Karen's Movie

  I ran to my desk to get paper and a pencil.

  “It is time to write our script,” I said. “Hey! I just thought of a title.”

  I wrote it in big letters for Hannie and Nancy to see.

  PRINCESS GIGGLEPUSS

  “I love it!” said Hannie.

  “Me, too,” said Nancy. “Let’s start writing.”

  Here is what we wrote.

  PRINCE: Mother and Father, I am looking for a princess to be my bride. I want a bride who can make me laugh.

  KING: Do not worry, my son. We will put a notice in the royal paper. We will find you a princess right away.

  NARRATOR: One week later, a girl knocked at the palace door. The prince asked the girl to make him laugh.

  GIRL NUMBER ONE: Why did the firefighter wear red suspenders?

  PRINCE: To keep his pants up. Ho-hum.

  NARRATOR: The girl was sent away. Later that day, a second girl knocked at the palace door. The prince asked her to make him laugh.

  GIRL NUMBER TWO: Knock-knock.

  PRINCE: Who is there?

  GIRL NUMBER TWO: Little old lady.

  PRINCE: Little old lady who?

  GIRL NUMBER TWO: I did not know you could yodel!

  PRINCE: Ho-hum. I have heard that before.

  NARRATOR: The second girl was sent away. Early that evening …

  Suddenly I heard Mommy’s voice. She was back from the airport.

  The Three Musketeers ran downstairs to meet her. I told Mommy about the movie for Granny and Granddad.

  “I am sure they will love it,” she said. “Did Daddy say you could borrow his camera?”

  Uh-oh. I had not asked him yet. What if he said no? “I will call him right now,” I said.

  I told Daddy about Grandad and the VCR and my movie. Then I asked if I could borrow his camera. Guess what. He said, “No problem.” He even put Sam on the phone. Sam promised to help us with the movie.

  “Come on,” I said to Hannie and Nancy. “We have a movie to write.”

  Casting Call

  I woke up on Friday morning feeling very happy.

  “I am making a movie. My very own movie,” I told Goosie.

  I thought Goosie gave me a funny look when I told him it was my very own movie. I guess that is because he saw Hannie and Nancy helping me write it the day before.

  “Yes, I know Hannie and Nancy helped me. But they had to go home before the story was finished. So I wrote the ending all by myself. Besides, the movie was my idea and it is for my grandad,” I said.

  I did not have time to sit around explaining things to Goosie. I had told the kids in my little-house neighborhood to be in my backyard at ten o’clock sharp if they wanted to be in the movie. (Hannie was coming, too, even though she lives near the big house. Her mommy was going to drop her off.)

  At five minutes to ten, Andrew and I went out to the backyard. Nancy, Kathryn, and Willie were there. Bobby and Alicia were hurrying down the street. And Hannie’s mommy was pulling into the driveway.

  As soon as we were all together, I said, “Welcome to the casting call for Princess Gigglepuss.”

  I read the script out loud from beginning to end. I used a different voice for each character. I thought I did a very good job. At the end, everyone clapped.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I will now assign parts.”

  “Wait a minute,” said Bobby. “Who made you boss?”

  “Um, well, the movie is for my grandad. So I have to make sure everything comes out okay. That is why I am going to be the director,” I said.

  “What part do I have?” asked Bobby.

  “You are the cameraman. You get to film the movie. My brother, Sam, will help you.”

  “Cool!” said Bobby.

  I could see Bobby did not mind my being boss anymore.

  “Hannie, you will be girl number one. Nancy, you will be girl number two. Alicia will be girl number three,” I said.

  “What about me?” asked Andrew.

  “You will be the prince. That is a big part. But I will help you practice.”

  That left Kathryn and Willie.

  “Kathryn, you will be the narrator. The narrator tells what is happening whenever the actors are not talking,” I said. “And Willie, you will be the king.”

  That was it. Everyone had a part.

  Woof! Woof! Midgie was running in circles, wagging her tail. I guess she wanted to be in my movie, too.

  “Okay, Midgie. You can be the royal watchdog,” I said. “Does anyone have any questions? No? Good.”

