In an attempt to raise the thread's eyes heavenward, or at least above the waist, I will tell you a true story.
When Jimmy and I were in graduate school at U. Va., my mother called us all excited. There was a producer in Lexington holding auditions for a movie on the Civil War which was to be filmed in part in Rockbridge County. A casting call had been placed in the Lexington Gazette the week before and since we were both in theatre, she thought we might want to audition. Naturally we did, and we decided to pack up our resumés and publicity shots and head over the mountain that Saturday morning early. The night before my mother called and said,
"Penni, some of the women have been asked to take their blouses off! I don't think you should audition for that role." We then discussed who had done it and what were their chances.
The auditions were at the Lexington Motel; Jimmy went in first and came out all excited. With his looks and experience, there might even be a speaking role for him! I went in. The man was unassuming and middleaged, pleasant. He looked over my resumé and said,
"That's your husband out there, right?" I said yes. He nodded and assured me that with my experience yadayada, he was sure I'd be called. I didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted that he didn't ask me to take my shirt off.
A week or two later my mother called all breathless. "You didn't take your clothes off in that audition, did you?"
"No, Mom. of course not!" I didn't say he hadn't asked.
Well, it turned out they had arrested this guy; he was just a scam artist- no more a movie producer than my mother was, and had pulled this in several places. I have no idea what he could possibly have thought he was doing, was he just having fun? All the poor women who had bared their bosoms were humiliated. I comfort myself that he wasn't about to ask me to strip with my young, strong husband waiting outside. |
