I'm From Mars

(Author’s note: In 1941 in Waycross, Georgia, scenes for the movie thriller Swamp Water were filmed for Twentieth Century Fox by French director Jean Renoir. It was the famous director’s first project on American soil.)

I’m From Mars

The bus pulled out of the Waycross station and began heading for the road that led to Savannah. A happy, young Wayne Curtis had gotten himself a window seat. Beside him sat a gentleman who spoke to his traveling companions with a foreign accent. Obviously he was not from Georgia. He wore a loosely-fitted suit and kept turning behind them and making comments to a woman and two girls. Then he stopped turning and set his eyes on Wayne.

“I’ll say, young man, name’s Pierre.”

“Wayne Curtis, Sir.”

“Nice to meet you, Wayne. You are headed for Savannah perhaps?”

“Yes Sir,” said Wayne. “I live there.”

“Oh, you live there,” said Pierre. “What brought you to tiny Waycross, if I may ask?”

“I wanted to meet Mr. Brennan. He’s an actor. Ever heard of him?”

“Let’s see, that would be Walter, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Of course I’ve heard of him. He has won movie Oscars, has he not?”

“Well, I think so. He’s here in Waycross making a movie with some other actors,” Wayne said. “About the Okefenokee Swamp.”

Wayne did not notice as Pierre winked at his traveling companions.

“Oh, I see,” said Pierre. “You arrived and went out to the movie set at the edge of the swamp and you asked to meet this Mr. Brennan?”

Wayne thought a moment. “I asked this guard looking guy if I could go on the set for a moment. He said ‘no’, that everybody was busy and was it the famous Frenchman I wanted to meet. I said ‘please’. I wouldn’t bother anything. I just wanted to say hi to Mr. Brennan. He’s the star of Kentucky and The Westerner. They’re my favorite movies.”

“Oh, too bad. It’s a pity you didn’t get to meet Mr. Brennan,” Pierre said. He looked at his companions who nodded their heads.

“But I did meet him,” Wayne said. “I was pretending to leave and yelled out his name. Luckily he heard me and I saw him appear at a distance. When he didn’t come close, the guard went over and said something to him. Then he decided to come closer and we met. He asked me if I was looking for the Frenchman, Mr…. well, I can’t remember his name. I said ‘no’, of course. He was really nice. Still can’t believe I met Mr. Brennan.”

“Amazing,” Pierre said as he looked again at his companions. “And here you are 11 or 12 years old doing all this alone. I always say, ‘Life is for the brave’.”

Wayne had closed his eyes to get some sleep. The bus rumbled along smoothly. Then he opened them a moment.

“Sir, I don’t think you are from Georgia.”

Pierre smiled at Wayne. “I’m the Frenchman, Wayne. We’re going to Savannah for the weekend. Then we’ll come back and wrap up the filming.”

Wayne looked at Pierre silently. ‘Yeah, and I’m from Mars,” he thought before closing his eyes again for the shut-eye.