  I did not give anyone a chance to ask anything. That is because I wanted to run through the movie. I wanted to see everyone in action so I could think about their costumes.

  “I only have one copy of the script now. I will hold it up when it is your turn to read. If you do not know how to read yet, I will help you say your part.”

  “Where is my camera?” asked Bobby.

  “I do not have it yet. You can make believe you are filming. It will be very good practice,” I said. “Okay, everyone. Princess Gigglepuss. Take one.”

  The Phone Call

  It was late Friday afternoon. I was helping Mommy fix dinner. (I was washing lettuce for our salad.)

  Ring, ring.

  “That might be Seth,” said Mommy. “He promised to call us from the hospital after Grandad’s surgery.”

  It was Seth. Mommy talked to him for awhile. Then she passed the phone to me.

  “Hi, Seth. How is Grandad feeling?” I asked.

  Seth told me that the surgery went as well as could be expected. Grandad was going to get better. But the doctors did not know how long it would take.

  “And he may never feel as good as he did before the heart attack,” said Seth.

  “I am working on a surprise gift for him,” I said. “I think it will help him get better fast.”

  When I finished talking to Seth, Granny got on the phone.

  “What is this about a surprise for Grandad?” she asked.

  “I cannot tell you what it is because it would not be a surprise anymore. And it is for both of you,” I added.

  I talked to Granny a little more. Then it was Andrew’s turn. When he finished, I talked to Seth again.

  “I forgot to tell you that Midgie is going to be part of the surprise,” I said.

  Seth thought that was very mysterious. I wanted to tell him more, but someone at the hospital was waiting to use the phone. So we had to say good-bye.

  After the phone call, Andrew and I decided to write to Grandad. When you are in the hospital you need all the cheering up you can get.

  I found my artist’s supplies. I have all kinds of paper, colored markers, glitter, and glue.

  Andrew found some old magazines. He cut out pictures of things Grandad likes and pasted them on paper to make a get well card.

  I was going to write Grandad a letter. First I made a beautiful glitter border. At each corner I drew a heart. That left plenty of room in the middle to write.

  Dress Rehearsal Number One

  I held a movie meeting at the little house on Monday morning.

  “First of all, I have scripts for everyone. Please take them home and learn your lines,” I said. (Mommy had made copies for me at the post office.)

  “Second of all, it is time to make our costumes. I worked very hard over the weekend and made pictures of the costumes everyone will wear.”

  I passed out the pictures I had drawn. The costumes were very fancy with ruffles and sequins and feathers.

  “I wish you had told me you were working on costumes,” said Nancy. “I would have helped you.”

  “Me, too,” said Hannie.

  They both sounded a little grumpy. I did not understand why. Their costumes were going to be very beautiful.

  I spread out everything we needed on the kitchen table. There was cardboard for crowns and crepe paper for ruffles. There were brown paper bags and old pillowcases. (All we had to do was cut holes for heads and arms.) And the
re was a big box of dress-up clothes with hats, jewelry, scarves, and a feather boa that Mommy once gave me.

  “Let’s get busy!” I called. “If anyone needs help, just let me know.”

  I went to work on my costume. Then I noticed that no one was asking for help. I walked around the room and looked over everyone’s shoulder the way my teacher does at school sometimes.

  “Very nice, Willie,” I said. “Alicia, a little less glue on your crown. Kathryn, more ruffles please.”

  We worked on our costumes Monday and again on Tuesday. By Wednesday we were ready for a dress rehearsal. I was gigundoly excited.

  “Places, everyone!” I said. Then I realized I had not told them where their places were yet. That was an important job for the director.

  “Kathryn, you stand here,” I said. “Andrew, over here. Hannie and Nancy, you have to wait off to the side until I tell you to come in.”

  “We know that, Karen,” said Hannie. “You do not have to tell us.”

  “A director’s job is to give direction,” I said.

  “If we want directions, we will look at a map,” said Bobby. (He thought that was very funny.)

  “All right, everyone. Quiet on the set. This is dress rehearsal number one for Princess Gigglepuss by Karen Brewer,” I said.

  “Ahem!” said Hannie.

