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From: Ann Douglas <ann_douglas@hotmail.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} AnnD"Dear Prudence"MF(1/4)
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 20:10:08 -0400
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Dear Prudence
by Ann Douglas
(ann_douglas@hotmail.com)
Part One
"Cut and print it," the booming voice of the Director
carried across the sound stage.
The four actors on the set, a depiction of a typical
mid-American household, froze in place. They had been at
it for over an hour now, trying to finish a scene that seemed
plagued by one glitch after another. The Director paused for
a moment more, then said to their relief, "Okay people,
that's a wrap for today."
"Thank God," Brooke Hudson said to herself,
thankful to get out from under the hot lights.
As the thirty-nine year old star of "Dear Prudence"
walked off the set toward her trailer, her twenty-two year
old assistant, Joyce, met her halfway.
"You've had a few calls while you were on the set,"
the short brunette said as she held up a half dozen pages
from a message pad.
Smiling back at the younger girl, the taller redhead
flipped through the sheets, deciding that the first three
didn't need answering. The fourth was from her Agent
reminding her that she had a Monday morning meeting to
sit down and discuss her career.
In three more episodes, after a five-year run, "Dear
Prudence" would fold its tent for good. The rating had
begun to slip badly this year, as the show seemed to run
out of steam. All of the star's contracts were coming up for
renewal, and with the expected demands for salary
increases balanced against the expected even lower ratings
next year, the Network had decided to pull the plug.
Still, it had been a good run, one a lot longer than
Brooke had ever thought it would be when her agent had
first brought her the pilot script six years before. It was
just another silly sitcom, he'd told her. Not great, but
something that would give her a little exposure. Something
that her career could really use at that point. Despite
fifteen years of guest shots and minor roles, she still hadn't
made that jump to the first string.
The show was originally supposed to be entered
around her character, Prudence Greer, a mid-western wife
and mother who wrote an advice column for a local paper.
Also signed on for the cast had been Harry Hamilton, a
respected actor who played her husband, George. The
story line called for Prudence to have married her college
professor and it was felt an older actor would be more
believable. With his salt and pepper hair and rugged good
looks, the six-foot actor had been the first choice for the
role.
There had been an open call for the roles of
Prudence's teenage children, Carter and his older sister,
Jade. After what was termed in the trades as fierce
competition, the parts went to two new child actors, Gregg
Newman and Paige Harrison.
A mid-summer replacement, Brooke really hadn't
expected it to run beyond the Network's six-show
commitment. To everyone's surprise, "Dear Prudence"
became one of those surprise hits that seemed to come out
of nowhere. The ratings grew even larger as the public fell
in love with the junior members of the cast.
Gregg Newman had a natural charm and sense of
comic timing that was both rare and irresistible. As fans
watched him grow to young manhood on the TV screen, his
fan mail, mostly from teenage girls, grew to star
proportions. Paige Harrison also developed her own fan
base, one that almost doubled in a year as the long haired
redhead experienced a growth spurt which seemed to be
centered in her breasts. Teenage boys became fascinated
by her development in a way that TV Guide described as not
seen since the days of the original Mickey Mouse Club.
"Damn," Brooke said as she looked at the next note.
Joyce didn't need to look up from the notebook she was
jotting some notes in to know which note had generated
that particular response. Jim Parkes, a friend who was
supposed to be her escort to the National People's Awards
Dinner tonight had called to say that he'd come down with
a sore throat and wouldn't be able to go.
Brooke had been looking forward to the Awards
Dinner for weeks. She had been glad when Jim had agreed
to go with her because aside from being an old friend, he
was also quite safely gay. The twice-divorced star had her
fill of men recently, especially those who looked upon
dating her as a good career move. A chance to be seen by
all the right people.
"Should I call the people at the award dinner and
tell them that you won't be going after all?" Joyce asked.
"No, not yet," Brooke replied as she ran the names
of a few other men she know who might be willing to go on
such short notice. "I'll let you know a little later."
