18 Hours with Julie - Part 4 - 4:00am-

4:00 am

As the hour grew later, the crew paid more attention to us. Besides the producer, director, stars and crew, we were the only ones there. The attention we got made us feel pretty special, like part of the family...

Now, they were going to do the chromokey. It took half-an-hour for them to set up. A long blue roll, like a carpet, was rolled down in a frame from the ceiling. It made a curve down to floor. Only one special camera would be in use with the chromokey, and  the actors had to look into a monitor to see where they were in the scene. With the chromokey, the actors would be transported from where they were into a cartooned background. It was strange, and difficult to do. Keith Michell walked through the furniture in the scene many times.

Julie came out for the scene, “The King’s Breakfast,” dressed as “the Queen.” She wore a white dress and a red crown over her curly-haired wig. She was the exact picture of an A.A. Milne illustration. Keith Michell came out in red and white pyjamas with a King’s mantle.

They rehearsed their lines. Julie was so wonderful. She said the queen’s lines in a deep, matronly voice, sounding every bit a Queen. It made me laugh.

Then, Julie came to sit down near us. She was very, very tired. It was four in the morning...

“Walk as though you’ve never seen the floor,” director, Bill Davis instructed her about the scene, and she did. I laughed again at that (quietly) and to my surprise I was the only one laughing. Everyone else was so sleepy, but I felt as if I was just waking up. Kneeling on the floor, and then bouncing a little on the seat of  my chair helped.

“Please move the monitor over a bit,” said Julie.

She and Keith were constantly looking at the monitor in order to know where they were in the scene.

“Thank you,” she said, after one of the crew moved it so she could see.

Then, he moved it a bit more and, suddenly, she said,

“Oh no! Not in front of the people sitting there.”

She was very excited about them not blocking our view. ...

One of several cue cards I got this night. This one had
been doodled on. The "Do Not Sit Here" signs were often
used to put on Julie's chair or a guest star's chair so that
no one else sat there.

Meanwhile, I had been keeping my eye on some of the cue cards all night. When the cue card man came by, I asked him,

“May I have these or do you need them?” I really wanted a souvenir of this long night!

To my surprise, my English accent was stronger than ever. He told me after the show, I could have them and I was thrilled.

Note This blog has had much material edited 

out toward work on a new book on the subject.