  “Double ahem,” said Nancy. “You forgot about us.”

  “I did not think you would mind,” I said. I started over. “This is dress rehearsal number one for Princess Gigglepuss by Karen Brewer with a little help from her friends, Hannie and Nancy. Andrew, please begin.”

  “Do I have to go first?” asked Andrew.

  “Yes, you have to go first. You are the prince,” I replied.

  “Okay,” said Andrew. “ ‘Mommy and Daddy, I am looking for …’ ”

  “Cut!” I yelled. “You are not supposed to say ‘Mommy and Daddy.’ You are supposed to say ‘Mother and Father.’ Please begin again.”

  “ ‘Mother and Father, I … I am …’ I am all mixed up now,” said Andrew.

  “Andrew, you were supposed to practice your lines,” I said. I stamped my foot. (I once saw a director do that.)

  “You should not be mad at Andrew. He is only little,” said Nancy.

  Oh, boy. Dress rehearsal number one was not going the way I wanted it to. This might be a long day.

  Lights! Camera! Action!

  We rehearsed for two more days. On Thursday morning, Sam came to the little house and gave Bobby important tips about using the camera. By Thursday afternoon, we were ready to film.

  “Places, everyone!” I called.

  I decided to make a few small changes before we began.

  “Andrew, please move to the right. Willie, that means you have to move back. You, too, Alicia,” I said.

  “I like where I was before,” said Andrew.

  “It is better this way. Quiet on the set,” I said. “Lights! Camera! Action!”

  Bobby turned on the camera and started filming. I announced the title, then Andrew began.

  “ ‘Mother and Father, I am looking for a princess to be my bride,’ ” said Andrew. “ ‘I want a bride who can make me laugh.’ ”

  “Cut!” I yelled.

  “Andrew, please look at Willie,” I said.

  “But I want to look at the camera,” said Andrew.

  “I am the director and I say you have to look at Willie,” I replied.

  Andrew stuck his tongue out at me. But he looked at Willie. Then it was Willie’s turn.

  “I do not want to wear ruffles anymore,” said Willie. “They are itchy. And girls wear ruffles.”

  “Kings wear ruffles, too,” I said.

  “They do not,” said Willy.

  “They do, too. If you do not wear ruffles, then you cannot be in my movie.”

  Willy left his ruffles on.

  Kathryn’s line came next. Then came Hannie’s.

  “ ‘Why did the firefighter wear purple suspenders?’ ” said Hannie.

  “Cut!” I yelled. I noticed that the camera was still running. I could not understand why. I looked at Bobby and he turned it off.

  “The script says red suspenders, not purple,” I told Hannie.

  “Purple is funny,” said Hannie. “And you are being too bossy.”

  “Directors are bossy. The suspenders are red,” I said.

  Nancy’s line came next. Right in the middle of her knock-knock joke, she started to laugh.

  “Cut!” I called again. “You are not supposed to laugh. You did not laugh yesterday.”

  “I am laughing because I am nervous,” said Nancy.

  “Well, there is no laughing allowed,” I said.

  We had to film Nancy’s part three times to get it right. Then Kathryn read her line.

  “ ‘Early that evening, there was another knock at the palace door,’ ” she said.

  Midgie was supposed to bark then. But she was watching a squirrel in a tree. Oh, well. The show must go on. It was time for Alicia’s line.

  “ ‘I am here to make you laugh,’ ” she said.

  “ ‘Are you going to tell a funny joke?’ ” asked Andrew.

  “ ‘No,’ ” Alicia replied.

  “ ‘Are you going to sing a funny song?’ ”

  “ ‘No.’ ”

  “ ‘How will you make me laugh?’ ”

  “ ‘Like this!’ ” Alicia tickled Andrew with a feather boa.

  “ ‘Ha! Ha! Ha! I want you for my bride,’ ” said Andrew.

  “ ‘And so they were married and lived happily ever after,’ ” said Kathryn. “ ‘The end.’ ”

  “Cut!” I called.

  “Yippee!” said Willie.

  “Hooray!” said Kathryn. “Who wants to play tag?”

  My cast and crew waved good-bye. In a flash, they were gone.

