"Cut!"
Director Alan Ekush shook his head, his face a mask of helpless frustration. "No Good!"
A collective, exhausted sigh swept through the crew. "Sigh!"
They were inside the Whiskey-Go-Go Bar, which New World Productions had rented for filming Rock 'n' Roll High School. This was the fifth attempt at Friday afternoon's final scene, and the fifth failure. The crew couldn't pack up, and they couldn't complain; they could only glare with weary resentment at the punk band Ramones, the stars of the film.
Alan Ekush stood up to find the band's manager, intent on replacing the bassist, Dee Dee Ramone, who simply couldn't get it right. Co-director Joe Dante slumped in his chair, trying to diagnose the problem.
The scene was simple: the guitarist, bassist, and drummer walk into the backstage dressing room carrying several pizzas. Dee Dee had one line: "Pizza, pizza's here, let's eat!"
"Why is it still unacceptable after five takes?" Andrew Tyler, the crew assistant, observed the whole process from behind the camera. Bassist Dee Dee was giving a sincere effort, shouting his line with energy every time.
But after the shout, as the three were setting up the food, Dee Dee would inevitably commit some clumsy error—dropping the box, knocking over a small table, or fumbling his prop. It looked strange—almost... intentional.
The trio sat down to rest, understandably dejected after being dragged through five grueling takes. Seeing the band members deflate, Andrew quickly grabbed three paper cups from a table behind the camera and poured generous amounts of "delicious" Nestlé instant coffee.
Dee Dee, the most outwardly arrogant of the four band members, snatched the cup without offering a thank you. His eyes, however, darted toward the far side of the room, fixing on something with a contemptuous smirk.
Andrew followed his gaze. The fourth member of the band, lead singer Joey, had finished his scenes hours ago and was now deep in conversation with a fan. Andrew turned back to Dee Dee, who was sipping his coffee with his back deliberately turned to his bandmates.
A plausible theory instantly snapped into Andrew's mind.
He walked quickly to the director's chair, greeted Joe Dante quietly, and whispered, "Mr. Dante, I've noticed Dee Dee seems to harbor some resentment toward the lead singer, Joey..."
Joe Dante listened for a moment, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "Are you certain?"
"Not entirely, but it's a possibility worth exploring."
Just then, Director Alan returned, having failed to negotiate a replacement. "No luck. The band manager insists that all four members maintain equal screen time and won't allow anyone else to deliver Dee Dee's line."
"Equal time..." The manager's demand reinforced Andrew and Joe Dante's shared suspicion.
Joe Dante immediately pulled over a director's chair for the very tall Alan, letting him rest, and whispered, "Andrew just had an idea... what if we adjust the shot to play on that rivalry?"
"My God, you might be right," Alan exclaimed, jumping up with renewed energy. He rushed to coordinate with the band manager.
Joe Dante, meanwhile, got up to explain the new blocking to Dee Dee Ramone while calling over the makeup artist for a quick touch-up.
Andrew caught the eye of the director of photography behind the camera and grinned. "The director is trying a different approach."
The crew quickly reset, and the scene started again.
Director Alan shouted, "Action!"
Dee Dee Ramone, carrying the huge stack of pizzas, burst into the shot. He slammed the boxes onto the small table and shouted, "Pizza, pizza's here, let's eat!"
This time, the drummer and the guitarist rushed into the frame after his line, running from the left and right. The three men immediately opened a box, each grabbing a slice and taking a big, eager bite. The focus was entirely on Dee Dee for his line, then immediately transitioned to the group's shared energy.
"Cut! That was great, we've got it!"
The crew erupted in cheers and applause. Filming for the day was finally over.
Andrew collected the time sheets and had each actor sign them to confirm their working hours. He then handed the signed forms to Jim, his friend and fellow crew assistant.
Jim had long, middle-parted hair, a beard, and was dressed like a Beatle. As "odd jobs" crew assistants, he and Andrew had the most contact and had become fast friends.
Jim pocketed the forms, saw the Ramones disappear, and leaned closer. "What was that magic? You said something to the director that made Dee Dee nail it on the first try."
