played her husband, George. The story line called for Prudence to have married her college professor and it was felt an older actor would be more believable. With his salt and pepper hair and rugged good looks, the six-foot actor had been the first choice for the role.
There had been an open call for the roles of Prudence's teenage children, Carter and his older sister, Jade. After what was termed in the trades as fierce competition, the parts went to two new child actors, Gregg Newman and Paige Harrison.
A mid-summer replacement, Brooke really hadn't expected it to run beyond the Network's six-show commitment. To everyone's surprise, "Dear Prudence" became one of those surprise hits that seemed to come out of nowhere. The ratings grew even larger as the public fell in love with the junior members of the cast.
Gregg Newman had a natural charm and sense of comic timing that was both rare and irresistible. As fans watched him grow to young manhood on the TV screen, his fan mail, mostly from teenage girls, grew to star proportions.
Paige Harrison also developed her own fan base, one that almost doubled in a year as the long haired redhead experienced a growth spurt that seemed to be centered in her breasts. Teenage boys became fascinated by her development in a way that TV Guide described as not seen since the days of the original Mickey Mouse Club.
"Damn," Brooke said as she looked at the next note.
Joyce didn't need to look up from the notebook she was jotting some notes in to know which note had generated that particular response. Jim Parkes, a friend who was supposed to be her escort to the National People's Awards Dinner tonight had called to say that he'd come down with a sore throat and wouldn't be able to go.
Brooke had been looking forward to the Awards Dinner for weeks. She had been glad when Jim had agreed to go with her because aside from being an old friend, he was also quite safely gay. The twice-divorced star had her fill of men recently, especially those who looked upon dating her as a good career move. A chance to be seen by all the right people.
"Should I call the people at the award dinner and tell them that you won't be going after all?" Joyce asked.
"No, not yet," Brooke replied as she ran the names of a few other men she know who might be willing to go on such short notice. "I'll let you know a little later."
The last note was a matter she turned over to Joyce to handle. Collecting her notes, the Assistant went off to take care of it.
"Something wrong, Brooke?" a voice behind her asked.
The five foot seven actress turned to find her teenage co-star standing there. He had seen the hurt look on her from across the stage and had walked over to see if there was anything he could do.
Brooke just smiled at the young man who played her teenage son. Many times over the last few years, she had told herself that if she'd had a son of her own, she hoped he was as nice as Gregg was. Over the last five years, she'd watched him grow to manhood and had also become his friend. Gregg had just hit his teens when they'd shot the pilot, two weeks ago he had celebrated his eighteenth birthday.
"Nothing's wrong," she smiled, thanking him for his concern and explaining that she had lost her date for the dinner."
"You're still going to go, aren't you?" Gregg said expectantly.
"Well, I'm not sure yet," she replied. "I still have to come up with someone to go with on really short notice."
Before becoming a certified star, Brooke could've gotten away with going to a function with a girlfriend or even solo. Going alone was no longer an option with her now a high profile star and all. Showing up with a girlfriend could quickly generate a different sort of rumor in the tabloids, one that she would rather not have to deal with.
"You really should still go, Brooke" Gregg said. "I know you were looking forward to it."
The older Actress just smiled in response. It was an automatic response whenever Gregg used her name. For the longest time, she had always been Miss Hudson, but soon after he'd turned seventeen she had finally got him to call her by her first name. It was a sign of his new adulthood that she knew he enjoyed.
"We'll see," the redhead finally answered as she again reviewed her list of possible dates for the evening, discarding those that she knew already had plans.
"I have an idea," the young man said, unwilling to let the subject go without a definite answer.
"And what would that be?" Brooke asked curiously.
"You could go with me." he said with a wide grin.
"With you?" she repeated, wanting to be sure she had heard him right.
"Yes, I'd love to take you," the slightly taller young man went on.
Brooke wasn't sure if she should've been amused, honored, or maybe a little of both. True, Gregg was a quite handsome young man, one that any woman would have to be blind not to appreciate and pretty stupid not to jump at the chance to date. That was if she wasn't twice his age. Unlike some of her contemporaries, Brooke didn't make a habit out of dating men young enough to be ... well young enough to be her son.
"I would've thought a handsome young man like you would have his choice of young starlets to go with," Brooke said, deferring a response to his suggestion.
Gregg paused for a moment, then gave a non-verbal reply to her observation. Brooke followed his gaze over his shoulder to a man and woman still on the set, involved in an animated discussion. The man was Larry Prince, the show's Director, the woman Juliet Newman - Gregg's agent and mother. No further words needed to be said. It was obvious that Juliet Newman planned to go to the dinner as her son's escort. Brooke hadn't met Juliet before they all showed up on day one some years back, at least not officially, but it was dislike at first sight on Juliet's part.
Interestingly enough, both women had come to Hollywood seeking fame and fortune a few months apart back in late '79. Juliet Newman still showed the beauty she's exhibited in those early years, and if Brooke wanted to be totally truthful, she'd admit that the dark-haired woman had been the better looking of the two. However, looks only got you so far, especially in a city where even fast food restaurants were filled with beautiful women behind the counters.
Someone who had known Juliet back in those days, once confided to Brooke that many of the tall brunette's early roles had been gained more by sexual willingness than acting skill. That was something that Brooke never actually held against her. Looking back on her own beginnings, the redhead could remember a few occasions when she'd awaken to find men sharing her bed that normally wouldn't have gotten past the front door. In fact, she could recall a morning when it had even been a woman she found on the other side of the bed.
No, she wouldn't judge the woman for things that she had done herself. Juliet's problem was that once she got those first breaks, she hadn't had the talent to capitalize on them. At least acting talent. To hear her tell the tale, it was her unplanned pregnancy that had brought a sudden end to what she was sure would've been an exceptional career. Never quite sure who the father had been, Juliet had found some guy to be married with just about long enough to give her and her son his name.
Brooke's real first encounter with Juliet, the one the latter would rather forget, had come during the tryouts for the roles of Carter and Jade. Originally, the Producers hadn't been all that impressed with young Gregg's screen test. They were leaning toward giving the role to another young actor. Before the final decision could be made, Juliet had managed an appointment with Tom Carver, the show's Executive Producer.
The appointment had been during what was normally lunch hour for Carver's secretary. So, when Brooke had stopped by to ask Tom a question about the planned production schedule, there had been no one to prevent her from walking in to the inner office. Before she could announce herself, she saw that Juliet's discussion of her son's merits for the role had far more to do with something going into her mouth rather than any words coming out of it. Without a word, the star to be had quickly gone the way she had come, hoping that neither of them had noticed her. When she had been introduced to Juliet a week later at the press introduction of the cast, it quickly became obvious that at least one of them had indeed noticed her entry.
