The Life of Oddley - Episode 13

THIS WEEK'S EPISODE - "Hollywood Oddley", Part One

Greetings, everyone.  Welcome to the new posting time of "The Life of Oddley".  The reason for changing when the postings happen is to get more people to read it if it is posted during the weekend.  Time will only tell if it works.

Back to the story.  Last week, we concluded the small three-part story "The Road to California".  In that closing chapter, Oddley found that Rita hadn't abandoned him but just was waiting for him in the car.  Once that was out of the way, the trip resumed.  It was to be a non-stop flight to the coast.

Along the way, Rita and Oddley thought over what they would do once they got to Los Angeles.  Rita wanted to be in a movie and told Oddley he could meet those he admired.  Oddley himself was passive about meeting his favorite sci-fi actors in person and stuck to just taking in the California sun before heading back east.

Also, Oddley remembered his original partner-in-crime, Ogden Hamilton.  Oddley told of how the Alabama father of a pregnant blonde with the IQ of a 3-watt bulb came in with a shotgun, ready to drag Ogden to his wedding, like it or not.  Ogden decided to flee the store and the city.  Oddley then found out that Ogden's flight had also taken him to California.

Determined to make it to the ocean before dark, the duo rushed into Los Angeles, in headlong flight to the shore.  As the sun was about to set, Oddley and Rita finally arrived at the shore.  With cheerful want, Oddley ran across the sand of a beach and right into the ocean wave, his four-day (eight weeks to us) journey completed at last...

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I stood in that ocean for a few minutes, letting the surf pound me every time it came in. Finally, I had enough ocean and walked my way out of it and over to Rita, sitting on the sand, next to both of our shoes.

"Did you have a nice time in the ocean?" she asked me.

"That I did. Now I can grasp what Ogden told me in his letter." I said as I sat down next to her.

"I see you trust what he says." she said.

"That I do." I said.

"Then, how do you know he's here in California?" she asked.

"His letter had a Los Angeles address and postmark on it. Trust me, he's many things but not anyone who can mail letters to disguise his location. Where he is is where he is." I said.

"That's nice." she said.

"Now, I get to test my trust in you." I said.

"How's that?" she asked.

"By seeing if you don't abandon me here." I said.

"I would never do that." she said.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm sure. You're an interesting person. Why would I head back to Tulsa and those cookie-cutter, judgmental people?" she said.

"Then I guess I have a pal to enjoy the California life with, for the next seven days." I said.

"Seven days of this. I hope you're not a bad person to enjoy it with." she said.

"If we find Ogden, it'll be twice as fun." I said.

"Then I hope we find him." she said.

"He'll probably find us first, with our luck." I said.

Several minutes later, the sun set, and with that, the fourth day of my vacation passed on. As I put on my shoes and walked back to the car, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I had never been to the ocean before and now, I had stood within it.

When I got back to the car, I noticed that the time was now 6:32 pm. In my mind, I knew that Rita and I needed lodgings but I wondered if I had enough funds to last a week in California, land of high prices. First thing I needed to do was tell Rita.

"Rita, we need to talk over something." I said to her.

"Go ahead." she replied.

"It's about where we're gonna stay here in California." I said.

"We are gonna need one." she said.

"Do you have any idea where?" I asked her.

"No, but I bet you do." she said.

"Where?" I asked.

"With Ogden." she said.

"I barely remember his address. Besides, Los Angeles is a big place and we don't have the time to search every street." I said.

"Let's just get a room tonight and we can search tomorrow." she said.

"There's an idea, and so far, the only one." I said.

"I think I saw one a mile or two back." she said as she started the car.

Rita's brief sighting was right. It was a nice hotel, offering a room for $10.00 a night, or that's the sign said outside. Rita and I agreed to do what we need last night. I went and got the room and she stayed in the car. To my amazement, it worked twice.

The minute I got into the room, I turned on the television and began watching shows while Rita went through her unpacking routine. Wearing the same clothes for four days was starting to lose its appeal. Rita was getting used to it herself, but she had more changes of clothes than we had days to spare.

"Maybe while we're here, we can get you a new wardrobe. Yours is getting stale." said Rita.

"I know that. Remember, I didn't plan this trip." I said.

"That's no excuse, now that we're in California." she said.