The last note was a matter she turned over to Joyce
to handle. Collecting her notes, the Assistant went off to
take care of it.
"Something wrong, Brooke?" a voice behind her
asked.
The five foot seven Actress turned to find her teenage co-
star standing there. He had seen the hurt look on her from
across the stage and had walked over to see if there was
anything he could do.
Brooke just smiled at the young man who played
her teenage son. Many times over the last few years, she
had told herself that if she'd had a son of her own, she
hoped he was as nice as Gregg was. Over the last five
years, she'd watched him grow to manhood and had also
become his friend. Gregg had just hit his teens when they'd
shot the pilot, two weeks ago he had celebrated his
eighteenth birthday.
"Nothing's wrong," she smiled, thanking him for his
concern and explaining that she had lost her date for the
dinner."
"You're still going to go, aren't you?" Gregg said
expectantly.
"Well, I'm not sure yet," she replied. "I still have to
come up with someone to go with on really short notice."
Before becoming a certified star, Brooke could've
gotten away with going to a function with a girlfriend or
even solo. Going alone was no longer an option with her
now a high profile star and all. Showing up with a girlfriend
could quickly generate a different sort of rumor in the
tabloids, one that she would rather not have to deal with.
"You really should still go, Brooke" Gregg said. "I
know you were looking forward to it."
The older Actress just smiled in response. It was an
automatic response whenever Gregg used her name. For
the longest time, she had always been Miss Hudson, but
soon after he'd turned seventeen she had finally got him to
call her by her first name. It was a sign of his new
adulthood that she knew he enjoyed.
"We'll see," the redhead finally answered as she
again reviewed her list of possible dates for the evening,
discarding those that she knew already had plans.
"I have an idea," the young man said, unwilling to
let the subject go without a definite answer.
"And what would that be?" Brooke asked curiously.
"You could go with me." he said with a wide grin.
"With you?" she repeated, wanting to be sure she
had heard him right.
"Yes, I'd love to take you," the slightly taller young
man went on.
Brooke wasn't sure if she should've been amused,
honored, or maybe a little of both. True, Gregg was a quite
handsome young man, one that any woman would have to
be blind not to appreciate and pretty stupid not to jump at
the chance to date. That was if she wasn't twice his age.
Unlike some of her contemporaries, Brooke didn't make a
habit out of dating men young enough to be, well young
enough to be her son.
"I would've thought a handsome young man like you
would have his choice of young starlets to go with," Brooke
said, deferring a response to his suggestion.
Gregg paused for a moment, then gave a non-verbal
reply to her observation. Brooke followed his gaze over his
shoulder to a man and woman still on the set, involved in
an animated discussion. The man was Larry Prince, the
show's Director, the woman Juliet Newman, Gregg's agent
and mother. No further words needed to be said. It was
obvious that Juliet Newman planned to go to the dinner as
her son's escort. Brooke hadn't met Juliet before they all
showed up on day one some years back, at least not
officially, but it was dislike at first sight on Juliet's part.
Interestingly enough, both women had come to
Hollywood seeking fame and fortune a few months apart
back in late '79. Juliet Newman still showed the beauty
she's exhibited in those early years, and if Brooke wanted
to be totally truthful, she'd admit that the dark haired
woman had been the better looking of the two. However,
looks only got you so far, especially in a city where even fast
food restaurants were filled with beautiful women behind
the counters.
Someone who had known Juliet back in those days,
once confided to Brooke that many of the tall brunette's
early roles had been gained more by sexual willingness
than acting skill. That was something that Brooke never
actually held against her. Looking back on her own
beginnings, the redhead could remember a few occasions
when she'd awaken to find men sharing her bed that
normally wouldn't have gotten past the front door. In fact,
she could recall a morning when it had even been a woman
she found on the other side of the bed.
No, she wouldn't judge the woman for things that
she had done herself. Juliet's problem was that once she
got those first breaks, she hadn't had the talent to
capitalize on them. At least acting talent. To hear her tell
the tale, it was her unplanned pregnancy that had brought
a sudden end to what she was sure would've been an
exceptional career. Never quite sure who the father had
been, Juliet had found some guy to be married with just
about long enough to give her and her son his name.
