Chapitre 36: Chapter 36 Date
Early the next morning, Ronald ironed his clothes, polished his shoes, put on his sunglasses, and drove to the gate of Van Nuys High School. Since he hadn't left his phone number, he wanted to take the time to go to the school, find two beautiful dancers at the school gate, and then skip classes to go on a date.
"Hi Marla, long time no see, how have you been lately?"
Ronald soon found Marla Rosenfeld, a beauty with brown hair and blue eyes, who showed up in a strapless top. Her powerful figure stood out in the crowd. Ronald took off his sunglasses and greeted her from afar.
"I bought two tickets for tonight's movie The Deer Hunter. I don't have anyone to watch it with me. Are you interested?" Ronald asked Marla, who ran over.
"Wow, The Deer Hunter, I tried hard before but couldn't get a ticket," Marla looked happy. "Of course, Ronald, yes."
Marla Rosenfeld still looked sexy. With wavy brown hair, thick and smooth, she wore a red sleeveless top with a round neck under a thin embroidered jacket that enhanced her wheat-colored skin. With jeans and open high heels, she was still the same rock-and-roll babe.
Marla's hairstyle was a bit like Jane Fonda's on TV last night, except she was an American girl with a strong figure and lacked Jane Fonda's artistic flair.
"I bought the 5:00 p.m. show. Would you like to go with me to the Planetarium and Universal Studios during the day?" Ronald deliberately kept the movie ticket, as if Marla wouldn't get it if she didn't agree.
"Of course," Marla cheerfully opened the passenger door of the yellow Volkswagen Beetle and sat down generously. She hooked her arms around Ronald's neck with both hands and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Ronald."
"Why don't you see Chris? Isn't she here?" Ronald asked about another beauty with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"She's not at school. Chris went to a new film crew. I heard her new boyfriend helped her get it," Marla looked Ronald in the eye and smiled. "Ronald, what are you doing now? Which crew are you with? Can you help me? I want to earn some SAG credits."
"Uh, I'm not on any set at the moment, Marla."
Marla and Chris, these 12th-grade girls, had experienced film shooting and were also maturing quickly. They knew they had to work hard to earn their Screen Actors Guild credits.
"Really? If there's a new movie in the future, don't forget to fill the schedule for me," Marla shook his arm. "I've learned some new dances and will perform them for you when the time comes."
"How's the production of Rock 'n' Roll High School? When will I be able to see it in theaters? How many front shots will I have?" Marla was very excited. "Ronald, why aren't you talking? What are you thinking about?"
Ronald snapped out of his wandering thoughts and said, "I was just admiring your beauty."
As he spoke, he stepped on the brakes and then on the accelerator.
It could be seen that Marla was very happy, and her appearance today exceeded expectations. In the twelfth grade of high school, girls had grown up, and comparisons and jealousy between them had become common.
At Van Nuys High School, in the heart of Hollywood, whoever could have a boyfriend in the film industry and get involved in a crew would rise to the top of the social pyramid in the girls' circle. Marla was happy Ronald was back with her.
"Let's go to the Griffith Observatory first and watch the starry sky show," Ronald said and drove down the road.
The observatory is located in the center of Griffith Park, at the highest point of the hill. The Greek-style domed building is very beautiful. Ronald and Marla held hands and went into the hall to visit. Once the lights were off, the projector displayed a star map on the dome, containing all the stars visible to the naked eye. They looked at the shining stars, and the atmosphere was very romantic.
There was still some scent of soap on Marla's body, and the atmosphere was fresh, but it could be felt that it wasn't an expensive brand. Ronald was intoxicated by the starry sky and Marla's pleasant scent; he hugged her, and they naturally embraced.
When it was time for the starry sky projection, Ronald and Marla smiled at each other and continued walking forward. In the small adjacent room, there were models of the solar system, demonstrations of solar and lunar eclipses, and a 10-foot-long artificial lightning bolt made with Tesla coils. Ronald was very interested in these scientific exhibits, while Marla was mainly interested in Ronald. They smiled at each other from time to time.
After finishing a buffet lunch at the museum's "End of the Universe" cafeteria, Marla was already glued to Ronald. The two left the observatory. Ronald also saw several astronomical telescopes for tourists. It seemed that next time he would have to see the real starry sky at night.
On the lawn at the exit were marble sculptures of various astronomers, and across from them was a statue of James Dean, the Hollywood actor who died young. Although this actor starred in only three movies, he has always ranked in the top 10 in Hollywood actor selections over the years.
His posthumous film, Rebel Without a Cause, became Hollywood's first box-office hit reflecting rebellious youth and will be remembered forever. Since there were scenes of Griffith Observatory in Rebel Without a Cause, there's a statue of him here.
What a great place to shoot a movie, Ronald thought. The two posed for a photo in front of James Dean's statue.
In the afternoon, the young people went again to Universal Studios.
Originally, it was a Universal set, and after epic blockbusters like Spartacus and The Ten Commandments were filmed, the sets were preserved for tourists to visit. Now, it's a must-see attraction for tourists in Los Angeles.
Ronald bought a ticket, took an instant Polaroid camera, and entered Universal Park with Marla. Several classic attractions included landslides, floods, Moses parting the Red Sea, and other thrilling wonders. Marla, as a local, may have been here before, but this was Ronald's first time.