"I guess I could get some new clothes, maybe clean these." I said.

"I can clean those when we find Ogden." she said.

"Maybe we can get you some high-fashion items." I said.

"Good idea." she said.

Friday arrived slowly but surely. Once again, I spent a night in bed with Rita, dressed in her nightie, with me trying to hold in my lust. Eventually, I woke up with the sunlight in my eyes. I managed to find Rita still asleep this time.

I got out of bed quickly and took a seat at the only chair in the room and stared out of the window. I could actually see the ocean. A constant blue ribbon next to a ribbon of sand. The sun was now shining from the east, giving an eerie glow to the scene.

"Where are you, Oddley?" I heard Rita's voice ask.

"At the window." I said.

"Why are you there?" she asked.

"Because I want to." I said.

That answer must have been enough for Rita, because she then made no attempt to talk to me further as she readied for the day. Within an hour, she was ready to go, and so we did. We headed back into town. I knew that today was all about the search for Odgen. Rita had other ideas.

"I have an idea, Oddley." she said to me, driving and smoking.

"What is it?" I replied.

"Why don't we enjoy the sights before we go find Ogden?" she said.

"Why should we?" I asked.

"Because we're here, and we should take in the sights before we find him." she said.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to take in some sights before we go look for Odgen." I said.

"That's the spirit." she said.

One of the first places we stopped was a clothing store. Rita was being true to her word about getting me some new clothes. Rita and me had a time going through the racks of clothing. Rita really had a time, getting the best-looking stuff in the place.

We finally selected some articles and paid for them. Our combined amount dropped a fair number. I was hoping that we find Ogden today. As I walked out of the store, I was dressed in a Hollywood three-piece suit, with Rita wearing a fancy-looking dress, wearing sunglasses.

"I can't believe what I have just done." I said.

"I can. We just dressed for Hollywood." said Rita.

"I look Hollywood. I wonder if I can act Hollywood." I said.

Me and Rita climbed back into the car and continue our drive. As we drove around, I also, in secret, began my search for Odgen, looking out my window and hoping to identify his car. I had memorized his plate, so I scan every one I found.

About 45 minutes after leaving the clothing store, I found that we had turned onto Hollywood Blvd. That world-famous street. Rita was star-struck already. She became even more when she stopped our car in front of a famous landmark.

Grauman's Chinese Theater is, to many, the center of the Hollywood universe, because here is where they premiere films to go all around the world. I had never dreamed that I would see it myself, yet here I was standing, looking at it with Rita.

"That's Grauman's, isn't it?" I said to her.

"That it is." she said.

"Let's take a look at the footprints." I said.

"Lets." she said as me and her started to roam around.

As I walked around, I saw all the famous names who had left their mark behind. Even then, some of those names were gone from us and unknown to me. One space I walked to was of Clark Gable, who my mother had a minor crush on in her youth.

On a whim, I placed my feet into his prints. While the back part fit perfectly, the front of his shoes went over an inch beyond mine. I just whistled as I stood there. Once I removed my shoes, I made a search for Rita and saw her staring at another space.

When I got over to where she was, I saw that she was staring down at the handprints of Rita Hayworth. The look on her face was one of near relevance. It was almost as if she was making a silent prayer over the prints. I gotta say, it was a solemn time at the Chinese Theater.

"What's with the act?" I finally asked.

"It's her." she said, pointing at those handprints.

"She was a good actress, but not good enough to deserve a service." I said.

"I was named after her. Rita Hayworth Louise. That's what my mommy named me." she said.

"The only things I know about Rita Hayworth was that she was in movies and once married to Orson Welles." I said.

"I'm a big fan of hers. That's why I came out to California with you." she said.

"You helped me on my journey to the ocean just to met Rita Hayworth?" I said.

"It's my own great wish. I just wanna say a few words to her." she said.

"If I see her, I'll point you her way." I said.

"Like you know what she looks like now." she said.

"Just a joke. A passing joke." I said.

"Thanks, Oddley." she said, her face brighting up.

"Say, I have an idea. Why don't we take a walk?" I said.

"That's a good idea." she said.

We then began our walk. I kept up my secret search for Ogden, by looking for any car that looked like Odgen's and reading its plate. After fifteen minutes of this, I was beginning to feel that Rita was on to my scheme.

