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THE SIGN OF THE BOSS 145 of the players in a scene—was very difficult and the more De- Mille shouted instructions the more confused each "take" be- came. It was apparent the actors were having more fun than the script called for. Some eight or ten assistants, trying to synchronize the movements, finally were ordered to stop every- thing. DeMille stood at the microphone until a complete silence fell on the outdoor set, by this time ringed with hundreds of tourists and townfolks. We knew the assistants were marked for slaughter the minute DeMille called a halt, and so did the older ones among them. He ordered them to line up, and they did, like prisoners at the bar, as DeMille began his remarks. "Ladies and gentlemen, the men you see before me are assistants. It is their job to assist. Assist means to help. We are here on an important pic- ture and this is an important scene. It takes a lot of time and money to bring people and equipment all the way from Holly- wood. Maybe these gentlemen don't realize this. Now, unless I can do this scene we will have no picture. These gentlemen know this but they either don't have the ability or they don't care. In either case they are useless to me. I should encourage them to pack up their bags and return to Hollywood, as a favor to me, to the cast and the cameramen. Errors in judgment I can forgive, stupidity never. If you can't do the job please have the courage to tell me, so I can get someone else... ." There was murmuring among the spectators, and puzzled glances, and that night Sarasota buzzed with gossip about that man who was directing a motion picture out on the circus grounds I The feeling was not appreciably lessened by the report brought back the following day by witnesses to a shorter but more spirited cannonade against a minor subordinate, who just happened into a line of fire: "I hate to put this strain on you," bellowed the voice through the microphone. "I know these are trying times. Indeed a troubled era. This world is upside down. Perhaps I should not be asking you to help this scene out by