The Actress

Introduction: This bedtime story, The Actress, was originally written for my two daughters, both pre-schoolers at the time. A year or so later, I put it, along with three poems, into two file binders, one for each of my daughters to have. A few months ago, a half century later, my daughter found her copy and read it aloud to her husband and reminded me of what it had meant to her. I share with you my daughter’s copy of ---

THE ACTRESS

For as long as she could remember, Cathy had wanted to be an actress. But she didn’t want to be just an actress, she wanted to be a television actress. So when it was announced on the Uncle Rusty Show that Uncle Rusty was casting a children’s play to be performed on television, Cathy was sure that her chance had come.

Her mother took her to the TV studio to audition. At the studio her mother signed a card on which she wrote Cathy’s name, her age (she was seven), and the name of her school. Then Uncle Rusty, who had written and was directing the play, had the children line up in three lines. He took one line, the one Cathy was in, and his two helpers took the other two lines. One by one the children were asked to read for different parts. Finally he called, “Cathy Morrison.”

Cathy stepped forward. He said, “How are you today Miss Morrison?” “Fine,” she replied. “Have you ever been on a farm?”, he asked. “Yes Sir, my grandfather’s,” she answered. “Good. Pretend you are a little farm girl. Now I’ll read these sentences marked ‘Boy,’ and you read those marked ‘Girl’. If you don’t know some of the words, I will help you.”

Cathy didn’t know all the words, but when she hesitated, Uncle Rusty would tell her the word, and she would continue reading. They read the lines together three times. Then he called the next child.

After all the children had auditioned, Uncle Rusty asked everyone to wait while he and his two helpers discussed the auditions. They disappeared into an office.

When Uncle Rusty returned, he said, “Will the following children and their parents please stay?” He read off a list of names, but the only one Cathy heard was “Cathy Morrison.”

The children whose names hadn’t been called left with their parents. Uncle Rusty explained to those who stayed that they were all being considered for the play, but that final selections had not been made. Cathy and one other girl were being considered for the part of the “Little Farm Girl.” Both read the lines for him again. After hearing them, he leaned back in his chair and sat there rubbing his chin.

He studied both girls and said to the other girl, “Barbara, I’d like for you to play the part of the little farm girl.” Barbara was ecstatic and grabbed her mother in a joyous bear hug.

Mrs Morrison looked at Cathy. She wasn’t sure Cathy had heard Uncle Rusty because she didn’t move or say anything. She just stood there. “Well, it’s time to go home,” she said to Cathy.

But Uncle Rusty said, “No, wait a minute.” He studied Cathy a moment. “I’ve got an idea.” Addressing Cathy he said, “Can you cluck?” “Cluck?”Cathy asked. “Yes, like a chicken,” he replied.

“Cluck,” she said.

“Do it again.”

“Cluck.”

“Do it several times.”

“Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck!”

“Well, it’s not a big part,” Uncle Rusty said, “but would you like to be the chicken in my play? You don’t even get on stage, but it’s very important that I get some nice loud clucks offstage during a barnyard scene. Will you do it?”

“Oh, YES!”, cried Cathy. “Can I , Mom?” Her mother said, “Of course.”

For a week Cathy clucked at home, at school, on the school bus, even in Sunday school. Finally she went to the television studio for a rehearsal. On the following night she went back, and the camera taped the show to be shown on Uncle Rusty’s regular show the following week.

During the play, while it was being taped, Cathy sat offstage waiting for the place when she was to cluck. Finally it cme. The director pointed at her, whispered “Now,” and Cathy clucked, “Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck,” over and over until the director held up his hand and motioned for her to stop. “Very good,” he whispered.

The following week, all of Cathy’s friends from the whole neighborhood seemed to be at her house to watch the Uncle Rusty Show. They all sat in front of the television set, and the show started. When the barnyard scene came on, they could all hear the clucking offstage. Cathy was clucking her heart out.

She sat there, in front of the TV set, grinning from ear to ear, beaming with pride and happiness. That clucking was her, and on television. Cathy Morrison was a real, live, television actress.