"What are you doing?" she asked me.

"Nothing." I said.

"Then why do you keep staring out at the street?" she asked me.

"No reason." I said.

"You're looking for Ogden, aren't you?" she said.

"So what if I am?" I asked.

"I thought we were gonna see the sights." she said.

"We are. It's just that I'm also looking for my friend." I said.

"You can look for him, and while you're at it, you might as well look for Rita Hayworth." she said.

"I told you, I was joking." I said.

"You promised me that we'd just see the sights." she said.

Before I could respond, we were met up by a slick man. I call him a slick man because he had all the hallmarks of one. He had a cheapo version of my Hollywood three-piece, minus the tie, with cheapo sunglasses and a balding head. He had a slick look in his eyes as he walked over to us.

"Excuse me there, darling." said the slick man.

"Are you talking to me?" asked Rita.

"Yes, I am. My name is Charles M. Ogleman, I'm a talent scout for Paramount Pictures." said the slick man.

"Nice to meet you." I said.

"Who are you?" he asked me.

"Oddley J. Mitchell." I said.

"Please to meet you. Now, my dear, I happen to notice you as I walked by and I think you're perfect." he said.

"For what?" she asked.

"For a movie role we're holding auditions for tomorrow afternoon at Paramount." he said.

"Paramount Pictures, where they make Star Trek?" I asked.

"That's the one." he said.

"Lucky." I said to myself.

"Anyway, we're holding these auditions tomorrow afternoon and I think you'd be perfect for the part." he said.

"Thanks." she said.

"Don't thank me. Thank the lucky stars above for this." he said, before he then handed over his card and wrote something on the back and then left.

"I can't believe it." I said.

"He gave me his card, and he wrote where to go for the audition." she said.

"I can take you to Paramount Pictures. Who knows? I could meet Leonard Nimoy after all." I said as me and Rita started walking.

"Just think. I'm gonna be a star." she said.

"You? A star?" I said to Rita.

"I can be." she said.

"I can't believe that some Hollywood guy is getting you an audition for a film." I said.

"I'm surprised myself." she said.

"I hope you succeed in that, because if you succeed, I do." I said.

"How's that?" she asked me.

"Because the beginning of your film career will be managed by me." I said.

"You, be my agent?" she said.

"Think about it. I'm the only one who knows you out here, so a plus there." I said.

"If you want, you got the job." she said as we began crossing a street.

I could see it all in my head. Rita nailing her audition, getting a small part in a movie, eventually getting bigger parts, allowing me to have larger and larger ten percents of any salary. The stars shone bright in my eyes. That's when it hit me: a car.

I blacked out for a moment or two before I came to. As I opened my eyes, I looked around me. I could hear voices all around me. For a second, I thought that I was now dead. I then heard the voice of Rita and keep back to life.

"Are you all right?" she asked me.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Gee, just when I thought I had killed my friend." said a very familiar voice.

I looked around and found myself gazing at the face of Odgen, with his blonde hair, glasses, and a pair of short sideburns. It was a sight I had hoped to see since I got to California.

"Odgen! I finally found you." I said as I got up off the crowd.

"I'm glad you found me, and not that farmer." he said with a grin.

"So this is Ogden." said Rita.

"That I am, ma'am." he said.

"Didn't that shotgun blast teach you anything?" I asked him.

"Would you tell me your name, m'lady?" he then asked Rita.

"I'm Rita Louise, sir." she said, holding out her hand.

"Rita Hayworth Louise." I said as Odgen kissed the hand.

"Odgen Hamilton's my name." he said.

"I told her about you, Odgen." I said.

"Nice of you to do that. Saves me time." he said.

"Time in doing what?" I asked.

"Never you mind. I'll keep to myself, if you wish." he said.

"Good." I said.

"I guess your search is over." said Rita.

"Ogden, if you have a place to stay, may we use it?" I said.

"I have gotten a nice room at a hotel downtown. I think I can squeeze in two additional people." he said.

"Lead us there." I told him.

Lead us, he did. He led us to a run-down joint called the Hotshot Hotel some distance from the glamour of Hollywood, on Melrose. It was an old hotel. In its headay, it must have been a beautiful building, with movie stars checking in and out. Now, those days had long gone, even by 1968.

