Minerva adjusted the very large hat she had to wear for the scene she was about to shoot. That might not sound very impressive, but Minerva didn't often wear hats due to the high position of her ears. And this hat was doozy, with a brim which seemed to stretch out for a yard, and was adorned with feathers. For a girl who didn't usually wear hats at all, this was asking a lot of her.
Minerva stood behind the curtain, waiting for her cue. This would be her big musical number, and standing in the wings beyond Minerva could be seen the Culver twins. Corinne and Cathy were beautiful white mousettes who would be providing back-up vocals. Their pink dresses were similar in design to Minerva's opulent violet number, but were less ornate. Minerva had to practice walking around in her dance hall dress, as she wasn't used to long, wide skirts either. A long tail like Minerva's could be difficult to manage with such garb, but this scene was a highlight of the picture and she intended to make it look as effortless as possible. Besides, however uncomfortable she felt, Minerva was a knockout. Her dress was accessorized with purple opera gloves and a little lace choker, and the deep cut of the dress beautifully accentuated her bust, neck, and her bare shoulders.
Minerva took as deep a breath as she could as she heard her intro music. Flashing a smile, Minerva parted the curtains and stepped forward to start her song. Most of the other actors were seated in the saloon set so as to record their reaction shots, something note worthy because the studio seldom used multiple cameras in order to keep production costs down. In the crowd was a number of studio regulars, with a few townsfolk brought in to make the dance hall even fuller. Leaned against the bar was Lyle Talbot, one of the few actors brought in from outside the studio's own casting department. This was a big move toward getting annies cast in 'regular' pictures, as Minerva and the Culver twins were putting in a cameo in a straight western, and getting guest star billing.
In the middle of Minerva's song, just as the Culver girls came prancing onto stage, Miss Mallen had to go into a fairly elaborate dance. This was largely a variation of the can-can moves one typically sees in these pictures, with the voluminous skirt being hoisted up and swayed back and forth as Minerva gyrated and danced back and forth. The Culver girls did a more traditional can-can style dance, holding each other by the shoulders and executing high kicks as they bounced back and forth. It all made for a good visual, but what really got attention was when the girls returned to their song. The assembly actually fell into stunned silence as Minerva belted out her final lines, echoed by the Culver sisters. As Minerva finished with a grand bow, the room erupted into legitimate applause. They didn't even wait for their cue. Even Mr. Talbot, cast a stern cattle baron with minimal geniality, was grinning ear to ear as he applauded.
Somehow, Minerva had kept the hat on during the entire number, despite it being perched at an angle that allowed one of her ears to remain visible. As she stood back up, having bowed herself in the same manner as a girl meeting the Queen, her balance was challenged and she nearly fell down had the Culver girls not rushed to prop her back onto her feet. Minerva steadied herself, knocking off the hat as she did so. The audience laughed. Minerva grinned and performed a less demanding curtsy before all three girls trotted back through the part in the curtains. A few seconds later, Minerva poked her head out of the curtains and turned to director Victor Grodnick.
"That better work, Vic! I'm not doing that again!" The crowd laughed as Vic yelled cut on the scene. Vic laughed too, before calling back.
"It was great, Minnie! And that bit with the trip at the end was so cute I'm leaving that in, too!"
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