Andrew smiled subtly. "When I gave Dee Dee coffee, I noticed his resentment toward the lead singer, Joey. The previous takes focused on the trio but highlighted the shared moment, which annoyed him. The new setup gave Dee Dee a clear, isolated moment to deliver his line—his solo shot—before the others joined the action." They exchanged a knowing smile.
It wasn't just actors who worried about screen hierarchy; rock stars in the same band were hyper-sensitive about status.
Andrew glanced at his watch and started packing up his bag.
"Leaving already? Aren't you staying for the party?" Jim asked, surprised. The crew was hosting a wrap party at the Whiskey-Go-Go bar that night.
"No, I have to call my aunt in New York."
"Don't forget, we're shooting tomorrow. Morning scene at Van Ness High School while the students are on holiday. Meet at 5:30 AM." Jim handed him a call sheet with a map attached.
Andrew took the call sheet, left the bar, and drove out of the parking lot.
He passed the film crew's van, where the camera team was already loading equipment. Andrew honked twice to acknowledge the cameraman, then turned left onto the main road.
It was December 15, 1978, in Los Angeles. Daylight Saving Time had ended, and the clocks were turned back; it was just past 6 p.m., but already completely dark.
His aunt was surely waiting. Los Angeles and New York were three hours apart; it was already 9 p.m. there. Calling her when he got home would be too late. Andrew stopped at a public phone booth a short distance ahead.
He pulled out a handful of change, inserted the coins, and dialed: 1-718-317-7157. The call connected almost instantly, ringing only once before being answered.
"Hello, Aunt Karen, it's Andrew."
"Oh, Andy, how are you?" (Andy is Andrew's nickname.)
"I'm doing great. I've been working on set for the past two weeks and met a lot of people in the industry. After filming wraps up next week, even more people will be coming to me for audition photos. The market here is huge. I've calculated it: I can earn more than I did back home. At $50 a set of audition photos, I can cover my first year of college tuition, books, and room and board in about three months."
"That's wonderful! I'm so proud of you, Andy. You're a good kid; your father and mother will be proud of you in heaven."Karen's voice grew thick with emotion. "I married Steve right out of high school. After he was lost in Vietnam, all I could find was waitressing, and I couldn't save enough to put you through. But you have to go; it's what I promised your mother, and I have to keep that promise."
She mentioned her late husband and Andrew's parents, who died in the car accident, and Andrew let out a familiar, deep sigh.
"Don't worry, Aunt Karen. I'll make enough this year, definitely," Andrew assured her. "And if I stick to a public university in New York State, the tuition will be significantly less. It won't be a heavy burden."
"I'm just a waitress, Andy. I can't save much..." Karen began to blame herself again, her voice wavering.
"Stop that, Aunt Karen. Don't even say it. You raised Donna all by yourself, you took me in, and you spent so much time and money dealing with my aphasia after the crash."
They were talking after 6 p.m. on a weekend, when long-distance rates dropped (29 cents for the first minute, 19 cents after, plus 10 cents for local calls). Andrew kept feeding coins into the slot, but soon his change ran out.
"We're out of coins, I have to go," Andrew said quickly. "I love you, Aunt Karen."
"I love you too, my little Andy."
Andrew hung up the phone, pressed the coin return button a few times, collected the remaining change, and put it in his pocket. He got in his car, made a U-turn, and drove towards his rented apartment.
Driving, Andrew was lost in thought. Aunt Karen and Cousin Donna were his only family in this "world."
Three years ago, Andrew Tyler was a man from the future. He fell asleep in his own time and woke up tragically transported to a hospital in 1975, finding himself trapped in a past he never lived. The first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Aunt Karen.
His parents had died in a car accident; only Andrew, sitting in the back seat, had survived.
His aunt Karen had lost her husband in the Vietnam War and lived with her daughter, Donna. After learning of her sister's family's accident, she took the orphaned Andrew from the hospital to her home on Staten Island, New York, and cared for him until he recovered.
Afterward, she enrolled Andrew in Tottenville High School on Staten Island. The abrupt trauma had initially caused a form of aphasia, leaving him nearly mute, a painful secret he still guarded. The work, the money, the ambition—it was all to repay her kindness and fulfill the promise to his parents he now carried in his new life.
Lost in thought, Andrew stepped on the gas and drove towards his rented home in Venice Beach.