#one tenth of a second of the theme music in the trailer and i nearly lost it

[trillgutterbug]

i've got exactly 44 days to finish this monster lawrusso fic before rick and morty s5 drops and life as i know it ends

[hardblazesong]

Noir Nocturne Part 1 Chapter 16 At the Movies (with so much love for the RG)

The rest of the bus trip was uneventful. Claire pointed out a bowling alley, pawn shop, and assorted other establishments for the duration of their journey. They heard the driver shout “This is you lady!” over his shoulder and followed her down the steps and out onto the large forecourt of the most extraordinary building. It was fashioned as a massive Chinese pagoda with enormous columns by the front doors topped with stylized masks of drama and comedy looking out over the entryway.

“Are ye sure this is the place Mistress?” Angus asked, sounding a bit nervous to Claire.

“Yes, it is used to premier motion pictures and all the Hollywood stars come in their finery to see and be seen. I think it is enchanting. Look at the dragon painted over the doorway! Picture Shows don’t look like this at home, I can assure you of that, although there are some lovely theaters. There is an Egyptian themed one as well not too far away. I hope it’s not too dear for a matinee though. Let me check at the box office.”

The men stayed near the curb and watched her walk up to a barely visible lady seated behind a glass window. Claire imagined that they were a tad overwhelmed at the foreignness of the décor. How does one go about explaining cultures so vastly different than one’s own? Frank would have known, but better not to think of him just now.

She found out that it was prohibitively expensive and the show didn’t start for another hour. That would not do. “I beg your pardon, I hope you don’t find this incredibly rude, but is there a smaller Cinema nearby with something that starts earlier?” she asked.

Grauman’s was showing Hell’s Angels with an endless list of prologue items, even for a matinee. She had loved the picture, and thought the men would like all the flying bits eventually, but as it was also about WW1, it felt unkind to expose them to more on that just yet. Besides, they wouldn’t be home in time for dinner, not an impression she wanted to make on their first day.

“Not at all dearie, not at all. The Ritz is right around the corner down that way. They have Lon Chaney’s talkie The Unholy Three starting in about fifteen minutes. You be sure to come back and see us though, only theater in the city with air conditioning!” the lady smiled, having given her sales pitch and pointed in a westerly direction.

Claire went back to the men and apologized for bringing them here first. “I had no idea how much it would cost, it was nearly five dollars, apiece! That’s well out of our budget lads. Come along, she told me where we could go instead.”

“Dinna fash, I didna like the looks of the place anyway.” Angus said, hoping to win a smile but also sincerely uncomfortable with the foreboding exterior.

The Ritz was much more familiar to Claire. The standard marquee and movie posters outside, with a doorman in a bellhop’s uniform at the glass front doors, who directed them to the interior box office. To the left of the entryway was a concessions area. Roasted peanuts, popcorn, Coca Cola, and assorted candies were on display under a row of glass cabinets.

She purchased their tickets and told them to get some snacks at the counter with their change. She didn’t coach them, hoping they were catching on to how the money worked. It was easy enough, pennies and then all fives and tens.  

The theater was beautifully decorated in the art deco style, all swirls, intricate lines and gilt, maroon carpeting woven through with lines of black. It had a balcony that was accessed by an elaborate staircase behind the ticket seller. It was lit by torchier wall lamps every few feet that gave off a warm amber glow.

“I think we should watch from the balcony, that way we hopefully won’t disturb others if you have questions or need to use the restroom.” Claire decided for them after noting the number of people already seated on the main floor.

“What’s a restroom then?” Murtagh puzzled while juggling his concessions in his hands and walking up the stairs beside her. He finally stuck his candy in one pocket and placed a small bag of peanuts in his other one.

Claire tried to control the laugh that was bubbling up, but it was impossible. “Well, it’s a bathroom, a privy, the head, the room where they keep the public toilets. Honestly, you can’t pee on walls or in the streets or yards here. It would be a very bad thing.” She covered her mouth with her hand and bit her lip to get control of herself. The oddest things struck her as amusing about this situation.

She was very excited to watch their reactions to all that they were going to see and hear in the next few hours. Of all the things that she had or would be introducing them to, this was probably her favorite. She had missed the escapism so much during the war and often thought if she had had that few hours at least once or twice a month it might have gone a long way towards making the entire experience more bearable.

They took their seats in the nearly empty balcony, with Jamie on her right and Murtagh on her left. Dougal and Angus sat immediately behind them. Their view of the screen was a good one, as the balcony itself extended to just behind the tenth row of seating below them. The lights flashed and she explained that it meant the entertainment was about to begin, whispering to indicate that is what they should do. She took a handful of popcorn from Jamie’s box, squeezed his arm and said happily “Here we go!”

The first images were of a trailer for All Quiet on the Western Front. All the men gasped simultaneously, looking to her, then back at the screen, then back to her. She felt Murtagh lean as far back in his seat as he possibly could, as if he was trying to escape. Jamie did the complete opposite, leaning forward and looking as if he wanted to reach out and touch the giant faces.

She doubted they were even understanding what they were seeing in the trailer. They were much too enraptured with the moving images and the music and voices. She took several pieces of the popcorn in her hand and placed them gently in Jamie’s gaping open mouth, before turning to Murtagh and placing a gentle hand upon his arm.

“Is it always so very loud Mrs.?” Murtagh said grimacing at her. She nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.

Dougal and Angus must have been struck dumb, for they issued not a sound beyond their initial gasps. The Coming Soon card came up and then a Movietonews newsreel came on regarding the upcoming Los Angeles construction for the 1932 Olympics. This was followed by a British produced newsreel, delayed somewhat, showing the Trooping of the Colors.

There was some grumbling from behind and a mmph from Murtagh at the sight of the troops and the English accented voice over, but they didn’t ask questions, so she thought she would save comments on it until much later.

“Tis a form of magic, it must be.” Dougal whispered in her ear when it was finished. She shushed him, saying that he should just keep watching and try to listen to what was being said.

Next came a cartoon with singing animals, a randy sailor and his lady love. Jamie, who couldn’t follow a tune, appeared quite scandalized by the subject matter of the lyrics and the antics on screen. When Barnacle Bill the Sailor left the lady to her own devices after the suggestion of intimacy, he turned to Claire with eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline, frowning and narrowing his eyes.

“Sassenach! Should ye be seeing this?” was all he managed to sputter out in the face of her complete disregard for what he thought was an improper subject for a lady.

“Hush Jamie, it’s just pictures drawn by artists with people supplying the voices. Children see these all the time.”

“I ken it isna real, but still…Weans see these? Tis outrageous, is what that is.” He huffed, his accent noticeably thicker, indicating his emotional reaction.

“Murtagh and Angus were laughing Jamie, and so was I, if you hadn’t noticed. Perhaps we will have to discuss the mores of the twentieth century later? For now, please try to relax and enjoy the movie that is coming next. It’s a drama, but it takes place in modern day. If you find you don’t like the story being told, study it for what it can teach you about these times. We won’t be able to stay for the second picture they will show after this one. Mrs. Bartlett would not appreciate us being late.”

“Murtagh pass Jamie the peanuts, shelling them will give him something to do with his hands while he calms down” she whispered to him while taking the popcorn box from Jamie and passing it to Dougal.

The four of them had purchased candy but seemed to have forgotten all about it. She demonstrated cracking open the peanuts and popped two in her mouth, preventing her from saying something she might regret to Jamie about taking things too seriously.

“Jamie drink your Cola, you’ll feel better with all that sugar in you” she said grinning a moment later, laying her head on his shoulder when the movie started.

TO BE CONTINUED