Brooke's real first encounter with Juliet, the one the
latter would rather forget, had come during the tryouts for
the roles of Carter and Jade. Originally, the Producers
hadn't been all that impressed with young Gregg's screen
test. They were leaning toward giving the role to another
young actor. Before the final decision could be made, Juliet
had managed an appointment with Tom Carver, the show's
Executive Producer.
The appointment had been during what was
normally lunch hour for Carver's secretary. So, when
Brooke had stopped by to ask Tom a question about the
planned production schedule, there had been no one to
prevent her from walking in to the inner office. Before she
could announce herself, she saw that Juliet's discussion of
her son's merits for the role had far more to do with
something going into her mouth rather than any words
coming out of it. Without a word, the star to be had quickly
gone the way she had come, hoping that neither of them
had noticed her. When she had been introduced to Juliet a
week later at the press introduction of the cast, it quickly
became obvious that at least one of them had indeed
noticed her entry.
That Juliet had used what Brooke was sure were
considerable oral arguments to get Gregg the role didn't
bother Brooke either. What did, however, was the fact that
she seemed to be living her lost stardom through her son.
Controlling every aspect of his life with an iron hand. Even
at the expense of his childhood.
Brooke remembered an incident when Gregg was
sixteen and, as with any young man his age, his hormones
where in full bloom. She couldn't find her son one
afternoon and began searching the dressing room trailers
for him. People heard her yells clear across the sound
stage when she walked into one of the trailers and found
Gregg in a close embrace with his co-star Paige. Both were
shirtless and the younger blond had her bra open and down
around her waist. The large mounds that had become a
point of interest for so many other teenage boys now rested
in Gregg's hands.
Juliet had been furious, spending nearly a half-hour
yelling at her son. Didn't he realize, she'd told him, what a
disaster it would be if anyone found out about the two of
them. It could ruin the show if people thought the actors
playing brother and sister were involved. At no time in that
lecture, did Juliet express any though as to what her son
needed outside of his career. From that day on, she had
tried to keep him under her watchful eye every minute of
the day.
"You and your Mom huh," Brooke said, confirming
that Juliet was indeed planning to be her son's 'date' at the
dinner.
Brooke looked again at her young friend. He really
was a good kid, the sort of potential son in law that any
mother might dream about. The only problem was that
Juliet kept him on such a choke chain, he was never going
to meet anyone.
If she did go with him to the dinner, no one would
really think anything of it. She was pretty sure of that.
They would think it was something the studio had set up.
That sort of thing happened all the time. It wasn't like it
would be a real date.
If nothing else, it would give Gregg a chance to meet
a nice girl. Well maybe not a nice girl, considering that it
was an industry party, but a girl anyway. That would be a
good first step.
The final thought Brooke had before answering, was
that the invitation to the dinner had been in Gregg's name
only. If he were taking someone else, Juliet would have no
excuse to go. That was unless she found someone else
willing to take her on their invitation. A possibility that
Brooke considered remote. From comments made by a few
men who had first hand knowledge of the subject, Brooke
had heard that while Juliet Newman was a truly awesome
fuck, she was a real bitch out of the bed. Few men, or
women for that matter, really wanted anything to do with
her outside that arena.
Not being able to go to the Awards would really piss
Juliet off, and for no other reason, that was enough for
Brooke to say yes. Everything else was just a bonus.
"I'd love to have you take me to the dinner," she told
a very happy Gregg.
"Great," he bubbled, his excitement filling the air.
"I'll pick you up around seven o'clock."
"Gregg, the Studio does supply us with cars and
drivers for this sort of thing," she replied.
"I'd really rather pick you up myself," Gregg said,
glancing over his shoulder to see that his mother was
finishing her own discussion.
"All right," Brooke relented. "you can pick me up at
seven. You remember the address, don't you?"