Although the classic scene of a girl screaming and jumping into a boy's arms didn't happen, the intensity of eye contact between Ronald and Marla also increased quickly. After asking the staff to take a photo of them, Marla couldn't help kissing Ronald on the lips.
Ronald tilted his head and looked into Marla's blue eyes, smiling. Marla's face turned red as she looked at him, quickly kissed Ronald again, and then separated after a long time.
Marla was a bit shy and buried her head in Ronald's chest, and the two walked through the amusement park.
After eating a few hot dogs, Ronald and Marla ran to the door of the Kodak Theater. This is an old Hollywood theater that has hosted many movie premieres.
Today, the second screening of The Deer Hunter was being held in Los Angeles. Universal Pictures, after the film received nine Oscar nominations, quickly released The Deer Hunter nationwide to attract audiences through the Oscars' influence.
Of course, Ronald knew these details from watching TV and reading newspapers. He just wanted to see an Oscar-level movie with a beautiful woman.
Ronald insisted on buying caramel-flavored popcorn instead of salty popcorn and entered the theater with a bucket of popcorn and two cups of Coca-Cola. The old theater has room for many people, and Ronald and Marla found two adjacent seats and sat down. There are quite a few viewers today.
Marla grabbed a handful of popcorn from the armrest, put it in Ronald's mouth, and then took her own Coca-Cola. "Here, drink mine." The two were affectionate for a while, and suddenly the lights went out, and the pre-show ads started.
The film begins with a traditional Russian wedding. Ronald was a bit confused. A group of people with Russian names, speaking English, were preparing for an Orthodox wedding. Does it seem to be about the Russian community in America? The film's pace was very slow, with a wedding scene lasting almost an hour. Ronald was already feeling sleepy.
After finally waiting for several male protagonists to join the army and fight, Ronald felt refreshed and ready to see some battle scenes.
Unexpectedly, things happened hastily. When they reached the battlefield in Vietnam, the scene changed, and the three protagonists had already been captured.
Ronald was cursing in his mind. He was already on the battlefield. If there wasn't an exciting tank battle, how could he be captured directly?
Then, there was the Russian roulette scene that caused great controversy. The performance lasted 20 minutes, and finally, the protagonist Mike, played by Robert De Niro, suddenly erupted, killed the North Vietnamese officer, and took everyone to escape.
Ronald started complaining again, thinking that the North Vietnamese officer was very powerful, but the hero suddenly grabbed the gun and shot him to death. The U.S. military flew in a helicopter to rescue him, but the protagonist Mike couldn't get on the helicopter and fell into the Mekong River...
Afterward, Mike, played by Robert De Niro, returned to the U.S. for some reason and wanted to marry his comrade Nick's girlfriend... This supporting actress performed quite well; she also looked gentle and had a good temperament...
Ronald couldn't hold back his sleepiness any longer and fell asleep leaning against the back of the chair...
The lights were dazzling; Ronald felt someone pushing him and woke up. The end credits were already rolling, and Ronald rubbed his eyes. It seemed that he missed the scene where Robert De Niro's character reunited with his comrade Nick.
The lights were dazzling. Ronald opened his eyes. The movie had ended, and the lights were on.
Ronald wrapped his arm around Mara, and the two left the screening room.
"Wait a moment, I need to go to the bathroom." Mara went to the women's restroom and queued up.
Ronald stayed in the lobby, watching the flow of people. He felt a little dissatisfied about spending money to watch a movie he didn't understand and yawned again.
Suddenly, a long microphone approached his mouth: "Hello, we are reporters from CBS-2 in Los Angeles. We are interviewing viewers after watching The Deer Hunter. We noticed you yawned. Do you think this video... is boring?" a presenter began to ask, and a red light turned on on the camera behind her.
Before Ronald could fully react to the sudden ambush, he began to answer softly, "Well, I think the director is very good at creating light and setting the atmosphere. I have never been in the Russian community, but after watching the movie, after a while, I felt like I was living there."
"Boring, boring," the presenter seemed to lip-sync to remind herself.
"At first, I thought the wedding scene was great. It lasted almost an hour, but it was a bit long. And then, when we got to Vietnam, were we captured in less than a minute? I was expecting to see some battle scenes, but I only saw Russian Roulette," added Ronald, aiming to praise more and criticize less.
"What do you think of the actors' acting skills?" the presenter asked again. "The Deer Hunter was also nominated for many acting awards this year."
"Um, Robert De Niro, and that, that… Christopher Walken did very well and thoroughly explored the inner world of the characters. They deserved the Oscar nominations. I think they're quite worthy. Compared to the two male leads, I still prefer the maid of honor from the wedding, named Meryl Streep. I think she's also at a high level."
Ronald said, yawning again and rubbing his eyelids.
"Last question, what's your name and occupation?"
"My name is Ron, and I'm a freshman in college this year, preparing to study film." Ronald boasted a little about himself and also used an uncommon nickname as his name, in case something went wrong.
"Wow, no wonder your comments are so professional. Alright, thank you, Ronnie from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The presenter... brings you live reports."
"Alright, Ronald, let's go." After a while, Mara jumped, took Ronald by the arm, and left the theater.
"So, shall we see each other next time?" Ronald asked for Mara's phone number and escorted her to her front door.
"Alright, Ronald, the next time there's a new movie looking for extras, don't forget me." The lights in Mara's house turned on; she didn't say anything else, blew a kiss to Ronald, and then quickly ran into her house.
End of chapter
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
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