Saturday Matinee - The Talkies

He couldn't believe this....he was a star....they couldn't do this to him!!!!

Sure he had a high pitched voice.....he knew he sounded like a little boy....or a little girl....
He'd been teased about it since he was a young man.....
But he could act.....he quickly rose to become a huge movie star....
Millions of fans flocked to see his films.....he made money for the studios and for himself.....none of his servants cared about his high voice....
Sure he knew that there were some that snickered behind his back whenever he spoke in public.....but what the hell did he care....he was a star!!!!
Then it happened...."The Jazz Singer"......suddenly the pictures could talk!!!!!
The studio tried to continue with his silent features but the audience wasn't there anymore....
They released a film with him as a romantic lead and it just about destroyed his career!!!!
The audiences just laughed every time he spoke....and not in a good way....
The studio rushed to their attorneys to review his contract.....but it was unbreakable....as it had been designed to be.....they had thought of it as protection for themselves but now it turned out to be the worst deal in history!!!!
The lawyers pored over that contract for days and days looking for some type of loophole.....when finally they had some news to report to the studio!!!!!
"Yes it's true that he and the studio are mutually committed to six more feature films....and the studio is contractually obligated to promote his films...."
"Jesus.....who put that in the contract?"
"It made sense at the time and it might still make sense.....what you gentlemen are overlooking is your contractual ability to define the films and character that he plays in them....."
"You mean we could...."
"Yes....legally you could.....and if he balks you can sue him and break the contract!!!!
Many calls were made and lawyers bantered legalese at each other but in the end....if he wanted to work he had to accept the roles they offered him.....and by the third film he was actually starting to enjoy being the female lead.....it had opened up a whole new world.......satin and lace and the boys......there were so many boys!!!!!