"Yes, I do," Gregg said, remembering the parties
Brooke had made sure he had received an invitation to.
Parties in which Juliet had always tagged along.
"Then I'll see you then," Brooke smiled as she
walked off the stage, just a few steps ahead of Juliet
catching up to her son.
As interesting as she was sure that discussion
between Mother and Son was going to be, the veteran
actress wanted to be far away when it happened.
The hours seemed to fly by in what was left of the
afternoon as Brooke took care of a few personal errands
that she couldn't leave to Joyce. Then she headed home to
dress for the evening.
On her arrival to the luxury apartment she had
gotten as part of her last divorced settlement, Brooke was
only mildly surprised when her housekeeper, June, said
that Gregg Newman had called. Undoubtedly, his mother
had won what she knew had to have been a loud argument
and Gregg was calling to apologize for now not being able
to take her to the dinner.
To her surprise, the message June had taken said
nothing of the sort. It just confirmed that he would be there
at seven and that he was looking forward to taking her to
the ceremony.
"How bout that," she laughed as she crumpled up
the paper and dropped. "He finally won an argument with
that bitch! Good for him."
A smile filled Brooke's face, the result of a small
amount of delight that Gregg had stood up for himself, as
well as the knowledge that Juliet had to be pissed off
beyond compare right now. No matter, the show was
scheduled to finish production on the last episode by next
month and that would be the last she ever saw of Juliet
Newman.
"Well if I'm going to be going to the Awards after all,
I'd better start getting ready," she said to herself.
One advantage to having short hair, Brooke
reminded herself, was that she didn't have to spend half the
afternoon at the beauty salon being done by whoever was
the rage of the month. It wasn't common knowledge among
her fans, but she wore a longer haired wig as Prudence
Greer. The Producers nearly had a heart attack two
seasons ago when she'd cut her hair for a movie role.
They'd spent a small fortune having a wigmaker come up
with an undetectable copy of Prudence's hairstyle. A quick
wash and dry was enough to get her natural hair the way
she liked it.
Stepping out of the large stand-alone shower,
Brooke exited the bathroom into the walk in closet she'd
had converted to a small dressing room. June had already
laid out her clothes for the evening, so that saved even
more time.
Standing nude in front of the large full sized vanity
mirror, the thirty-nine year old took a few moments to look
at herself. Good diet and an almost obsessive devotion to
physical fitness had left her with a body that was actually in
better shape than when she'd gotten her first role. True,
there were a few lines in her face that hadn't been there a
few years back, but there were just enough to give her
character, as her mother used to say.
Her breasts had stood the test of time as well, she
liked to say. Another result of a daily exercise regiment.
Running her open hands across her chest, she wondered if
anyone of the show's fans ever noticed that both she and
Paige Harrison had the same size breasts. Probably not,
she told herself. Paige's were always on display while hers
were usually hidden under the conservative outfits the
scripts called for Prudence to wear.
Last year, Brooke had appeared in a Broadway
show, subbing for the lead during the sitcom's off months.
The outfits she'd worn in the show had given a much more
demonstrative view of her assets. A view uncommon
enough for one reviewer to wonder in his column if she'd
had implants. The veteran actress was quick to fire off a
note to his paper, by special messenger no less, that
everything on her body, with the exception of a few capped
teeth, were what she'd been born with.
The evening gown she'd picked for this evening was
definitely not part of Prudence's wardrobe. Jet-black and
strapless, it had a built in bra. They not only supporting
her mounds but put them on prominent display as well.
The dress also had long open slits up her legs, giving her
full freedom of movement and displaying her legs as much
as her breasts.
A pair of small diamond earrings followed, along
with a matching pendent that hung in the soft valley of her
chest. Just a touch of make up finished the image, the
reflection in the mirror showing the real Brooke Hudson and
not the fictitious Prudence Greer.
(missing parts may be found at)
Ann Douglas Web Page
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Ann_Douglas/www/
ASSTR Donation Page
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/donations.html
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