Shadow Casting: The Making of 'A River Runs Through It' Page #4

come home to roost yet, Al.

Not bad.

- Are you all right, Norman?

- Clara.

- Was that your jelly?

- Yes, it was, Ethel.

- It's wonderful.

- Thank you so much.

- And is this Norman?

- Yes, it is.

Yes, we're very proud of him.

- Nice to have you back.

- Thank you.

Her daughter has turned

into quite a beauty.

And there she is over there.

Twenty only a week ago.

She's bright as a light, Norman.

Mother...

Mr Murchison! How are you?

How are you?

- How are you?

- Oh, quite well, thank you.

Good, good.

And this is Paul?

No, this is Norman.

- Norman.

- Oh, Norman!

- You're looking good.

- Yes, hasn't he grown up?

- You're looking so good.

- Oh, Paul's here. Come on!

I'm sorry, Mother. I have to meet

Jessie Burns' family at the station.

Her brother Neal's coming from California.

Oh, well now.

- So I'm late.

- Should we have this girl over to dinner?

Perhaps, Mother.

- Hello!

- Howdy!

Mother!

- Paul!

- Well, well...

Hey, Maclean!

- Paul.

- Maclean.

- Let me borrow those a moment.

- Sure, why not?

Hello, Father.

Come here, come here!

- Yes, you are!

- No!

The Burns family ran a general store

in a one-store town...

...and still managed to do badly.

This is Norman.

They were Methodists...

...a denomination my father always

referred to as "Baptists who could read".

- Glad to know you. It's a pleasure.

- This is my mother.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Norman.

Jessie tells me you're a poet.

Are you related

to the Fishing Newspaperman?

That's my brother.

- Jessie says you just got your degree.

- Yes.

Jessie was at the university.

She was majoring in...

Flapperism.

Wasn't it?

- She dropped out.

- Aunt Sally!

She can learn from you. Stick-to-activity.

Oh, now, just let the young man breathe.

He's not used to all this.

He's a Presbyterian.

Ooh, he's here! He's here!

Jessie's brother Neal

stepped off the train...

...trying to remember what

a Davis Cup tennis player looked like.

- You look so good!

- He looks a little thin!

You look great! You look great!

Neal, this is Norman.

Norman, my brother Neal.

Hello, boy.

What, did you sit up all night

on that thing?

Did you get my card from Yellowstone?

- I did. I got that.

- What do you think about this tie?

Come on, guys. Let him breathe.

He just got here.

- Let's go eat.

- That's a good idea!

I got some chicken salad sandwiches

in the car...

...and I've got some baking chickens

at home.

Mrs Miller has given us some cherries

so I can make your favourite pie.

Mrs Miller's still alive?

Not the home-made beer!

It was a good year!

Over the lips, past the gums,

look out stomach, here she comes!

So what's the first station out there now?

When I travelled that way,

San Berdoo was there.

San Berdoo and a lot of sand,

and a lot of desert...

...a hell of a lot of desert.

We came back to Salt Lake City...

...and had to change at Salt Lake City.

There was a little hotel there

that used to...

- Serve oysters.

- ... serve oysters.

- Norman, do you drink? Does he drink?

- Oh, a little bit.

Well, here's to the old fam-damn-ily!

Fam-damn-ily!

- Hear, hear!

- Fam-damn-ily.

He's just tired. It's a long trip.

At least he still has his appetite!

So how long you planning to stay, Neal?

Sport! Sport, come here!

I don't know. I miss the ocean.

What's it like?

Oh, it's big and it's blue.

People ride on the waves.

I tell you, I was getting pretty good at it!

Ow!

Down, man! Bad dog, bad!

- Jeez, Ma!

- Well, you get him so excited!

Sport!

Anyhoo, what was I...

What was I talking about?

- The water.

- The ocean.

Oh, yeah. Yes, yes, yes.

So we'd ride those waves all day long,

all the boys...

...Ramon, me, Ronnie Coleman.

Ronald Coleman?!

- Ronald Coleman?

- I love Ronald Coleman.

You know, people have told me

I look like Ronald Coleman.

- Yeah.

- I can't picture him riding on waves.

Some Kodak, huh?

Well, Ma...

...it's been a long trip.

Maybe you could go fishing

with Norman sometime?

- Hm?

- Yeah, that's a good idea.

Yeah.

Wonderful. Wouldn't it be?

Fishing?

Well, you do fish?

Course he does!

He has a pole and everything.

Oh, yes, everybody does.

You betcha!

- When's a good time for you, Norman?

- Oh, uh, Friday?

Friday's good.

- Friday's good.

- What time?

Six?

AM?

Oh, yes. He'll be there. Won't you, honey?

Thank you, Norman,

that's very kind of you.

Oh, my pleasure.

And... and maybe Paul could come, too?

Oh, that would be nice.

I'm sure Paul would love

to go fishing with us.

- Can I come?

- Oh, no, not this time, honey.

Let's get these things outside.

Why don't you go with Neal, Norman?

So you can make your plans.

Oh... yeah.

The only plan Neal had in mind

was a trip to Black Jack's Bar...

...which was simply an old freight car

set in the woods...

...where any honest policeman

would be unlikely to find it.

So, it was this otter and her pups.

Now, I had a hell of a time tracking 'em,

because they turn white in the winter.

After a few shots of the especially vile

whisky brewed by Black Jack himself...

...Neal began to hold forth.

He'd chosen Montana subjects to spin

his lies about shooting, hiking, trapping...

...probably, I figure, to impress

the only other client at the bar...

...a ploy that was beginning to pay off.

Anyhoo, she tried to lose me

again and again...

She went by the name of Old Rawhide.

About ten years before, she'd been

elected beauty queen of Wolf Creek.

She had ridden bareback standing up

through the 100 inhabitants, mostly male.

Her skirts flew high,

and she won the contest.

I couldn't feel my hands! I'm thinking

about my dog, Sport, that's with me.

I'm thinking "If it gets any colder...

...I just may have to slit him open and stick

my hands in to keep 'em from freezing. "

It would have been a tough thing to do.

But I... Well, I did it before,

up at the Yukon.

God knows, I love that damn dog.

She still wore the divided skirts

of a horsewoman...

...although they must have been

a hardship in her new profession.

And there, on a branch...

...waiting to jump on the first deer...

...is the goddamn otter!

Hey, buster...

...what's an otter doing

on the top of Rogers Pass?

I thought they swam down in the cricks.

Jack, why don't you bring this lady

a whisky?

Well, I gotta shove off.

Don't forget, old boy. Friday, fishing.

What?

What say?

They said I'd find you at your other office.

Yeah. Deadline. I can't work there.

You come for a drink?

Um... a favour.

Go fishing with me?

Sure.

Well, that's marvy, because Jessie's got

a brother in from California, and, um...

I'm not gonna lie to you:

He's a world champion peckerwood.

- Bait fisherman?

- He didn't say.

Good Lord! George!

He's going to show up

with a coffee can full of worms.

Red can. Hills Brothers. I'd lay a bet on it.

I promised Jessie.

Are you getting serious?

What?

You son of a b*tch, you're getting

serious. You and Jessie. Huh?

- Well?

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