  We Quit!

  Later, while Andrew was playing in his room and Mommy was cooking dinner, I decided to look at some of my movie. I popped Bobby’s videotape into the VCR, rewound the tape, and sat back to watch it. (All I needed was popcorn.)

  I was very excited when I saw myself on TV.

  “ ‘Princess Gigglepuss by Karen Brewer with a little help from her friends, Hannie and Nancy.’ ”

  Wow, I thought. I did that really well.

  “ ‘Mother and Father, I am looking for a princess to be my bride. I want a bride who can make me laugh.’ ”

  Hmm. Andrew sounded pretty good. But Bobby had shot only half of Willie. Half a person looks silly on the screen. We would have to shoot that scene again.

  I watched a little more. Suddenly I heard something strange. I rewound the tape. I heard it again. It sounded like someone sneezing, someone who was not in front of the camera. I had not noticed that before. I must have been too busy directing. We would have to reshoot that scene, too.

  When I reached Hannie’s part, I was not too happy. I did not like the way she said “red suspenders.” I think she was mad at me for not letting her say purple. That is one more scene to reshoot, I thought. A director’s work is never done.

  The next day when everyone was outside, I made an announcement.

  “Hey, everyone, listen up. I watched a little of the movie last night. We need to shoot a few scenes over again,” I said.

  “Oh, no!” said Kathryn.

  “I do not want to,” said Andrew. “I want to play.”

  “Come on, everyone,” I said. “We want to make a great movie, right?”

  “Oh, all right,” said Bobby. “But only if it does not take a long time.”

  We went back to the little house and put on our costumes. Bobby got the camera and we went outside to reshoot three scenes.

  “Problem number one,” I said. “Bobby, you cut Willie in half. Half a person on the screen looks very silly.”

  “Sorry, Ms. Director,” said Bobby.

  We reshot the scene. I stood Andrew, Willie, and Alicia where they had been standing during the dress rehearsal. I guess I had mo
ved them too far apart when Bobby was filming them the day before. But I did not tell anyone that.

  “Problem number two,” I said. “Somebody sneezed. No one is allowed to sneeze or cough or make any noise.”

  “Achoo!” said Nancy.

  “Very funny,” I said.

  We reshot the second scene. I listened carefully to make sure no one made noise.

  “Problem number three,” I said. “Hannie, you sound grumpy when you say ‘red suspenders.’ Please try to be more cheerful.”

  “That does it!” said Hannie. “I cannot sound cheerful because I do not feel cheerful. All you are doing is bossing everyone around and complaining. I quit!”

  “Making this movie was supposed to be fun. But thanks to you it is not,” said Nancy. “I quit, too.”

  “Me, too,” said Alicia.

  “We all quit!” said Bobby.

  Everyone threw down their costumes and stomped off.

  Oh, well. I had enough film to make my movie for Grandad. That was what mattered most.

  Bossy

  On Saturday, Mommy drove me to the big house. Sam was going to help me edit my movie. I raced inside.

  “Hi, everybody!” I said.

  “Hi, honey. How is your movie coming along?” asked Daddy.

  “I think it is going to be very good. Are there Academy Awards for homemade movies?”

  “Come on,” said Sam. “I want to see this award-winning show.”

  Sam and I went into the TV room to watch Princess Gigglepuss. I had watched only a little of it the day before. This was the first time I was going to see the whole thing.

  “Hey, you look cool on TV,” said Sam when he saw me.

  “Thank you!” I replied.

  I thought the movie looked pretty good up to the part in which Hannie asks the firefighter riddle. Then I got a surprise.

  I saw myself yelling, “Cut!” I was looking straight into the camera at Bobby, and he was filming me.

  A minute later I saw myself yelling, “Cut!” again. Then I saw myself telling Nancy she was not supposed to laugh.

  “You are a pretty tough director,” said Sam.

  Hmm. I guess I did act kind of bossy. But I had to. A director must take charge. Hannie was supposed to say “red,” not “purple.” Nancy was not supposed to laugh when she said her lines. Someone had to tell them these things. And I was the director, so that someone had to be me.