There's not enough words I know to describe the sight I saw. Let me just say that my own apartment home was the Taj Mahal compared to this place in terms of how it looked. I just let it flow past me as we entered the lobby.

The lobby was almost as worse as the outside. The furniture in the lobby looked like it had been there as long as the hotel, with those 1930s fabrics and colors, now faded. The centerpiece of the room was the large oak desk, just as faded as the furniture.

"Hello, Mr. Ogden." said the smiling desk clerk.

The clerk was different from the surroundings. He looked just a few years older than I did. He had a tan from a life spent in the California sun and a accent to match. He was dressed in a usual hotel clerk outfit, complete with tie and hankerchief stuffed into a pocket.

"Hello, Mason." said Ogden as he walked up to the desk.

"Nice to see you again. Say, who are those two?" asked Mason.

"The guy over here is my best friend, Oddley Mitchell." said Ogden.

"So, this is the legendary Oddley. Ogden has told us all about you." said Mason.

"That's me. The legendary Oddley." I said.

"And I'm Rita Louise." said Rita.

"She looks nice." said Mason.

"She looks nice enough for an audition tomorrow at Paramount." I said.

"You're not the first or last person to say that." said Mason.

"Listen, Mason. These two need a place to stay... " said Ogden.

"No problem. They can stay with you, free of charge." said Mason.

"Thanks, Mason. You're a pal." said Ogden.

"No sweat." said Mason.

"Oddley, as we walk to my room, you might explain how you came to be hit by my car." said Ogden as he lead us to the elevators.

So, I told him everything that had happened from the time he'd left to when he'd hit me with his car. It took from the front desk to the door of his room to tell as much as I could. When I'd finished, he nodded his head as he unlocked the door, telling me that he believed what I'd said, for it was the only way I could have done it.

"That was an amazing tale." said Ogden as we entered the room.

"It's the truth. I went through all of that to get here." I said.

"Oddley, even without me, you get into trouble." he said.

"That's what I gather." said Rita.

I then turned my attention to the hotel. In my mind, I could picture someone like Rita Hayworth making her bed here while filming one of her pictures or having a vacation from fame. In my eyes, it was a worn-out room with a worn-out bed, with the makings of Ogden all over, with signs of earlier occupants easily seen.

"How do you like the room?" asked Ogden.

"Well, it's... very nice." I said.

"It's not much but I've had to make it home since I left Chicago." he said.

"You know, you should come back." I said.

"And you know when I will." he said.

"And I told you about that." I said.

"That wasn't a nice letter. Nice to hear that Mr. Randall replaced me." he said.

"He would replace his own mother if she were to bail on the job." I said.

"So you say." he said.

"You guys. If Oddley hadn't told me you were friends, I wouldn't know." said Rita.

"This is our friendship. It's not much but it's ours." I said.

"Rita's right. We need to be friends again." he said.

"And how do we do that?" I asked.

"There's a small club next to the lobby. It used to be the usual hotel bar, but now, it's this honky-tonk-like place. It's called the Hotshot Club." he said.

"Does it have country music?" I asked.

"Every night, from the jukebox and on stage." he said.

"Then I'm there." I said.

"Don't tell me, Ogden, that you're into country music like Oddley?" said Rita.

"No one is as much as a fan as Oddley." he said.

That night, we went downstairs to the Hotshot Club. As I entered, I realized that the place was how a Californian would build a honky-tonk. It had all the stereotypical things, from a dime jukebox, playing Buck Owens, to the neon, which looked like it came from the old days of the club.

The centerpiece of the place was the bar, where California hillbillies drowning their sorrows to the music. Across from the bar was the old stage, where I could see a Grestch guitar on its stand, a steel guitar, drums, a upright piano, and a stand-up bass. I began to wonder where the band would start to play.

"This is the Hotshot Club." I said to Ogden.

"That it is." he said.

"Where do we sit?" asked Rita.

"Right here." I said, pointing to the table near the middle of the room.

"Good enough for me." she said as we took our seats at it.

"Howdy, gang. What can I get ya?" said the waiter, with his western outfit and western face.

"Two beers and... what'll you have?" I said, with the question to Rita.

"A whiskey, please." she replied.

"Two beers and a Jack, coming up." said the waiter, walking away.

"I've got a nice view of the stage." I said to Ogden.

"I know you would do this." he said.

"Listen, Ogden, you really oughta return with me to Chicago." I said.

"I don't have a job there." he said.

"I can get you your old job back easy." I said.

"What about the shotgun farmer?" he then asked.

"If I know him, he's gone on a chase for you. He won't be there." I said.

"I hope you're right." he said.

Our drinks soon arrive. I enjoyed my first sip of beer since the Depot, while I saw Rita sip slowly at her whiskey, not caring that tomorrow, she had a screen test. I then heard the jukebox come to a stop as the band members arrived on stage. I then saw our waiter run onto the stage and up to a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's Friday night, so it's time for our star attraction. So, please let me introduce you to that cutie, Susan Raye!" said the waiter, who then bolted from the stage.

The next person to step up to the microphone was the star herself. I didn't know that fame was coming her way back then, but as she opened her mouth to sing, "All of Me Belongs to You", I knew something was going on.

It was as she sang her second song, her own version of "I Don't Wanna Play House", that I had my next moment. It came as a voice from the next table to my right, a voice that I would regonize no matter what.

"She's gotta a mighty fine voice, hasn't she?" said the voice to me.

"Yes, it is... " I said as my eyes stopped on the sight of the man from the jukebox, Buck Owens.

"What's wrong?" I heard Ogden say.

"Look, Buck Owens." I said, pointing him out.

"That's who I am." he said with that trademark smiling grin.

"I listen to your stuff all the time and I'm from Chicago." I told him.

"I've been there myself." he said.

"This Susan. She has an amazing voice." I said.

"Maybe I'll hire her for my act." he said.

"You better, so the world can share this gift." I said.

I don't know why I never got credit for Buck hiring Susan some time later, but if I had a part in it, this is my record of it. Anyway, I've always felt that I had my hand in the best sound I've ever heard: the duets of Buck and Susan.

What happened next took me totally by surprise. It came as Susan was singing her second song, her version of "I Don't Wanna Play House" It was a nice version but that wasn't the thing that happened.

"Oddley?" said Ogden.

"Yes, Ogden?" I asked.

"You think I have a chance with that girl?" he said, pointing at the table.

"Knowing you, I think you can swing a drink and talk." I said.

"Thank you." he said.

"What would you want with her?" asked the drunk Rita, on her second whiskey.

"I just wanna talk to her. Get a feeling for her." he said.

"Are you sure it's more than that?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure. It's just a passing fancy." he said.

"That's what you thought about that Alabama blonde." I said.

When her set had ended, Ogden got out of his seat and rushed over to her as she left the stage. I don't know what he said to her but it must have worked because after a minute, she followed him over to another table. Just another typical thing by Ogden.

"I guess it's just us two." I said to Rita.

"It would seem so." she said.

"I hope your audition goes well tomorrow." I said with a smile.

"I don't care." she said to me.

"I know that's the whiskey talking." I said.

"Are you sure? It may be my true feelings about this." I said.

"When did this happen?" I asked.

"I don't know." she said.

"Maybe you can tell me if you give me a few clues." I said.

"I don't know what clues to give." she said.

"You'll think of them." she said.

As she sipped it down, Rita and me had a nice long talk. By midnight, Rita had had enough to float a ship, but I was still somewhat sober. I saw Ogden walk out of the Hotshot Club with Susan. I could only guess where they were going, but I knew where they would end up. It was his way.

I headed back to Ogden's room. Rita was weaving her way back to the room, with wide rights and lefts all the way. I managed to keep straight, with only a few wobbles. I knew that an audtion was tomorrow. The question was: would she be ready for it?

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That's a good question.  Will she?  As you can see, Oddley's reunion with Ogden has caused a new set of problems for our hero.  Will Rita pass her audition and get a role in a movie?  The only way to find out is to come back next week and read about it.
 
Next week, Oddley, Ogden, and Rita make their way to Paramount Pictures for the audition.  There, Oddley finds something that he hasn't found so far: love.
 
That's on Saturday, November 5th, at 3:30 pm, right here on the John Maxwell Blog.
 
Until then, this is John Maxwell, telling you that on Halloween, keep a sharp eye open for werewolves, because you'll never know when the full moon strikes...